When Spanish singer/songwriter Rosalía released her second album, El Mal Querer, in 2018, her seamless fusion of hip-hop en español with authentic flamenco roots was visionary. It was the kind of fully formed manifesto that most artists can only deliver once in their career.

It turns out, Rosalía was just getting started.

Two years in the making, her new album, MOTOMAMI, is a cosmopolitan, ever-expansive mosaic of moods and styles — mostly nocturnal, all unified by her laser-sharp sensibility. 

There seems to be no end to Rosalía's sense of curiosity and thirst for experimentation. Here are five key takeaways from her new album, MOTOMAMI:

MOTOMAMI is a postmodern collage

Sliding skittishly from genre to subgenre — this is very much an album made for an era when people consume music in 30-second snippets — MOTOMAMI brims with stylistic intrigue and a devilish sense of humor. Its 16 miniature tracks offer a plethora of hidden corners, interconnections and secret passages to uncover and reinterpret for years to come. 

In the future, MOTOMAMI will probably be remembered as one of the most ambitious albums of the decade, regardless of genre. As a result, a blanket branding as "a Latin artist" would be a disservice to her craft. Like M.I.A. or Joni Mitchell, she is a woman of the world.

It's not the genre — it's what you bring to it

Because reggaetón and Latin trap have taken over the planet in terms of commercial acceptance, an obscene deluge of tracks has followed. This has nothing to do with the urbano genre and its potential for greatness, and Rosalía mines reggaetón's popularity without falling into cliche.

MOTOMAMI is notable for its stylistic breadth. "BULERÍAS" almost sounds as if it was lifted from a vintage flamenco session, while a number of other tracks rely on the instantly recognizable reggaetón thump. 

But on songs such as "CANDY" and "DIABLO," Rosalía transcends expectations with unusual melodic turns and sophisticated textures. On a visceral level, the purity of her voice sounds majestic against the propulsive reggaetón beats.

On rare occasions, too many cooks will do just fine

A hilarious meme circulated years ago comparing a song by Queen (one songwriter, one producer) with a mega-hit of the modern era, concocted by a battalion of expensive tastemakers.

MOTOMAMI is surprisingly ascetic in terms of guest artists. We get the Weeknd learning to sing bachata in Spanish and Dominican rapper Tokischa adding layers of panache to "LA COMBI VERSACE." Vocally, the album is (mostly) all Rosalía.

You may get dizzy just glancing at the album credits, though. Ten different songwriters are listed on a single track, and besides the welcome return of Barcelona-based El Guincho, some of the world-class producers here include Frank Dukes, Sky Rompiendo, Michael Uzowuru and Tainy. But there is nothing disjointed about the finished product.

For an album that sounds so obsessively layered — down to the last little detail, every single element molded and harnessed with an aesthetic iron fist — the inclusion of so much talent behind the soundboard actually makes sense.

Her music videos are epic in their own right

Rosalía's videos have always been noted for their brash originality, but the clip for "SAOKO" raises the bar by delivering a haunting cinematic experience in just over two minutes.

With French director Valentin Petit at the helm, the video for "SAOKO" depicts the singer as part of a motorcycle gang performing daredevil stunts on a bridge. One shot in particular — the camera swirls by, approaches Rosalía wearing a flowing red dress, then zooms into the helmet of another biker until it focuses on her blue eyes — is dazzling. This is the rare case of a music video that captures the emotional specificity of an artist's entire album.

Transcendent beauty is often found in the little details

So much of MOTOMAMI is about snippets of delight, subtle genre transgressions and unexpected harmonic twists. The distorted melodic line of "LA FAMA" unfolds into an avant-garde meta-bachata that is still authentic enough to dance to. The stately Afro-Cuban groove of "DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA" merges Justo Betancourt's bolero of the same title with Soulja Boy's rap interlude on Vistoso Bosses' 2009 hit "Delirious." 

Rosalía traverses the alphabet on the playful "Abcdefg," free associating random words for each letter. There are almost imperceptible syncopated accents of compressed percussion on the choppy "CHICKEN TERIYAKI."

MOTOMAMI is an album to enjoy in its many grand details and outbursts of genius — morsel by morsel, moment by moment.

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