Album Review: ROSALÍA, 'Motomami'

In the four years since ROSALÍA unleashed her landmark El Mal Querer album upon the world, quite literally everything has changed. The stunning album, which included memorable tracks like "Malamente" and "Bagdad," became the most awarded album by a female artist in Latin Grammys history (6) and earned a spot on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" ranking. In the interim between El Mal Querer and Motomami, ROSALÍA's star continued to rise thanks to hits like "Aute Cuture," "Con Altura," "TKN," "Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi," and more. ROSALÍA shifted from her flamenco-centric sound to reggaeton rhythms that highlighted the dilemma of a white Catalan woman gaining success and acclaim through an Afro-Latinx musical tradition from which Black artists are actively being erased. Of course, there was also the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and life under lockdown. To top it off, there was mounting pressure to match the rapturous commercial and critical reception of El Mal Querer with her third studio album. This triumvirate of storms has culminated in Motomami, a jaw-dropping and ever-expansive sonic world that is anchored by ROSALÍA's trust in herself, her family, and God as she navigates this new stage of fame and visibility.

The tense relationship between fame, artistic integrity, love, family, and genuine fulfillment is one that has plagued artists for as long as art has been made and consumed. ROSALÍA's struggle is not new, but the fearlessness with which she galavants across genre lines to explore her take on this struggle feels otherworldly. "Saoko" opens the album with vociferous bass and nods to dancehall legends through an interpolation of Wisin and Daddy Yankee's "Saoco." Rarely do you come across an opening track that so effortlessly sets up not just the sonic world of the album, but also the very energy that bounces through every chord. Nothing on Motomami settles into one uninterrupted groove; the songs on this album meander and wander through myriad genres and moods. For example, ROSALÍA deconstructs the reggaeton backbone of "Saoko" into a jazzy piano break before launching into a lamentation of lost love laced with dembow rhythms on "Candy." Even though the album's individual songs metamorphose within themselves, ROSALÍA's utilizes her sequencing skills to exacerbate those alluring moments of tension. She places "Bulerías," a stunning straight flamenco song that ebbs and flows through takedowns of critiques leveled her way, against "Chicken Teriyaki," an endlessly buoyant reggaeton track that chronicles a night on the town with no credit card limit. The former is an almost histrionic response to the internal pressures fame has on an artist's psyche, and the latter uses blaring synths and hearty drums to soundtrack the ultimate fame-fueled flex.

Motomami's exploration of the different nuances of fame works because ROSALÍA is contextualizing her mental and emotional journey within the COVID-19 pandemic and how the quarantine era helped her prioritize God and her family. On "G3 N15," she delivers a heartfelt ballad complete with an atmospheric backing choir and piano. "Si en el corazón, ya no tienes frío / Es que tienes un ángel, el que yo te envío (If in the heart, you're no longer cold / It's because there's an angel, the one that I sent you)," she croons. And croon she does. ROSALÍA's voice has never sounded better. There's a wistful quality to her vocal performance on Motomami that feels more personal than any shadows of that sentiment on previous projects. Age and experience make themselves known through ROSALÍA's voice, and she uses these new shades of her instrument to soften the jagged cyberpunk aesthetic that courses throughout the record. "Como un G" is another devastating ballad where ROSALÍA's voice acts as the binding agent for the song, but there are also moments like "Hentai" where the softness of her voice works in tandem with the harsh Arca-esque drums to achieve a priceless peak of sensualness.

As a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and singer, ROSALÍA was more than capable of handling the construction of the Motomami universe on her own. Nevertheless, she tapped the perfect crew of collaborators to round out her vision. The Weeknd's slightly overbearing falsetto on "La Fama" helps illustrate the innate anxieties that fame presents the artist as he sings, "Es mala amante la fama, no va a quererte de verdad / Es demasia'o traicionera, y como ella viene, se te va (Fame's a lousy lover and won't ever love you for real / Too much of a back stabber who comes as easy as she goes)." Dominican rapper Tokischa also expertly matches ROSALÍA's energy on the audacious "La Combi Versace." It's when she taps Pharrell for additional production on "Motomami," however, that ROSALÍA meets her peers behind the boards. The juxtaposition of staccato exhales against the melodic piano line and heavy percussion makes the album's title track a particularly fulfilling interlude.

At just 28 years old and with only three albums under her belt, it may seem a bit premature for ROSALÍA to croon about the uncertainty of her stardom, but her acute awareness of her immortality in pop's pantheon is the central tenet of Motomami. "Sakura," the album's closer and one of the best songs ROSALÍA's career, anchors itself to the rest of the record by way of ROSALÍA's gorgeous vocal performance and whimsical cherry blossom metaphor. Impermanence is an uncomfortable reality that ROSALÍA will likely always wrestle with, but Motomami shows her making strides towards closure that some artists never begin to reach before their time in the limelight is up. For that alone, Motomami is a triumph.

Key Tracks: "La Fama" | "Bulerías" | "Hentai" | "Como un G" | "Sakura"

Score: 91