Kali Uchis – Red Moon In Venus

On debut album ‘Isolation’, Kali Uchis established her brand of bossa-nova meets R&B exotica, followed a few years on by widely successful Spanish full-length ‘Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)’, a seductive música urbana detour. New offering ‘Red Moon In Venus’ builds on that premise through spiritual soul work, scoring our contemporary fixation with the cosmos; with charts, placements, celestial and earthly alignment.

‘Red Moon In Venus’ is inspired by the vicissitudes of experiencing manifest love: Uchis is still a faithful devotee of devotion but the narrative is under girded by the safekeeping of self as she approaches her thirties. In her own words: “This body of work represents all levels of love—releasing people with love, drawing love into your life and self-love.”

The opening moments establish the Dionysian pleasures and lunar air Uchis is basking in: she is enamoured and she wants you know it. The Omar Apollo-assisted ‘Worth The Wait’, and the minimalist slow-funk ‘Love Between’ are iridescent ballads sinking the listener into a slipstream of otherworldly bliss and euphoria. On the hypnotic reprise ‘Not Too Late’, the power resides with Uchis who coolly coaxes her elusive lover to make that final declaration. As inviting as these torch songs are, Uchis is best when she has bite: Spanglish offering ‘Hasta Cuando’, a sequel of sorts to Uchis’ viral 2018 track, ‘Dead to Me’, is a shimmering dismissal to green-eyed ex-lovers, and the bluesy synthesised magic of ‘Moral Conscience’ is an ode to the turbulence of karmic relationships.

Uchis doesn’t possess the most bombastic voice yet her tone is unique and her expression is malleable, always in keeping with the hazy, subduing pull of these songs. Often Uchis pushes all the way against her higher register, effectively conveying the yearning and desire-drenched feel on tracks like ‘Blue’ – a quiet storm highlight that recalls post-‘Stronger Than Pride’ Sade. The sparse and spartan world-building is more artfully delineated on ‘Red Moon In Venus’ than on Uchis’ previous projects, thanks to seamless transitions between tracks and production/arrangement work from the likes of Josh Crocker, Mndsgn and RnB impresario Darkchild who provide a tempered base for Uchis’ quixotic melodrama to unfurl.

‘Red Moon In Venus’ solidifies Kali Uchis’ appeal as both a fringe artist leaning fully into her idiosyncrasies, and a crossover one executing universal easy-listening with élan.

8/10

Words: Shahzaib Hussain

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