Kali Uchis is here to aid our seasonal melancholy less than ten months after the hazy, hypnotising ‘Red Moon In Venus’. ‘ORQUÍDEAS’ is her second Spanish language album – and fourth overall in her beaming discography. Across the LP, the Colombian American singer links up with Latin pop icons for a glittery celebration that traverses moonlit disco, blazing reggaeton, and spellbinding soul, gifting us the first great pop record of the year. No matter whether it’s a Spanish or English-speaking audience lined up in her sights, she is yet to misstep, but language barriers should not be an issue for anyone when the beats are this blissful, the melodies are this sickly sweet, and the earworms are crawling this deep into your head.
‘Cómo Así’ kicks things off with ethereal, supernatural vocals and eerie laughter. It’s slightly unsettling, but the song’s lyrics are expectedly sensual and steamy for Kali. What’s not expected is the ode to UK garage with the track’s irresistible 2-step bounce. This is new territory completely for Kali, and hopefully indicates the start of a gorgeous marriage between R&B and electronic (ala Kelela) down the road. Her Spanglish bars navigate the beats with ease – lines like “I make ‘em beg for it / make ‘em pretty please” are decorated with glistening falsettos and progressively scattered, feverish drums.
Similarly, ‘Igual Que Un Ángel’ sees her flex her muscle for mastering new genres on first attempt. The sequin-adorned nu-disco ballad feels like Latin America’s gateway drug to Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia’ – starkly contrasted by the down-and-dirty ‘Diosa’, a sticky, self-affirming cut with raunchy assertions like “I’m his queen / with me he’s submissive”. It sees Kali cross continents again; amapiano vibrations collide with reggaeton drums, bubbling her melting pot of sounds into something exceptionally syrupy and moreish.
Her ability to weave irresistible vocal licks through treacly instrumentals on this album is nothing to be scoffed at. Her sedative yet equally seductive serenades always glue tracks together with honey-thick gooeyness. Even on the middling “Young Rich & Love” which features moody trap snares and autopilot lyrical cliches like “ride into the sunset”, “like how I ride it, ride it?”, she still injects trademark allure into the sleepy candlelit slow jam, like a much more glamorous ‘T R A P S O U L’ Bryson Tiller.
Some of the albums strongest moments are when she’s at her most soulful. ‘Te Mata’ is a blistering bolero track drawing from classic, regional Colombian music, and it’s genuinely breathtaking. It plays out like the soundtrack to a Spanish spy-flick love story, set amongst winding mountain roads and crystal-clear waters. The brilliance in her searing vocals is undeniable, especially when painted onto a backdrop of tapping hand drums, tranquil strings and twinkling keys. ‘Heladito’ on the other hand is a fleeting transitory moment, yet still an expertly nostalgic nod to Whinehouse/Ronson tinged neo soul.
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For (most of) the last leg of the record, Kali pulls out the furniture in her glowing cocktail lounge of meditative ballads and transforms the space into a sweaty dancefloor of reggaeton party tracks. ‘Muñekita’ has the Bhangra bounce of Missy Elliot’s ‘Get Ur Freak On’ with its Punjabi influenced tumbi beats. It’s out of control dembow at its finest, with El Alfa’s cheeky chants of “Chiqui chiqui chaka chaka” increasing in speed and intensity, and ass shaking Kali quotables like “when a bunch of thirsty hoes come to try me / all I do is laugh and push ‘em out the way / broke bitch”. The song is constantly evolving, switching between tempos and becoming all the more bizarre.
More stylistic switch ups and layered production make Kali’s Latin pop experiments feel almost as creative as ROSALÍA’s ‘MOTOMAMI’. This is especially apparent on ‘Labios Mordidos’, a bisexual-bilingual steel drum infused hit, with a KAROL G feature that gifts immeasurable superstar charisma. Kali has not only carved a name for herself as one of the greatest R&B singers today, but also one of the best reggaeton artists amongst a constantly growing, meteoric genre. The lustful, lovelorn “No Hay Ley Parte 2” switches speed again, embracing dance pop aesthetics and euphoric refrains alongside a standout Rauw Alejandro feature. These tracks, however, as fun as they are, seem like simply a warmup for the completely unhinged fiesta of ‘Dame Beso / Muévete’.
The vibrant Cumbia closer is radiant with colour and culture. It’s an utter gem in her catalogue, conjuring images of raining confetti and waving flags amongst dancing trumpets, sliding accordions and rising rhythms. It feels like her poignant love letter to the Colombian music that raised her, yet still unashamedly over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek. Yet again, she pulls off sounds she’s barely dipped her toe into, the track is impossible not to dance to and addictivelycarefree.
The first half of ‘ORQUÍDEAS’ gently teases and eases you into this vivid Música urbana carnival where Kali gives us free reign to let loose. It’s a wonderful journey, with plenty of glossy and gripping moments in the lead up too.
Where ‘Red Moon In Venus’ seemed to perfectly pair with the blistering heat of her debut, ‘ORQUÍDEAS’ is a seamless spiritual sequel to ‘Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞’. Whilst it might not be as immediately stunning as the mix of luscious synth pop and alternate universe James Bond themes on that album, she still shines on this record, code-switching between English and Romance and beat-switching between sultry R&B and sunny Latin party pop. Kali is the driving force keeping this mélange from becoming messy. She masterfully melds this eclectic mix of popified sounds into magic.
8/10
Words: Jay Fullarton
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