By Molly Tursi
Staff Writer
Music manifests as a vast array of forms and shades, moving as an indispensable art that allows the distribution of music to reach global and diverse audiences. The modern state of music fosters a culture where artists from across the board can resonate with any audience member, resisting the barriers of language, cultural differences or musical preferences based on region.
Taking to the international world of music with educated and refined artistry is the Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía. Venerated for her contribution to Flamenco-infused pop and hip-hop with early albums “Los Ángeles” and her Grammy Award winning thesis “El mal querer,” Rosalía’s talent has laid on the table to be admired, respected, and succeeded.
Following the insurmountable acclaim of “El mal querer,” Rosalía took a side-step towards reggaeton with the 2022 album “MOTOMAMI.” Although enjoying a positive reception with both audiences and critics, Rosalía fans wondered if this experiment in genre was an indefinite divergence from the singer’s career defining sound.
On Nov. 7, the Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía released her fourth studio album “Lux” to instantaneous praise. The album prides itself as a pivotal landmark in Rosalía’s career, taking claim as the most streamed album in one day by a female Spanish artist in Spotify history, according to Rolling Stone.
“Lux” plays down 16 distinctive tracks, featuring collaborations with artists such as Björk, Yves Tumor, Yahritza Y Su Esencia, Estrella Morente, Silvia Pérez Cruz and Carminho.
The album opens with “Sexo, Violencia y Llantas,” introducing the listener to a classical and sophisticated sound. The song builds from within, then tempers to a slow and controlled passageway into the next track “Reliquia.”
“Reliquia,” relies on the polish and velocity of the violin to determine its tempo. Rosalía’s vocals reign over the track with intent, spiritually matching the lifeforce of the song and melding to the instrumentals. The song closes with vigor, masterfully creating a dissonance between the smoothness in voice and elegance that sounded before.
The emotion traverses through “Divinize” and “Porcelana,” laying down the basis for a thunderous and foreboding sound. “Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti” serves as the comedown from the previous tracks, playing a pianistic melody. The violin soon rears its head, humming beneath the mournful vocals of Rosalía before rising to a finish.
A week prior to the release of “Lux,” Rosalía sparked excitement with the single “Berghain,” featuring Björk and Yves Tumor. Sung in both German and Spanish, Rosalía flaunts her classically trained vocal range and versatility in style.
The song defies its namesake, titled after the deliberately exclusive nightclub in Berlin, Germany, as listeners are consumed by the immense presence of classical instruments, operatic vocals and commanding tempo.“Berghain” was complemented with a music video, rife with equal emotion and intensity of its sonic form.
“La Perla” stands out as the more upbeat and jaunty song on the album, resembling a folk sound by use of strings. The lyrics amuse a cautionary tale of dishonesty, disappointment and fickle emotions.
“Mundo Nuevo” and “De Madrugá” peel the emotions back to start, while “Dios Es Un Stalker” and “Ya Yugular” embrace a beating bass and drum tune. The songs are stern and tense with the capacity to convey a multitude of conflicting emotions.
Beautifully slow and steady, “Sauvignon Blanc” magnifies every pristine moment of the song from the instrumentals and vocals to everything in between. Rosalía’s voice graces the ballad with an unwavering sensation that haunts the closing tracks of the album.
“Lux” reaches a grand finale with “La Rumba Del Perdón,” “Memória” and “Magnolias.” The final songs are viscerally felt, avoiding feelings of overwhelm and harsh emotion. The album fades out gracefully, concluding the fine masterwork of “Lux.”
Rosalía’s ability to reimagine musical styles and morph them into a being outside of the standard is marked in every note of the album. As she proceeds to upstage herself in every musical endeavor taken on in her career, it is unfathomable to imagine a greater sound from the artist herself than Rosalía’s “Lux.”
