Orquídeas

The album opens with the sounds of outer space– picking up from where Red Moon In Venus has seemingly left off. There is laughter and the faint sounds of Uchis giving an angelic adlib. While “¿Cómo Así?” starts out with the mannerisms of psychedelic soul, there is a quick uptempo bounce. At this point, she’s gotten her lover (who happens to be the father of her child, Don Toliver) right where she wants him. Like a seductress with a web of entanglement. Although the album is primarily Spanish, she still makes her English-speaking fans feel comfortable, immediately flexing her bilingual styling of lyrics. “I make 'em beg for it, yeah/Make 'em pretty please,” she informs listeners.

Don Toliver’s impact would be felt when it comes to the middle of the album. Although he doesn’t appear on the track in any capacity, “Young Rich & in Love” floats on dream pop, meshing along with trap&B. It parlays off their Red Moon In Venus collab, “Fantasy,” also discussing the lavish lifestyle they share. This go-round, the lyrics, “Encima de ti, yo me siento libre,” meaning “Above you, I feel free,” working as an innuendo for the position of cowgirl in the boudoir. Just as Toliver exudes a staggering confidence with his melodic rap-singing, so does Uchis, where she models after her muse– particularly in the first verse as she repeats “por nadie” in a stutter, before accelerating her pace.

What Orquídeas excels at are the transitions– an evenly paced assortment of uptempo rushes balanced out by lowkey affairs. ‘¿Cómo Así?’ ends with a rumbling tatter that slows down into the transitioning resound of “Me Pongo Loca.” That track finds her describing how “I Get Crazy”– a nod to being “too real” and not being capable of accepting frenemies. Throughout the LP there are twinkles, radiating satellites, and hovercraft beams. But those sound effects feel much more dreamy up in clouds rather than the marine-meets-earth dynamic of psychedelic soul. Aptly titled after intrusive thoughts, “Pensamientos Intrusivos” finds that balance between psychedelic soul and the dream pop that dominates the LP.

It’s clear to see that Kali Uchis is respected not only amongst R&B spaces, but also has the bandwidth to create masterpieces with Latin music artists. From her collaboration with Peso Pluma on the post disco charming “Igual Que Un Ánge” (which is currently doing superior results on streaming services); to partnering with Karol G on “Labios Mordidos” where both sirens describe “bitten lips” over suave reggaeton (which makes for just another powerful female collab for Karol G; see: “TQG” with Shakira). From a critical perspective, the standout happens to be “No Hay Ley Parte 2” with Rauw Alejandro which embodies his fast-paced, lawless brand of reggaeton meant for the nightclubs of Ibiza. Lyrically speaking, the song exposes Uchis’s knack of juxtaposing– “I'm a high class lover undercover,” she teases on the second verse.