Álvaro Díaz
SAYONARA
Album · Urbano latino · 2024
Álvaro Díaz’s artistic evolution has been nothing short of remarkable. The Puerto Rican rapper heard on 2020’s hip-hop-centered Diaz Antes sounded little like the 2.0 version on his innovative and inventive 2021 follow-up Felicilandia. His now-established penchant for pop-wise productions and futuristic forms carries on with SAYONARA, an album that finds him on the cutting edge of reggaetón, among other styles. At a time when the pervasive dembow thump in Latin music can feel a bit too formulaic, he brings a freshness to the format on cuts like “KAWA” and the Quevedo team-up “QUIZÁS SI QUIZÁS NO.” He has obvious reverence for his pioneering predecessors, evident on the homage-heavy Feid collab “GATITAS SANDUNGUERAS VOL.1,” but he’s not beholden to genre norms: The beat switches on “EN PR NO HACE FRÍO” and “SIN PODERES” feel surprisingly natural, a testament to his ability to navigate shifting sonic environs. Further departures such as “QUIÉN TE QUIERE COMO EL NENE” and the balladic “YOKO” only add to his growing mystique.
Apple Music