This past Friday saw the release of MOTOMAMI, the heavily-anticipated third studio album from highly-acclaimed Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía which is already receiving accolades from critics both near and far. From Pitchfork, to The Wall Street Journal, to NPR, to Rolling Stone, everyone seems to love MOTOMAMI, myself included. And since occasionally TUNED UP has been known to do track-by-track analyses of high-profile releases, I thought it’d be fun to tackle this one myself. I decided to take my initial reactions from first hearing each of the LP’s 16 tracks, polish those up and then also offer up additional thoughts and context after doing some due diligence (in italics). So, with that in mind, here is Rosalía’s latest, broken down, track by track, by yours truly.

“SAOKO”: I feel like this album is going to be HEAVILY based in reggaeton, and I’m okay with that. I like the staccato ending as well. With this opener being an interpolation of Wisin and Daddy Yankee’s 2004 hit “Saoco,” I can see now that the writing was on the wall.

“CANDY”: Am I hearing Billie Eilish in those opening vocal lines? I’m starting to hear some elements of hyperpop here as well, in addition to the reggaeton. My friend and fellow writer Michael Belt was quick to remind me of last year’s collaboration between her and Eilish, which could account for both the opening vocals and the hyperpop influence. Also, a quick look through the album credits proves that “CANDY” is one of three songs on MOTOMAMI where influential reggaeton icon Tainy helps with production. No surprise there.

“LA FAMA” (with The Weeknd): I forgot about this beat, but I’m a sucker for anything bachata or bachata-adjacent, which I feel this is. Needless to say, I’m happy. The Weeknd adds a nice touch here as well. I was initially underwhelmed when I first heard the album’s lead single late last year, but looking back now I’m wondering how. “LA FAMA” is utterly fantastic, and the perfect choice for a “first taste” of the record.

“BULERÍAS”: OOH! Those vocal runs – I am 100% here for those and everything else in this song. The fact that “BULERÍAS” is one of Rosalía’s strongest vocal performances makes it stand out as an early highlight.

“CHICKEN TERIYAKI”: I don’t totally get the appeal of this one. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a BANGER, and everything we love about reggaeton, but it feels a little nonsensical. But I guess a lot of reggaeton is if we’re being honest. What’s important though is that “CHICKEN TERIYAKI” is, indeed, a banger. Oh, and don’t think I’ll let it go unnoticed that Q-Tip is listed amongst the co-writers on this one.

At first it feels like “HENTAI” is going to be this reprieve or breather, but then the beat kicks in near the end to add this edge to it. The piano and her voice together is *chef’s kiss.* ”HENTAI” is the first of two appearances from The Neptunes on MOTOMAMI (the other being the spectacular title track), and if I had to guess, I’d say they had a lot to do with that ending. Either way, it’s a solid track, even if it does fake us out a bit.

“BIZCOCHITO” is super bouncy but far too short. The brevity is something which isn’t necessarily true of the entire album, but it does feel like all of the record’s best songs do have this in common.

“G3 N15” is stunningly beautiful and the true reprieve I thought we were going to get with “HENTAI.”

“MOTOMAMI”: Wow, that bassline. This slaps. It’s a cruel joke that this is only a minute long. Oh look, another example of a standout that is far too short. Why does Rosalía torture us so? In all seriousness though, if you missed The Neptunes on “HENTAI,” you’ll definitely hear them here on the title track. It’s almost impossible not to.

“DIABLO” has some cool vibey vocal effects over top of it and is pretty solid overall. I mean, James Blake helped write “DIABLO,” in addition to providing guest vocals, and his music and the word “vibey” are pretty much interchangeable at this point.

“DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA” almost gives off this classic film score vibe with the trumpets. And I really enjoy the low vocal effects toward the end of the song. This reinterpretation of Cuban singer Justo Betancourt’s 1968 song of the same name actually feels like it belongs in a 1940s flick. As it turns out, “the low vocal effects” are actually Soulja Boy appearing on the late 2000s R&B hit “Delirious,” which is heavily sampled here near the end. How Rosalía blends all this together and does so seamlessly is beyond me, but she does it, and it is incredible.

Okay “CUUUUuuuuuute” I see you with that miscellaneous percussion. I vibe with it BIG TIME, and I also vibe with how it leaves just her vocals for a bit, then comes back in with her rapping and then the final chorus. Literal fire. The whispered vocals a la Billie Eilish once again show up here, which together with the song’s inherently percussive nature makes it, without a doubt, another of the album’s highlights.

“COMO UN G” is another soundtrack-type of tune. It’s got this slow, soaring vibe that feels like it could be played toward the end of a film when two long lost lovers finally find their way back to each other. I realize how cliché that sounds, and I’m okay with that.

“Abcdefg” is just an interlude track. Nothing really there. *shrug*

“LA COMBI VERSACE” features Tokischa and gets back to the reggaeton that’s been present throughout much of the album. Nothing super memorable but solid nonetheless. It’s also the final appearance from Tainy.

And finally we arrive at “SAKURA,” which feels as if it’s a recording of a live performance? I’m not sure how I feel about that in the context of the album, but the song does show off her stellar pipes one last time. This one ends a bit abruptly, which I’m not the biggest fan of. I wonder though if that was her intention, sort of like the “live” nature of this one.

Final thoughts: MOTOMAMI is Rosalía’s most diverse effort yet. There are some real standouts here, even if most of them end way too soon.

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