An audacious left turn from a pop auteur

What to make of this surprising left turn? This feels partly like honoring Rosalia’s classical lineage; The now 33-year-old studied guitar from the age of 9 and flamenco from the age of 13 at the College of Music of Catalonia in Barcelona, ​​and has been accused of perverting the form since his breakthrough debut in 2018. El Mal Querer. Afterwards MotomamiAcclaimed for its interplay with Latin American club sounds but also screaming cultural appropriation, Luxury It leans on European traditions, sharply rejecting the ritualistic bent, pop trends and hedonistic spoils. At times, it plays like the post-schism escalation of violence in the Old Testament.

As always, Rosalia is at her most intoxicating when the lines are blurred and her classical foundation weakens against modern styles. Open DepositWhile she aligns herself with the saints whose relics adorn cathedrals across Europe – “I who lost my hands in Jerez, my eyes in Rome, my heels in Milan” – she sings in Spanish – her melism writhes over staccato strings and thunderous beats, somehow finding the emotional connection between Vivaldi and Vivaldi. Yeezus.

Open deifyThe sacred and the essential overlap, just like Madonna’s. like a prayerFKA Twigs’ Mary Magdalene or Leonard Cohen hallelujah; “Pray on my spine, it’s a rosary,” Rosalia sings over jangling rhythms and soaring strings. last stanza La Yugular it is a broad poem as it contemplates the devotion held under the weight of a soul (“a glass of milk invades an army and an army fits inside a golf ball and a golf ball invades the Titanic and the Titanic fits inside a lipstick”).

while waltzing La PerlaIn the album’s lightest moment, she engages with a key form of modern pop – the barely veiled kiss – and delivers tabloid-provoking barbs at “an emotional terrorist, the world’s greatest disaster” (whom she almost certainly targets Alejandro). This is necessary because sometimes during ceremonies Luxury There’s a lot to bear.

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MonumentFado, written and performed with Portuguese artist Carminho, is so respectful that you feel robbed. La Rumba del Perdon Gipsy Kings for a new generation. And despite his weird vocals and closing wink, Mio Cristo Piange DiamantiRosalia’s attempt at an aria reminds me of Andrea Bocelli in stadium mode. you can paint Sound The contestants on Carols by Candlelight wowed the audience.

But what really matters is daring. online, Luxury It has already sparked debates about whether it is pop, classical or opera. You’d imagine Rosalia would embrace the discourse with an attitude. the arc of his halo and a warm blessing. As every Catholic knows, becoming a saint is not easy.

Rosalia’s Luxury is out now.