Kali Uchis

Red Moon In Venus

Labels / Brands:
Interscope Records
Genre:
Soul / R&B
Style:
Neo Soul, Contemporary R&B

Not available

Specification
Description
Track-list

Condition	Sealed
Manufacturer	USA
Format	LP, Red Vinyl, Limited Edition, New Album
Date of release	03.03.2023
Barcode	602448689375

Things start suitably mushy. Elegant lead single "I Wish You Roses" — its swirling chorus as soft as candy floss — promises a love that's deep enough to weather any storm, while on the woozy "All Mine," Uchis longs to stay in her loved-up cocoon: "I hate your phone, throw it away," she pleads. While it's lovely to hear about her sexual gymnastics on the slinky "Fantasy," things get more interesting when the passion wilts. The bilingual "Hasta Cuando," punctuated by '80s drum fills, sees Uchis rap-singing delicious kiss-offs ("paint me as the villain if that makes you feel better"), while the head-knocking "Deserve Me" comes as close as she gets to musically confrontational.
In all, Red Moon in Venus draws near consistent praise from reviewers who have experienced its passionate promise. Clash Music writes "Red Moon In Venus solidifies Kali Uchis' appeal as both a fringe artist leaning fully into her idiosyncrasies, and a crossover one executing universal easy-listening with élan." While The Skinny gushes "Across the album, Uchis seamlessly slips between English and Spanish. ... When the journey comes to a close, it couldn't be clearer that, in Uchis' world, love is the message."

Few artists in the 2020s are as deserving of carte blanche as Kali Uchis. Before delivering Red Moon in Venus, the singer and songwriter had earned a Latin Grammy nomination, a Grammy win for Best Dance Recording, and other nominations in the R&B and Música Urbana fields, plus platinum certifications as headliner or co-star of five rather different singles. Isolation and Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞ behind her, Uchis seemed primed for the difficult third album with every right to unload a carnivalesque triple LP presented as a fuzzy concept with enough stylistic whimsicality to offer something for everyone. Red Moon in Venus instead is highly concentrated in every respect. Flush with supple slow jams and celestial ballads, it's mostly about love, from possessiveness and blissful escape to vexation and bittersweet farewell. While it doesn't have the swagger or humor of Isolation, it's engaging from start to finish, consistently palatable. Uchis somehow displays as much charisma and vocal elasticity as ever, and her verses are often as instantly memorable as her hooks. Assorted production allies -- longtime associate Josh Crocker, the equally compatible Sir Dylan, and resurgent master Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins among them -- help Uchis make each sound her own. "Hasta Cuando," frosted electro with a bumping beat that recalls Whodini, deals out teeth-kissing bilingual retribution: "Dices que yo la vida te la jodí/It's sad that you're still obsessed, keep lyin' on me." "Blue," lithe sophisti-pop replete with saxophone, makes dejection sound as glamorous as anything by Everything But the Girl or Sade. Philly soul older than half a century is evoked in "Love Between...," a dazed ballad rendered with enchanting finesse. Part of what makes the album remarkable is that these ideas sound fresh beside songs like "I Wish You Roses," "Endlessly," and the Don Toliver duet "Fantasy," additional highlights that emit kaleidoscopic swirls of pop-R&B, warm rays of post-disco boogie, and romantic dancefloor heat. The low-spirited moments are typically as alluring as the bliss-outs, and though there's a breakup in the mix, Red Moon finishes as Uchis pushes the reset button on a relationship with a strong sense of optimism.

Andy Kellman. Allmusic.com