Colombian American artist Kali Uchis has been setting up her latest album for a long time. One of her innate talents is being able to alternate between Spanish and English fluidly. In past albums and singles, she has sprinkled in some Spanish to differentiate herself in the pop scene. Uchis’ newest release, “Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞,” is her first album where she sings primarily in Spanish.
Her ability to showcase her native language is propelling her to a different level of artistry, as she has proven that her music sounds good in English, Spanish and a combination of the two. She also skillfully demonstrates lyricism in her first language.
The first track, “la luna enamorada,” demonstrates Uchis’ knack for making a love song. It’s a simple poem that describes an incredibly romantic scene: Uchis and her lover stand underneath the moon, entirely enamored. The song shows the calm moments before the romance flips. It opens with angelic adlibs of Uchis’ voice interspersed with her lyrics and is accompanied by Spanish guitar.
“Fue mejor” is a story of missing old moments with a partner who now lacks interest in the relationship. The track is also the first feature on this album. PARTYNEXTDOOR adds an English flare to the track as his mellow voice contrasts with Uchis’ high-pitched one. In the lyrics, she reflects on some good moments, but also sees many pitfalls in the relationship that can end up hurting her. Before she gets a chance to be hurt, she can escape and grow on her own. The track is significantly slowed down, signifying how long change can take and adding the feeling that these better times were long ago.
What’s great about “Sin Miedo,” is that the whole album tells a unified story.”¡aquí yo mando!” is a good follow up as it shows that Uchis has grown as a person. She is looking to control the parts of her relationship that went wrong in “fue mejor.” Uchis creates storylines within the album as a whole and not just within each song. The addition of Rico Nasty in “¡aquí yo mando!” adds another element that isn’t consistent with Uchis’ music. The tempo is much more fast-paced, which is typical for a Nasty song. Collaborating with a somewhat abrasive artist like Nasty adds a different edge to Uchis, who’s mainly a pop singer.
While Uchis tends to express harsh feelings for her relationships, she isn’t always so cutthroat. She has had relationships that end positively. In “vaya con dios” she wishes her past partner the best. “Vaya con dios” roughly translates to “may God be with you,” showing that she has no harsh feeling for this particular person. In each line, Uchis sweetly oozes each bar into the listener’s ear. This song also highlights Uchis’ range as she reaches notes that she doesn’t always show off.
This album is a decisive moment in Uchis’ career. While it’s just her sophomore album, she demonstrates massive command of the type of music she wants to release. It’s impressive that Uchis can release such a successful album in Spanish in the U.S., where it is not the dominant language. It also shows how proud she is of her native Colombia’s language.
While some Spanish language albums are overlooked in the U.S., Uchis’ “Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞” measures up with the best pop albums out there. The album also intermixes enough English that it doesn’t make it inaccessible to non-Spanish speakers — another impressive quality.
