Red Moon In Venus

The lineage of psychedelic soul continues on the next track, “Worth The Wait,” which has just as much funk as Childish Gambino’s “Redbone.” “Worth The Wait” features Omar Apollo, who himself has a discography that features him switching between English and Spanish over alternative R&B riffs. “Love Between…” serves as a reminder of how R&B from the ‘70s had a drifting feeling, like the smoke that eventually evaporates from a blunt. Haziness over the honeymoon stage is displayed even more by “All Mine” – one song of ten where Karly Marina Loaiza (the legal name of Uchis) is the only credited lyricist.

While the first five songs serve as more traditional fodder, the album takes a turn towards more experimentation. She’s accompanied by Don Toliver, her current boyfriend and father of their newborn child. On “Fantasy” they swing between his autotuned trap&B and her bossa nova synergy. While he placates her with “I wanna dance, where no one really cares,” in the middle of their occasional squabbles, she alerts him that the only way things will become better is if he spoils her in the midst of his worship. “Fantasy” is an inkling that their chemistry is believable– so much so that they pass the territory of Hollywood showmance, and in fact are compatible enough through the strength of music.

Aside from the obvious psychedelic soul inspirations, much of the material recalls the sophistication of Sade. As she bounces back and forth between Spanish and English on “Como Te Quiero Yo” – which translates to “How I Love You” that smoky sense of soul balances out to the bedroom pop and sophisti-pop that made Sade a staple in the ‘80s and ‘90s. On “Blue,” listeners get an even more broken down sense of that legendary band– even a direct translation of the accentuated drums and jazzy horns that existed on the Love Deluxe days of ‘92. “Cause what's the point of all the pretty things in the world if I don't have you?” represents that while Uchis has a “Fantasy” of wanting to be unconditionally in love, she’s actually the one who is more smitten.

Underlying on Red Moon In Venus is an added experimentation with new wave, and how that genre enhanced aspects of ‘80s R&B. “Endlessly” has a Billy Ocean meets The Police vibe– an arcade music sound submerged by aquatics in outerspace. Co-produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, she finds herself singing, “Forever and ever, ever and ever, ever/You never, can't ever, ever seem to get enough.” She’s all about promising how the karmic result of loneliness will affect Toliver shall they separate on “Moral Conscience.” And by “Deserve Me,” a trap&B banger featuring Summer Walker, she understands her worth without a man in her presence. “Deserve Me” may be the album’s outlier– an obvious attempt at commercial viability on urban radio and streaming for both ladies– but it still radiates with their earnesty.