Nacarile＜限定盤/Light Blue Vinyl＞

iLe started working on her third album in early 2020 but soon had to contend with the pandemic wreaking havoc on her usual creative process. While her first two records had their origins in a clearly defined original concept, this time around she found herself adrift amidst confusing internal and external circumstances, and couldnt decide on a main direction to follow. Eventually, she embraced her confusion and let the chips fall where they may. Finally completed in 2022, the resulting Nacarile splits the difference between the family affair/genre exercise of her debut, iLevitable, and the protest-oriented Almadura, as she simultaneously tries out new approaches and harks back to her early days as member of Calle 13. Lyrically more personal and introspective, musically iLe updates traditional forms of Caribbean music using modern production techniques and sounds -- a much welcomed contribution to Latin music besides the tired formulas of mainstream Latin Pop and Latin Urban Music -- a trait she shares with artists like Natalia Lafourcade and Mon Laferte --- not coincidentally, two of the highest-profile guests here. Guests are indeed a main attraction on the program: six of the eleven tracks were made by working remotely with other artists, an unprecedented ratio by iLes standards. These contributions are easily among the albums highlights. The results are more uneven, however, when she tries to assimilate some by-now-almost-mandatory Urban elements. "Algo bonito," her collaboration with female pioneer Ivy Queen, successfully brings back the defiant spirit and sound of Calle 13 in a way iLe has never tried to do in her solo career. On the other hand, Argentine MC Truenos feature on "Ningun lugar" sounds like a rap arbitrarily stuck on top of a completely different song. These songs, though, are the exception rather than the rule. When all is said and done, Nacarile includes two songs with hip-hop leanings -- one is also centered around a strong female empowerment theme ("Algo bonito") -- and theres only one ("Donde nadie mas respira") that could be described as a protest or political track. Instead, the backbone of the album is made of quiet, reflective songs that deal largely with love, longing, and self-doubt using gorgeous vocal harmonies and treatments, and delicate arrangements, which certainly make for a superior, very beautiful, and compelling album. ~ Mariano Prunes