Chicago native Tori Sparks fifth studio album, El Mar, is a collaboration with Spanish musical trio Calamento. Tori's blues and rock sensibilities mixed with Calamentos atypical take on flamenco fusion has spawned a unique and emotional bilingual record. El Mar was recorded in Barcelona, at the studio of Grammy Award winner Cesar J. de Cisneros. From dark and slinky Mama, to Middle Eastern influenced Flor de Estambul, to a beautiful Spanish translation of Roy Orbisons Crying (Llorando), the album mixes original compositions with selections from the Spanish, Mexican, and American songbooks. Toris previous four albums have been praised by the Los Angeles Times, NPR, The Village Voice, CMJ, All Music Guide (5 stars), others, and tracks from the same have appeared on MTV, Lifetime, and Oxygen Network. Tori plays over 200 concerts per year, and will be on the road throughout 2014