RATING: 9/10
MOTOMAMI is the high-velocity genre-bending new album from Spanish music sensation Rosalía. The singer-songwriter takes pop that is fun and fresh and mixes it with Latin influences to create a near-perfect fusion of sounds.
Although there's a lot to digest throughout the album, it's the vocals that impress more than anything else. The tone of Tobella's voice emphasises the haunting nature of some of her more instrumentally toned down songs, such as 'COMO UN G', the song acting as a heartbreak-driven slow ballad in the middle of an album that goes at full throttle. Even on lower-tempo songs like this, you still feel the influence of the hyper-pop that runs through the spine of the album.
The intrigue of MOTOMAMI also sits with its lyrical content. Rosalia takes on the very modern conversations around sex, fame, and just generally being that bitch, but there are also moments of reflection and God, that could feel clunky but merge seamlessly into everything else as thats exactly what Rosalia's music is all about: taking all different aspects of her life and music she is inspired by to create something that is undeniably her own.
At no point throughout MOTOMAMI do you know what's coming next, but there's no anxiety to this, you simply trust that Rosalia will take you somewhere.
MOTOMAMI also does something that is difficult to do: extends beyond language barriers. You could not know a single word of Spanish and still feel every emotion, high and low, that is expressed across the 16-song-long project. Obviously to appreciate the music properly then knowing the language would be preferable, but the production, style of vocals, and general energy of each song easily conveys what is being said.
Overall, the rising star of Latin pop continues to shine as bright as before, and the new directions this album takes her in are exciting. MOTOMAMI feels like a breath of fresh air in the pop world right now, and you should be ready to fill your lungs with it.
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