Kali Uchis Does it Again on Red Moon In Venus

Alanna King

Columbian-American singer Kali Uchis released her third studio album, “Red Moon In Venus,” on March 3. The artist generated much buzz for her junior project with a national tour and several festival performances scheduled for the spring and summer of this year. 

The neo-soul artist, known for her dreamy, breathless vocals and jazzy melodies did not disappoint with “Red Moon In Venus”. Uchis combines aspects of each of her past projects into the new album. Her seductive themes in songs with playful yet sturdy soprano pitches from “Por Vida” are reminiscent in her newest project. More pop-like beats and funky, left-of-center r&b rhythms carry over from “Isolation.” In 2020, Uchis shocked her audience by dropping an album sung completely in Spanish. On “Red Moon In Venus”, she further explored Latin r&b by combining Spanish and English lyrics in the same songs, creating a layered yet lush flow. 

“Red Moon In Venus” featured collabs with Omar Apollo, Don Toliver and Summer Walker. Most of the songs featured Uchis’ own vocals and production with help from long-time collaborators and producers Josh Crocker and Albert Hype. “Red Moon In Venus” brings experimental and profound vocal and melodic layering that separates this album from the crowd.

“I spent about a year just working on mixing & mastering details for this album,” Uchis said in a tweet.

“Red Moon In Venus” begins with the short and sweet “In My Garden” finishing off at a mere 24 seconds and containing only two sentences. Bird’s chirping and bees’ buzzing can be heard in the background, instantly adding to the album’s timely spring-time theme. 

“All Mine” stood out to me upon first listening to the album. The hedonistic break-up contemplation ballad brought me back to the young days of Uchis’ career when she was still releasing music on SoundCloud. While she still copies this signature style in her current music, the singer has grown into her voice and established her style.

“Hasta Cuando” blew me away with the lyrics going back-to-back in Spanish and English. Although I’m not a fluent Spanish speaker, I adored the fusion of Latin r&b and neo-soul elements in the song. Uchis has created a subgenre that is completely her own. Uchis even included some modern doo-wop reminiscent vocals in the dreamy “Love Between,” adding to the diverse styles on the album. 

“Moonlight” is my favorite song on the project, captivating me with its spicy crescendo of instruments at the beginning seamlessly carry the main chorus just before the first verse. The song teeters between spacey, ethereal soul and classic seductive r&b.

 “Happy Now” brings me back to the “Isolation” days with its poppy beats and breathless harmonies. The song ends the project with the positive message that happiness and peace are valued above anythingelse in life. 

Overall, this album pleasantly surprised me as Uchis spent three years quietly working on “Red Moon In Venus” since the release of “Sin Miedo”. I’m proud to watch the journey of this unique and talented artist. 

Her “Red Moon In Venus” tour will make a landing in Atlanta at the Coca-Cola Roxy on May 2.