Having captured the spirit of the summer with 2022's superb
Mañana Será Bonito
, Colombian star
Karol G
uses her fifth studio album,
Tropicoqueta
, to voyage across the sounds of South America. After visiting the Dominican Republic frequently during the recording of
MSB
,
Karol
leans most heavily into their soundscapes here: alongside the merengue-led lead single "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido," which has already surpassed a billion streams online,
features a return to bachata with rising talent
Greeicy
("Amiga Mía") and ventures into the more high-octane energy of dembow ("Un Gatito Me Llamó"). Elsewhere, there's a Portuguese-language debut over Brazilian baile funk ("Bandida Entrenada"), a long-awaited move into her country's own vallenato folk style ("No Puedo Vivir Sin Él"), a shot at English-language Latin pop with "Papasito," and even an Argentinian cumbia-style flip of
George Michael
's "Careless Whisper" on the entertaining "Cuando Me Muera Te Olvido." For the reggaeton diehards, the
Feid
collaboration "Verano Rosa" is likely to be the highlight with its smooth, airy production, slotting in neatly alongside "Tu Perfume," "FKN Movie," and the strutting excellence of pre-released single "LATINA FOREVA." ~ David Crone