#swans diva worship

[gothluke]

my favorite album of all time ✅

blue & sparkly promo ✅

luke acknowledging the mother allegations ✅

pride month show ✅

wfttwtaf getting the recognition she deserves ✅

✨ manifesting the most girly pop campy outfit to complete the sequence of good events ✨

[lovejustforaday]

2024 Year End List - #9

Orquídeas - Kali Uchis

Main Genres: Contemporary R&B, Dance Pop, Latin Pop

A decent sampling of: Afropiano, Neo-Soul, Reggaetón, Psychedelic Soul

No big back story or introduction this time, folks. Unfortunately, I learned some not fun things while researching this review about Kali Uchis' history of defending partners who have abused other women, and just being a generally vindictive / nasty diva to some fans and collaborators.

I'm a bit bummed out cuz I considered myself a fan of her work, and it's very opposite from how I perceived her in interviews, but yadda yadda idol worship and para-sociality is bs, we all know this by now right? Just gonna focus on the music cuz I still really enjoyed this record.

Engage with her music as you see fit; I'm not usually for policing how others enjoy art made by toxic people if it's not reflected in the art itself.

Orquídeas is Kali Uchis' fifth full length record - yes, I am counting Por Vida. Dropped just months after 2023's Red Moon In Venus, her newest record marks her second departure (after Sin Miedo) from making primarily soul music, instead boasting the most eclectic collection of songs in her discography as of yet - a myriad of different Latinoamericano beats and sounds combined with her usual breezy pop R&B stylings. The record's colourful and silky sound palette is reflected in its stunning cover art, which almost feels like a light counterpart to the darkness of Tori Amos' 1998 From The Choirgirl Hotel.

Also similar to Sin Miedo, Orquídeas is primarily sung in Spanish. The title is likely a reference to Colombia's national flower, the orchid. The record in general seems to be the most that Kali Uchis has ever championed her Colombiana heritage, and the different aspects and genres of music she borrows from across the Latin American continent serves to further demonstrate her incredible range as a performer. Kali really can do just about any sound she takes on, thanks in large part to her gorgeous vocal chords that feel as though they were plucked right from the mouth of a mermaid matriarch.

"Me Pongo Loca" is plush, heavenly afropiano R&B with succulent e.piano chords that make little waves in the song's composition like shimmering ripples of rose-scented water in a shallow pool. Just close your eyes and you're already soaking in the sun, lying face-up on a beach of pink sand. I also love that little wonky-ish UK funky-garage production effect in the bridge.

Perhaps the very most poppy song in all of Kali Uchis' career, "Igual Que Un Ángel" combines nu-disco dance pop with guest star Peso Pluma, who, naturally, as a non-Latino person, I had to look up. To be honest, this easily could've been a Doja Cat track circa. 2020 if not for Kali's signature cleansing, soft-spoken upper-register vocal melodies. This goddamn thing has been stuck in my head for the better part of 2024 and got more heavy rotation than anything else off the record. Was also a very fun one to be practicing Spanish with on LyricsTraining.

The record climaxes fairly early on with the show-stopping spectacle that is "Te Mata". Uchis channels Cuban bolero into a fiery tale of a scorned woman who has endured hell and moved on to better things, but not before spitting poison at her wicked ex-lover. Tearful screams of vengeance and dishes being dashed to pieces off of tables, curtains closing and stages being lit on fire while the last swan song is sung. Pure auditory kino, and I'm confident saying that this is Kali's greatest vocal performance on a track to date, as well as dangerously close to being as good as 2023's "Moonlight".

Words cannot describe how excited I got at the end of this record when I heard the closer "Dame Beso / Muévete" transition from a flirtatious salsa number into the bouncy accordion-led merengue music characteristic of the Colombian Caribbean. It genuinely sounds like she's having so much fun on this track, and I think it's the right way to end a record that saw her explore so many styles she hadn't touched on yet.

Unfortunately, compared to Red Moon In Venus, this thing really feels bloated. It's 14 tracks long and almost all of the best songs are within the first six tracks. Moreover, there's tracks like "Muñekita" that get held back by some really cliche, played out "you're just jealous" lyrics that I really wish she'd outgrow already (of course, given what I know about the artist now, it makes a lot more sense).

Still, in a comparatively less stacked year, Kali Uchis was able to pretty much guarantee herself a spot on my year end list that was almost as high as she managed to rank last year.

Gonna have to decide what my relationship is with her music going forward, but credit where it's due - she is the rare example of a pop diva reaching her level of success that is truly serious about every record she makes, and consistently puts out great music. Orquídeas is certainly no exception.

Highlights: "Te Mata", "Igual Que Un Angel", "Dame Beso / Muévete", "Me Pongo Loca", "Diosa", "Tu Corazón es Mío"

FOR FANS OF: Mañana será bonito by Karol G Planet Her by Doja Cat

[gothluke]

wdym paris hilton and luke are performing at the same venue in the same week ???