J Balvin Attempts to Reintroduce Himself in ‘Jose’


If anyone has perfected the feel-good language of cultural affirmation in pop music, it’s him. J Balvin. The 36-year-old Colombian star has been around for over a decade. mission “to change the perception of Latinos in music” using rainbow aesthetics, smooth reggaeton textures and radio-ready trap hits as ammunition.

There have been many milestones, including. “Mi Gente” and “I Like It”: chart-topping collaborations with Willy William and Beyoncé and Bad Bunny and Cardi B. Latin cultural representation of “exploding”: a story that flattens the differences between people of different races, languages ​​and countries, and suggests that this music is only effective when the Anglo mainstream attracts attention.

he had a performance car 2019, When Balvin became the first reggaeton artist to play the main stage of the festival. It features cartoony visuals, leopard-print hairstyles, and floral album covers designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. And it has ad-libs – “J Balvin, man”, “Leggo” and “Latin gang!” — signature slogans that have become so trite, they essentially beg for memeisation.

His sixth studio album “Jose” comes at a time when Balvin has finally established himself as a global celebrity. The recordings consider what’s possible, especially when a pop idol from Latin America no longer needs to prove himself.

So, let J Balvin reintroduce himself. Balvin’s first name, “Jose,” is a 24-track giant that has followed in the footsteps of playlists as other albums – a type of project aimed at dominating streaming platforms like recent supersize releases. Kanye West and Dragon. But the album really struggles to innovate: “Jose” is a traveling, unfocused effort that offers an impressionistic inventory of the sounds that establish it as a force: pop-reggaeton, trap and EDM.

The majority of the album (about 13 of its tracks) – like “Bebe Que Bien Te Ves”, “Lo Que Dios Quiera” and “Fantasías” – definitely fall into the realm of ultra-glossy, creamy popeton. It’s an unimaginative formula, and one that Balvin has mastered: blend a vibrant dembow rhythm, a candy-coated melody and lyrics about a dance floor’s exuberant soap opera, or a sexual fantasy for maximum flow. Elsewhere, Balvin returns to the Top 40 trap, another genre he knows: in “Billetes de 100,” featuring Puerto Rican star Myke Towers, Balvin offers himself a mythological reminder that he can actually rap. “In da Ghetto,” a resort-ready EDM piece produced by Skrillex, details another voice that helped launch Balvin into international stardom.

Some songs are for novelty purposes. The opening, “F40,” is a confident reggaeton bomb blast that changes the tempo, slowing down to an irresistible, sexual creep. And “Perra,” a collaborative effort with Tokischa, is a daring, X-rated attempt at dembow, a street sound born in the barrios of the Dominican Republic that, although long-held, has recently caught the attention of the wider Latin music industry. Popular music in the Caribbean country.

Only in the last third of “Jose” does Balvin take a real gamble: For perhaps the first time in his career, he becomes vulnerable and deeply personal. Named after Balvin’s birthday, “7 de Mayo” is a chronology of his rise to fame from the streets of Medellin, featuring oral examples of his mother Alba and an awards ceremony for reggaeton ancestor Daddy Yankee. “In a barrio in the middle of Medallo, this was born/Sweat on my forehead/With calluses on my hands,” Balvin recalls. While intimacy is new to Balvin, the song follows the formula of hip-hop origin stories very closely (almost mimicking Jay-Z’s “December 4).” It feels like Balvin is forced to complete a boring homework assignment instead of seriously reflecting on his personal challenges.

“Querido Rio,” a soft guitar ballad dedicated to his newborn son, echoing Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” similarly fails. His shallow words and syrupy delivery land with suffocating sentiment: “I don’t just want to be your father/I also want to be your best friend,” Balvin mutters in Spanish.

For an artist who portrays himself as a groundbreaking person, “Jose” feels extremely safe. At this point, Balvin has the power to destroy expectations for his career trajectory, the community he imagines, and the genres in which he operates. Instead, “Jose” colors the inside of the lines and preserves Balvin’s reign by enjoying the familiar.

J Balvin
“Jose”
(Universal Music Latino)



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