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In English, Spanish, or any other language you can throw at him, Colombian superstar J Balvin has a sixth sense for a smash hit. Between 2016’s Energíaand 2018’sVibras, the singer-songwriter established himself as the globe-trotting James Bond of reggaeton with chart-toppers like “Ginza” and “Mi Gente.” He then upped his game as a vocalist opposite Bad Bunny in 2019’s Oasis. But on Balvin’s fourth studio album, Colores, Balvin seems more dedicated to fine-tuning his signature sound than to crafting the Next Big Hit.
Don’t let the Crayola motif fool you: Spanning 10 pigment-themed tracks, Colores is a sophisticated show of Balvin’s sonic palette. He opens with a high frequency on the playful “Amarillo,” in which a wonky horn sample rides like a monkey on the back of the marching dembow riddim. But he succumbs to sentimentality in the atmospheric ballad “Rojo,” followed by the blushing “Rosado,” featuring Diplo: “Tell me how no one compares to you,” Balvin sings starry-eyed in Spanish, “To me you are the hardest, you’re on another level.” Right-hand man and producer Sky Rompiendo finally puts Balvin’s freestyle skills to the test amid the dancehall-accented bounce of “Verde.” Balvin colors within the lines of standard radio reggaeton in songs “Blanco” and “Morado,” but then dusts off his guitar for the unmistakably made-in-Medellín tracks “Azul” and “Gris.”
With an assist from Afrobeats envoy Mr. Eazi, the Nigerian King of Cool we last met inOasis, standout track “Arcoiris” is where Balvin’s cosmopolitan jet-setter persona makes a comeback. Together, he and Eazi finesse hook after hook, drawing a timeless groove that recalls not just the history of the Afro-Caribbean music tradition — but where it’s headed next. Echoes of Buena Vista Social Club’s “Chan Chan” waft serenely into the outro, like a summer breeze from Havana to Medellín, and eventually to your ears.
