Rosalía - MOTOMAMI Review
On MOTOMAMI, the dynamic Spanish pop star delivers one of the strongest albums of 2022.
Rosalía made her debut on Saturday Night Live in March while sporting a puffer jacket and singing her pop-bachata hit "La Fama." It was promptly mocked for looking like a shower mat and a quilted bedspread, which was a fantastically dramatic appearance for a song trembling with betrayal. However, when she released her third album, the streetwear-meets-Catalan-tradition ensemble also acted as a visual statement of her current musical philosophy: to bridge the gap between traditional and modern music in a large, bold style that's full of humour and guts.
On MOTOMAMI Rosalía is at her most dynamic, taking influence from contemporary production whilst retaining the classic flamenco sounds of her country. This album is experimental in the best way possible. Each track has it’s own energy, yet the sequencing is shockingly consistent. One moment, your grooving to SAOKO, one of the strongest opening tracks from any record in 2022, before you know it you’re hit with ‘BULERÍAS’ a more classic but sparse Spanish cut. Other tracks on the album, which display Rosalía’s range, include the delicate and gentle piano ballad ‘HENTAI’.
In some ways, the constraints of fame and a new major label have allowed her to relax her instincts. The end effect is a mosaic of styles and experiments that could look jumbled on paper but are surprisingly held together by her creative courage. With the assistance of a diverse group of co-producers, including Tainy, El Guincho, Michael Uzowuru, Sky Rompiendo, and Pharrell, she experiments with glitched-out vocals, bachata, and gently weird ballads.
The Weeknd makes an appearance on ‘La Fama’ the lead single from MOTOMAMI. The music is imaginative and spacy, the chorus is compelling enough to be addictive yet laid-back and self-assured enough that it doesn’t go stale. The artists simply compliment each other on this track. Another highlight is ‘CHICKEN TERIYAKI’, which unsurprisingly is an ode to the dish, something that the artist is known for eating. There’s something silly about this song that works surprisingly well. ‘BIZCOCHITO’ is another banger on the album. Rosalía’s chorus here is infectious. Janky synth stabs flow under Rosalía warped vocals.
Considering this album holds barely any English lyrics it’s surprising how universal a lot of the songs feel. You don’t need to know Rosalía’s native language to understand the emotions in the tracks on MOTOMAMI. Rosalía can pull your heart strings, get you up to dance and make you laugh all at the same time. Considering the hype behind this record, it’s nice to see a pop star like Rosalía push the boundaries of what pop music. On MOTOMAMI, Rosalía does just that pushing through as not just a pop star but also a true artist.
