In the wide sea of talented and popular Latino artists, Kali Uchis stands out as the cream of the crop for curating a unique blend of classic American R&B and Latin music. However, Uchis is neither in the brightest of spotlights nor is she an obscure blot in the music industry–rather, she claims a unique creative headspace, which she seeks to prove with her latest project, Red Moon in Venus.

From Por Vida to El Miedo, there isn’t much left for Uchis to prove when it comes to making moody Latin music. In fact, her foray into the American musical scene with Isolation simply proved that she was capable of achieving creative success beyond the realms of her comfort zone.

And yet Red Moon in Venus is different. Somehow, Uchis seems to be at her most versatile and creative in this project, as if she has had a second coming as a musical artist.

Her trademark sultry vocal leanings aside, Uchis devises a distinct layer to her lovesick talk in this project. Every track is expressive to the finest, and consists of a richly flavored theme cultivated by Uchis in a melody both ethereal and steady. 

This multifaceted melody is most prominent in tracks such as “Blue” where Uchis yearns for fulfilling love, and “Moral Conscience” where she spites her former lover and wishes them eternal condemnation.

The vengeful atmosphere cannot be attributed to her basic and, at times stale, lyricism, however. Instead, Kali’s innovative take on vocalizing her thoughts through perfect intonations of carefully structured lyrics and constant switching of octaves and tempo sets a unique tone for each song.

The ethereal beat and Uchis’ vocals, unlike her lukewarm affinity with raw lyricism, make for an intimate duo. They go off of each other, a symphony of harmonious drums and keys complementing her vocal performance at every turn, the synth helping establish a certain romantic mood at the back of prominent tracks such as “I Wish you Roses” and “Not Too Late”.

But unlike most R&B artists that let the beat do the talking, Kali doesn’t let her symphony establish the tracks’ overall ambiance. She steps up to the opportunity of taking the direction of the tracks in her own hands, mixing a variety of pitches and tempos together to set a stage  curated exclusively by her, while the beat enhances the aura and adds a layer of depth to the overall feel of each track.

The structure of the entire project is extravagant and carefully curated to an almost otherworldly degree, with smooth transitions between tracks with a similar ambiance and abrupt endings on some to allow space for exploration of themes such as heartbreak, desperate love, and emotional freedom.

Red Moon in Venus is like a multifaceted love story nabbed straight out of the pages of a grand romance. It is ambitious, it is thematic, it is desperate, it is groovy, it is risque, and most importantly, it is desperately seductive. Uchis has truly pushed her creative bounds beyond the revolutionary with Red Moon in Venus, expanding upon her personal musical journey and displaying her emotional maturity as well as her boundless creativity for all to see.