Kali Uchis’s last outing, 2023’s dreamy, romantic Red Moon in Venus, earned the supple-voiced Colombian-American bouquets of praise. Orquídeas – her Spanish-language follow-up – was recorded alongside Red Moon and feels very much like the yang to Red Moon’s immersive yin.
Upbeat, party-flavoured and featuring a hot, pan-Latin-American slew of collaborators, from fellow Colombian singer Karol G (Vevo’s most-watched artist of 2023) to Mexican artist Peso Pluma (YouTube’s most viewed artist of 2023), Uchis’s second Latinx-forward album showcases the singer’s musical versatility and assured bicultural chops.
The presence of tradition is evident in the powerful and emotional Te Mata (It Kills You), where Uchis channels Amy Winehouse’s confidence in a bolero about escaping a toxic relationship. This is one of her most remarkable vocal displays in any language. Other songs feature intense duets, like No Hay Ley (Parte 2) – There Is No Law (Part 2) – where Uchis engages in playful back-and-forth with reggaeton artist Rauw Alejandro, and Labios Mordidos (Bitten Lips), where Uchis and Karol G’s chemistry is palpable.
Orquídeas, named after Colombia’s national flower, is not a strictly cohesive album like Red Moon. However, in a constantly evolving pop world where Spanglish is becoming more prevalent, Uchis’s talent and depth transcends any potential cultural differences.
Source: theguardian.com
