“Un verano sin ti” Review: Bad Bunny did it again!

Yes, Bad Bunny did it again. After faking his retirement from music when in fact he took a vacation to explore other artistic facets, the Puerto Rican returns with a new record production that is a true reflection of what an elite artist is capable of doing. On May 1, he tweeted about the 23 songs with a Caribbean aroma that make up "Un verano sin ti".

At this point, there is no Latin American figure with greater influence than Bad Bunny and to corroborate it, we can look at the statistics. In 2020 and 2021 he was the most listened to artist on Spotify with more than 17 million reproductions, but everything indicates that in 2022 he will repeat and could even beat his own record, since on the premiere day of "Un verano sin ti" surpassed the barrier of 5 million views on his YouTube channel.

What is innovative about this new album? Beyond presenting the videos in 360° format to have a unique interaction with his shots, Bad Bunny not only presents the urban sounds that catapulted him to stardom, but also dares with unprecedented rhythms that range from merengue and lambada to reggae and bossa nova. And it's just that, as Benito himself said in an interview with the New York Times, "Un verano sin ti" is an album to listen to as a playlist while you're heading to the beach.

Likewise, another detail that characterizes this album is its particular way of presenting it with two sides, A and B, as if it were a cassette. Those who have closely followed Bad Bunny's career know that his albums should be listened to in order, since there is always an intention behind them. While that side A represents the joy, the fun, and the party that only he knows how to create, on side B the intensity begins to drop and it is filled with heartbreak and nostalgia. Without a doubt, his impressive ability to conceptualize makes him unique in the music industry.

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A summer with Bad Bunny

Whether you're going to the beach, you're at the disco or even at a home gathering with your friends, "Un verano sin ti" is the ideal company you need for this summer and the rest of 2022. Its 23 songs, are almost an hour and a half long, are a roller coaster through which Bad Bunny will take you with his creativity and versatility when interpreting them, not to mention that the quality of his guests is magnificent: Chencho Corleone, Jhay Cortéz, Tony Dize , Rauw Alejandro, Bomba Estéreo, The Marías and Buscabulla.

The album opens with "Moscow Mule," a seductive, commercial song with familiar reggaeton beats that are embellished with rather beachy sounds. This is the preamble to a song that surprised more than one, because in "Después de la playa" we hear Benito with a simple trap with electronic chords and then we start dancing with a load of merengue typical of the Dominican Republic. Then "Me porto bonito" appears, which has that touch of perreo added by Chencho Corleone, a singer recognized by the duo Plan B.

Starting with "Titi asked me", a dembow with a lot of energy and where Bad Bunny shows off his conquests, is where what many expect begins. Reggaeton and trap make an appearance and with three other guests; Jhay Cortéz in "Tarot", emphasizing the electronic mixes; Rauw Alejandro on "Party," with a catchy, basic chorus to get the crowd dancing; and Tony Dize in "La Corriente", "Yo no soy celoso" has its section for its bossa nova sounds to relax the listener. 

As mentioned above, the frenetic pace gradually begins to slow down and certain songs give the feeling that they are in their own musical universe. "I went on vacation" is a reggae that brings out a little-seen rhythmic facet of Bad Bunny and that has been liked by many. At the same time, it is worth noting that not all the songs on the album contain the same lyrical content, since Benito also appeals to certain day-to-day social issues.

At that point we come across "El apagón", a song of vindication and protest against the power outages that Puerto Rico has suffered in recent months. Here, the unexpected appearance of a synthesizer transforms it into a piece worthy of the house genre, one of those that are enjoyed at night. Likewise, in "Andrea" (together with Buscabulla) we find a message of feminine power and against the mistreatment suffered by women in the world. It is worth mentioning that this issue is linked to a case of femicide that generated outrage in the country due to the lack of action by the authorities.

In short, "Un verano sin ti" is proof that Bad Bunny can maintain his unique style and set trends in the music industry without the need to repeat the same thing over and over again. None of his albums is the same as the previous one, and yet he manages to engage different generations by mixing different rhythms and sounds. We are no longer facing an artist of ours, from Latin America, but rather a world-class star.