The album’s only flaw comes in its bloat. It’s a wonderful surprise: As a protagonist for his songs, Balvin is remarkably compelling. As he names his family members and collaborators, the gratitude in his voice is palpable. Sincerity also suffuses “La Familia,” an upbeat trap-infused anthem for all those who Balvin loves. Through verses riddled with wordplay, complex rhyme schemes, and references to his influences, Balvin constructs a rich framework for the story of his childhood and ascendancy.īut José the individual really shines through in the one-two punch of “Querido Rio” and “La Familia.” The former, a moving ballad for Balvin’s infant son, interpolates a recording of the child’s heartbeat over simple yet heart-warming lines like “llegaste para darme luz” (“you arrived to give me light”). The playful persona serves as an entertaining and welcome departure from Balvin’s usual trite lyrics, and on “7 de Mayo,” he flexes even harder. Later, in the standout “Billetes de 100,” Balvin raps energetically over a hard-hitting trap beat, filling his verse with pop culture references from Sylvester Stallone to Don Quijote. “F40” opens the album with Balvin asserting his legendary status, interspersed with snippets of dialogue from Arcángel, a reggaeton legend of the 2000s. José immediately demonstrates unforeseen skill as a rapper with an understanding of his place in musical history. Who is the man behind the hits? The songs on the album paint an expansive portrait. More than a powerful confirmation of his continuing ability to produce hits, Balvin’s latest project takes him in surprising musical direction by foregrounding what his previous records sidelined: his own personality. It’s telling that the title of the project spells out Balvin’s first name, rather than the usual anonymizing initial. 10, with the release of his latest album “JOSE,” Balvin reversed his prior commitment to aesthetic over substance. For proof, look no further than Balvin’s phenomenal 2020 concept album “Colores,” where he named each song after a color of the rainbow. Instead, the catchy beats, booming production, and over-the-top aesthetic took center stage. His early songs told stories of partying, desire, and seduction from such a generic perspective that it was hard to find a hint of individuality in the lyrics. Amid this meteoric rise, J Balvin seemed not so much a reggaeton singer as the genre’s mainstream embodiment. In 2018, he replaced Drake as the most-streamed artist on Spotify. Ever since the 2017 worldwide sensation of his and Willy William’s “Mi Gente,” the Colombian reggaetonero has notched hit after hit. No artist epitomizes the last four years of Latin pop like J Balvin.
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