Kali Uchis – Orquídeas

On her fourth studio album, Kali Uchis marries sensual dulcet tones that infatuate with pulsating beats that cudgel the dancefloor. With the pull of a textured groove on Igual Que Un Ángel, Uchis feeds more funk to the contemporary mainstream appetite for disco. Diosa is a dancehall dreamscape with pop chemtrails (its verses mirror the melodic strokes of Ariana Grande’s worst behavior, and its chorus, the vibrations of Angèle’s Bruxelles je t’aime), before the elegant Te Mata evokes the swashing swing of saloon doors as cowboys leave town – debts collected, duels won, women swooned.

Totally blissed-out, Young Rich & In Love later takes gentle trap sounds and melts like Dalí’s clocks, before Tu Córazon Es Mio... drives with the smooth operation of Sade. The propulsive dembow bass and playful glitch of Muñekita is like Rosalía’s Bizcochito meets Missy Elliott’s Get Your Freak On, complete with some funny lyrical turns: 'With a face full of botox / But when she moves it for me / That's when I let loose'. Then, the sonic frisson that is Labios Mordidos excites and delights like a flambé cocktail. Heladito is interestingly tinctured with the crooning jazzbar cool of Amy Winehouse, while closer Dame Beso // Muévete is a mirthful bolero party.

Orquídeas is a display of bravura. Between Kali Uchis’ plurality of sound, empowered directives, and dance-inducing hypnosis – this is an entire album of sweet spots.

Listen to: Igual Que Un Ángel, Diosa, Te Mata