Kali Uchis – Sin Miedo

It sounds so rich. Thick vinyl & great packaging too!

Love Kali so mucho but for whatever reason it is not as loud as my other records :( :/

Love Kali so mucho but for whatever reason it is not as loud as my other records :( :/

Don’t see many reviews here on the sound quality... It sounds stellar. Nearly 0 pops or crackling, even between songs. Kali’s voice sounds so well balanced and the instrumentals are mixed really great as well.

Everyone says black vinyl gives the best sound quality. Not sure how much I actually believe that, but it’s definitely the case here, especially when compared to the clear RSD pressing. I actually swapped the discs on my two pressings because I think the black pressing matches the black and white cover better and the clear pressing matches the pink cover more 🤭 But this review IS for the black US pressing.

This is the variant to get if you’re looking for a great sounding copy of this album. The packaging is nothing special, but we’re here for the music not the packaging, right?

Let's take it back to 2018 for a second, when Kali Uchis released her much acclaimed debut studio album 'Isolation'. Back then I had never heard a song of hers, but I knew I wanted to check the record out since it was on everyone‘s lips that summer. I kept pushing it back though, telling myself yeah yeah I'll check it out soon. When I finally did I was like: Damn, I should've done this earlier. 'Isolation' became my favorite album of that year, and two years later, it's still as good.

So now here is its follow up, 'Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)', in its full beauty. There has been much fuss on Kali's social media channels about fans saying they don't like it when she sings in Spanish and that they miss the 'Isolation' era. I say fuck that, Kali can sing in whatever language she wants to and I fucking love when she sings in Spanish. Like on last year's great trap-isnpired single 'Solita', which unfortunately didn't make it onto the album though.

The songs on 'Sin Miedo' are just as strong though, if not better. The early singles 'La Luz (Fin)' and 'Aquí Yo Mando!' were smashes already, and it doesn't stop there. The singles continued the trap pop of 'Solita', but there's more sounds to discover on this album. 'vaya con dios' is dark and organic pop, driven by strings and electric guitars. It reminds me a lot of the album closer on 'Isolation', 'Killer'. 'que te pedi' then continues that vibe with a beautiful horn section, seemingly written for a James Bond score. With 'quiero sentirme bien' Kali then finds the perfect midway between those rather acoustic and the more electric songs of the album. Roomy drums combined with a jumpy synth lead make for a catchy, almost alternative pop song. 'telepatía' then takes that sound to a more upbeat level, relying much more on flowing synths, which send the nice acoustic guitars into the background.

One thing that made 'Isolation' so very good, was how effortlessly Kali fit all those different styles of music onto one album, and how amazing she sounded in each of them. 'Sin Miedo' doesn't manage to reach this variety to the same degree, but why should it? On 'Isolation' Kali already showed off that she's comfortable in practically every genre, so now she's free to make whatever type of music she wants to. With 'San Miedo' she made a pop album that's drawing influence from trap ('Aquí Yo Mando!'), alternative ('quiero sentirme bien') and Latin of course ('no eres tu [soy yo]'). Again, she performs flawlessly each time. She pulls off the trendy off-beat banger 'te pongo mal' ROSALÍA style, seduces with sultry r&b on 'fue major', and with 'vaya con dios' alongside 'que te pedí' she creates a her own little dramatic world within the album.

And lastly: How amazing is this album art. Shout out to SUCUK & BRATWURST on that part.

Kali Uchis simply never misses, because she simply doesn't sound bad, no matter what style of music she is performing. She's a living legend, which 'Sin Miedo' proves once again.

Favorite tracks: la luna enamorada, no eres tu (soy yo), telepatía, aguardiente y limon, La Luz (Fin)

This "deluxe" vinyl is really anything but. Paper thin cover, paper thin vinyl. On top of that, it looks like it was pressed by the very mediocre United Record Pressing. The first copy I received from Amazon had extensive non-fill on side B; the replacement copy had it as well but not quite as bad. Something to be aware of, as all the copies probably have non-fill on them to some extent. Otherwise, it does sound pretty good, but it's very overpriced for what you actually get.

Picked up my copy at Waterloo Records in Austin, TX!

Beautiful album! Beautiful artwork! Kali Uchis is an incredibly talented artist!