Red Moon In Venus

Few artists in the 2020s are as deserving of carte blanche as Kali Uchis. Before delivering Red Moon in Venus, the singer and songwriter had earned a Latin Grammy nomination, a Grammy win for Best Dance Recording, and other nominations in the R&B and Musica Urbana fields, plus platinum certifications as headliner or co-star of five rather different singles. Isolation and Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios) Infinity behind her, Uchis seemed primed for the difficult third album with every right to unload a carnivalesque triple LP presented as a fuzzy concept with enough stylistic whimsicality to offer something for everyone. Red Moon in Venus instead is highly concentrated in every respect. Flush with supple slow jams and celestial ballads, its mostly about love, from possessiveness and blissful escape to vexation and bittersweet farewell. While it doesnt have the swagger or humor of Isolation, its engaging from start to finish, consistently palatable. Uchis somehow displays as much charisma and vocal elasticity as ever, and her verses are often as instantly memorable as her hooks. Assorted production allies -- longtime associate Josh Crocker, the equally compatible Sir Dylan, and resurgent master Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins among them -- help Uchis make each sound her own. "Hasta Cuando," frosted electro with a bumping beat that recalls Whodini, deals out teeth-kissing bilingual retribution: "Dices que yo la vida te la jodi/Its sad that youre still obsessed, keep lyin on me." "Blue," lithe sophisti-pop replete with saxophone, makes dejection sound as glamorous as anything by Everything But the Girl or Sade. Philly soul older than half a century is evoked in "Love Between...," a dazed ballad rendered with enchanting finesse. Part of what makes the album remarkable is that these ideas sound fresh beside songs like "I Wish You Roses," "Endlessly," and the Don Toliver duet "Fantasy," additional highlights that emit kaleidoscopic swirls of pop-R&B, warm rays of post-disco boogie, and romantic dancefloor heat. The low-spirited moments are typically as alluring as the bliss-outs, and though theres a breakup in the mix, Red Moon finishes as Uchis pushes the reset button on a relationship with a strong sense of optimism. ~ Andy Kellman

コロンビア出身、米ヴァージニア出身のシンガー、Kali Uchisの3rdアルバム。先行シングル《I Wish You Roses》はスムースなR&Bをベースにエレクトロサウンドも織り混ぜたハーモニーは聴き心地が良い。中でも推薦したいのはSummer Walkerをフィーチャーした《Deserve Me》で、メロウな歌声とゆるやかなビートが絶妙で魅惑的な一曲となっている。アルバムを通して妖艶な雰囲気を纏っているが、春のうららかな気候にピッタリの一枚だ。
intoxicate (C)石田真生

コロンビア出身の歌姫から3作目が到着。ゲストの多彩さやラテン・ルーツなど、これまでの作品でフックとなっていた部分をあえて封印して全編をR&Bテイストで充満させ、自身の妖艶なキャラクターとヴォーカルの魅力を増幅した良作だ。アルバム全体をドリーミーな音像で統一しつつ、ロドニー・ジャーキンス製の"Endlessly"での春めいた軽やかな歌いぶりや、サマー・ウォーカーとの共演による濃い口な"Deserve Me"、テンプリーズの72年曲を引用した"Love Between..."の甘茶ソウル・モードなどなど、オーセンティックかつ多様なR&Bヴァイブに彼女流のソウルネスを込めていく様子は見事。
bounce (C)池谷瑛子