Today: Mar 28, 2024

Rosalia drops new album – Review

Ali Fernand Features Editor

Rosalia, Spanish singer-songwriter, has dropped the deluxe version of her album “MOTOMAMI” called “MOTOMAMI+” on September 9th, 2022. Rosalia has gained intense popularity because of her unique sound and virality of a few songs. She has collaborated with popular American artists such as Travis Scott, The Weeknd and Billie Eilish. This has allowed her to gain popularity with American audiences. 

Rosalia is known for her unique approach to vocals and production. Her vocals serve as an instrument rather than the focus of the song. The production of her songs can be glitchy electronics accompanied by a Latin beat which adds that Rosalia flair to her music.  

This album includes a wide variety of sound, making it a very non-cohesive album. It includes some energetic glitchy songs, soft ballads, and everything in between. Rosalia seems to be unable to stick to one sonic theme for an album. Though that makes this difficult to listen to as an album, it gives her the opportunity to flex the many different talents she has in music 

There are quite a few standout tracks on this album. These would be SAOKO, LA FAMA, BIZCOCHITO, DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA, DESPECHA, and LA KILIE. 

SAOKO is the opener to this album. It is an incredible introduction to Rosalia’s sound. It has a thumping piano bassline, which is the center of energy for this song. SAOKO leans heavily into Rosalia’s experimental side. The sound is both gritty and glitchy, but her soft vocal delivery gives a contrast that is hard to find with other artists. This is one of her best songs that she’s released.  

LA FAMA is a duet with popular R&B artist, The Weeknd. This is easily the biggest single from this album because of high-profile feature plus this being a more mainstream take on the Rosalia sound. Rosalia uses a vocal sample of hers as the main element to the beat. This plus the groovy rhythm make this a great Rosalia hit pop song. Though Rosalia thrives with more energetic songs, she uses The Weeknd’s laidback vibe to create a grim romantic song.  

BIZCOCHITO is Rosalia’s accidental hit. Due to a viral video of her on TikTok, many started creating videos mimicking her to this song. This is Rosalia’s experimental, glitchy sound at its best. At first listen, this is an extremely weird song but after more listens, it really is something that sticks. The simple vocal riff is catchy, and the abnormal production is addicting. This is a major standout song for Rosalia. It is a guilty pleasure song for a lot of people.  

DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA explores an old-fashioned sound. Rosalia shows off her classical influence with horns, harpsichord, and acoustic instruments. It is very different from any other songs on the album, though it really works for her.  

Despite all these standout moments, there are a lot of dull moments in the album. This is a single heavy album with a lot of filler songs. Rosalia has a hard time making a consistent album. 

Rosalia has a few vocal standouts in this album, these usually being the tame ballads. Her vocals are very impressive, but it feels like the quality of the songs drops to put more focus on vocals. If she was able to successfully write a fun song and show off her vocals, she would really come together as an artist. 

HENTAI is the song that comes to mind first when thinking about vocals. It features lots of emotion and a sultry piano accompaniment. This is a rare tearjerker from Rosalia. Though the lyrics aren’t exactly sad, the vocals carry a passion that the listener can latch onto.  

BULARIAS is also an impressive moment for Rosalia vocally but is overall not an impressive track. G3 N15 is also a track where Rosalia shines vocally but doesn’t stand out compared to the rest of the songs on the album.  

Sonically, AISLAMIENTO offers next to nothing. It has some spacey synths that don’t offer much interest. Rosalia has trouble connecting her talented vocals to an interesting sound. It feels like she must give one up in interest of the other.  

Overall, Rosalia really shows off that she is a talented singer and songwriter on this album. There are tons of standout moments to come back to. Rosalia’s issues come with being unable to be a great singer and songwriter at the same time. However, none of the songs on the album are unlistenable. They are boring at worst.  

Rosalia is just getting started with her music career. Hopefully her future albums can solidify her sound and combine all the elements that make her so appealing as an artist. 

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