(Geffen)
Less hazy than her recent Red Moon in Venus, the witty Colombian American singer returns with an album centred on reggaeton, cumbia and reggae rhythms
No one could accuse Kali Uchis of wasting time. The tour to promote her third album, Red Moon on Venus, ended a matter of weeks ago – with a performance at Camp Flog Gnaw, the festival curated by her sometime collaborator Tyler, the Creator – and yet here is its follow-up. She announced its arrival – or rather she announced a “new era” for her music – back in July, a mere four months after Red Moon in Venus came out.
Perhaps, like persisting in calling new albums “eras”, this is just the way artists do things these days: in a world of constant distractions, overburdened with new music, you can’t afford to hang about for fear that the audience will move on to someone else. Or perhaps it has something to do with the artist’s history. Orquídeas is the second predominantly Spanish-language album released by Uchis, who spent her childhood shuttling between America and Colombia. The first, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios), came out in 2020, apparently much to the consternation of her record label, who cautioned against releasing it – advising her to ditch the cumbia and boleros and concentrate on making something that sounded more like her breakthrough hit, the R&B-flavoured After the Storm – and then, according to Uchis at least, refused to support or promote it. The album failed to chart.