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Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick is an early contender for the best album of 2024, a dazzling blast of Latin-reggae fusion.
Genre: Latin, Pop, Reggaeton
Label: Geffen
Release Date: January 21, 2024
Vibe: 💃💃
Orquídeas, the second album from Kali Uchis in less than a year, has a few elements in common with its predecessor, Red Moon in Venus. Both are full of lush, dreamy soundscapes that marry R&B and pop sensibilities with influences from the Colombian-American singer’s background. However, they’re also strikingly different. Orquídeas is darker, more urgent, and overtly sensual in its playfulness. Crucially, it’s also almost entirely sung in Spanish, a decision that’s burned her in the past. In 2020, her label refused to promote her Latin LP, Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞. Uchis had the last laugh then, with “Telepatía” garnering billions of streams due to a viral TikTok challenge. Here, her confidence provides even further vindication.
One of Orquídeas’ most mesmerizing qualities is its ability to effortlessly shift from one subgenre to another, sometimes mid-song, without ever feeling jarring or haphazard. Her Peso Pluma collab, “Igual Que un Ángel,” is electro-fied R&B with a touch of disco, layering synths over a sinewy groove. “Labios Mordidos” and “Te Mata” bring cumbia and bolero elements into the mix, respectively, while “Muñekita” is one of the sharpest hip-hop tracks of the year so far, regardless of language. The latter also provides a terrific feature from City Girls member JT, who spits Spanish bars with the same charm and intensity as she does in English.
The album’s best qualities are exemplified on closer “Dame Beso/Muévete,” a salsa-funk hybrid elevated by an orchestral arrangement that surrounds Uchis’ voice with arguably the finest production value so far in her career. It’s a snapshot of just how much she’s grown as an artist and risk-taker, managing to defy expectations while staying true to herself as an artist. The results are nothing short of dazzling.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈