Afrodisíaco
Debut studio album by Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro.
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Afrodisíaco is the debut studio album by Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro, released on November 13, 2020, by Sony Music Latin and Duars Entertainment. The album was supported by six singles, including the global hit "Tattoo" (remix), which won a Latin Grammy Award. It received generally favorable reviews and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Música Urbana Album.
Background and recording
Rauw Alejandro began uploading Latin R&B songs to SoundCloud in 2014. In February 2020 he announced he was working on his debut studio album, titling it Afrodisíaco.
He deleted all his social media posts on November 5, 2020, leaving only a photo with a caption about the album, and four days later revealed the release date, cover art, and track list. Alejandro described the album as "a very complete and versatile album" and said he had found himself "musically as an artist". He recorded it in studios across Miami and Carolina with producers including Caleb Calloway, Mr. Naisgai, Dímelo Flow, Eydren con el Ritmo, and Tainy.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dile a Él | Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz "Rauw Alejandro" | 3:29 |
| 2 | Strawberry Kiwi | Alejandro, Rosalía Vila Tobella, Alejandro Ramírez "Sky", José M. Collazo, Jorge E. Pizarro "Kenobi", Eric Pérez Rovira "Eric Duras" | 3:32 |
| 3 | Mood (with Sech) | Alejandro, Carlos Isaías Morales Williams "Sech", Collazo, Jorge Valdés Vásquez "Dímelo Flow", Hector C. López "Caleb Calloway", Kenobi, Duars, David Alberto Díaz Roja | 2:56 |
| 4 | Química (with Zion & Lennox and Mr. NaisGai featuring the Martinez Brothers) | Gabriel Pizarro "Lennox", Calloway, Kenobi, Colla, Duars, Christian Martinez "The Martinez Brothers", Steve Martinez Jr. "The Martinez Brothers", Alejandro, Luis J. González "Mr. NaisGai", Christian Mojica "Cauty", Félix Ortiz Torres "Zion" | 4:55 |
| 5 | Enchule | Alejandro | 3:05 |
| 6 | De Cora <3 (with J Balvin) | Alejandro, Calloway, Colla, Duars, Angel Ruben Díaz "D'Alexis", José Álvaro Osorio Balvin "J Balvin" | 3:10 |
| 7 | Un Sueño (featuring Trippie Redd) | Michael Lamar White II "Trippie Redd", Alejandro, Jean Pierre Soto "Yampi", Kenobi, Colla, Duars, Mr. Naisgai | 3:42 |
| 8 | Reloj (with Anuel AA) | Alejandro, Yampi, Ernesto Padilla "Nesty", Emmanuel Gazmey "Anuel AA", Calloway, Kenobi, Colla, Duars | 3:51 |
| 9 | No Te Creo (with Wisin & Yandel and Mr. NaisGai) | Alejandro, Juan Luis Morera Luna "Wisin", Llandel Veguilla Malavé "Yandel", Kenobi, Colla, Duars, Mr. NaisGai | 3:49 |
| 10 | Soy una Gárgola (with Arcángel and Randy) | Calloway, Austin Santos "Arcángel", David Torres Castro, Mervin Maldonado Arce, Kenobi, Colla, Duars, Randy Ortiz Acevedo "Randy", Giann Arias Colón "DJ Giann", Miguel Antonio de Jesús Cruz "Guelo Star", Rafael Quiles Hernández "Álex Gárgolas", Alejandro | 4:09 |
| 11 | Pensándote (with Tainy) | Alejandro, Marco Masis "Tainy", Colla, Duars, Jorge Álvaro Díaz "Álvarito" | 3:36 |
| 12 | Perreo Pesau' | Alejandro, Ramón Ayala, Kenobi, Colla, Duars, Mr. Naisgai, Roberto Rafael Rivera Elias "Yensanjuan", Díaz | 4:20 |
| 13 | Algo Mágico | Mr. NaisGai, Alejandro, Jesus D. Valencia, Stiven Rojas "Miky", Juan Luis Cardona "Maiky", Michael Sánchez "Elektrik", Julian Yepez "Maya", Juan José Duque "Sinatra", Colla, Duars | 4:21 |
| 14 | Ponte Pa' Mí (with Myke Towers and Sky Rompiendo) | Alejandro, Sky, Orlando J. Cepeda, José M. Reyes Díaz, Michael Torres "Myke Towers", Colla, Duars | 3:04 |
| 15 | Elegí (remix; with Dalex and Lenny Tavárez featuring Farruko, Anuel AA, Sech, Dímelo Flow and Justin Quiles) | Duars, Joshua Javier Méndez, Pedro David Daleccio Jr. "Dalex", Ramsés Iván Herrera Soto "BCA", Jorge Valdés Vázquez "Dímelo Flow", Anuel AA, Julio Manuel González Tavares "Lenny Tavárez", Miguel Andres Martínez Perea "Slow Mike", Andy Bauza, Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado "Farruko", Cristian Andrés Salazar, Franklin Jovani Martinez, Isac Ortiz, Justin Rafael Quiles, Alejandro, Sech | 5:23 |
| 16 | Tattoo (remix; with Camilo) | Alejandro, Rafa Rodriguez "Honeyboos", Evaluna Montaner, Camilo Echeverry, Andrea Mangiamarchi "Elena Rose", Daniel Rondon "Honeyboos", Colla, Duars, Mr. NaisGai | 3:42 |
| Total length | 61:04 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Music and lyrics
Afrodisíaco is a Spanish-language album of 16 songs that blend traditional reggaeton, Latin trap, Latin R&B, electronic elements, and perreo rhythms. Lyrically, about 90% of the album is about Alejandro himself, drawing on his own experience. The opener "Dile a Él" is a mid-tempo dark reggaeton ballad with uncredited background vocals by Rosalía. "Strawberry Kiwi" has a summery, tropical atmosphere, while "Mood" is an urban song with Sech.
"Química" begins as an upbeat reggaeton with Zion & Lennox and shifts into a house track with the Martinez Brothers. "Enchule" is a pop song about romantic obsession, using Puerto Rican slang. "De Cora <3", with J Balvin, is an urbano romantic song about missing a partner. "Un Sueño" features Trippie Redd and has a dancehall vibe.
"Reloj", with Anuel AA, is a melodic reggaeton about sexual desire. "No Te Creo" features Wisin & Yandel. "Soy una Gárgola" is an electronic update of Randy's 2006 track, featuring Randy and Arcángel, with a new Latin R&B verse from Alejandro.
Singles
The lead single "Tattoo" (remix) was released on July 9, 2020, with a music video directed by Gustavo Camacho. It reached number one in ten countries and peaked at number seven on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs, winning Best Urban Fusion/Performance at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards. "Elegí" (remix) followed on August 27, 2020. "Enchule" was released as the third single on September 17, 2020, reaching the top 10 in Dominican Republic and Spain.
"Reloj" was launched on October 22, 2020, and reached the top 10 in several countries and on US Hot Latin Songs. "De Cora <3" was released on November 12, 2020, peaking at number one in four countries. The final single, "Dile a Él", was issued to radio on February 3, 2021, with a music video directed by Alfred Marroquín. Three promotional singles were also released: "Ponte Pa' Mí", "Algo Mágico", and "Perreo Pesau'". After the album's release, "Soy una Gárgola" and "Química" debuted at numbers 66 and 88 in Spain, respectively.
Critical reception
Afrodisíaco received generally favorable reviews. Thom Jurek of AllMusic noted a consistent vibe that juxtaposes layered atmospherics and innovative beats against catchy melodies, praising the carefully articulated production and calling the album a rich and seamless listening experience. Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo of Grammy.com named Alejandro one of the most promising well-rounded acts of his generation, describing the album as valiant and versatile.
Suzy Exposito of the Los Angeles Times called it a sensuous night cruise, while Isabela Raygoza of Rolling Stone labeled it salacious and club-ready. Tomás Mier of People thought the album was everything an artist two years into his career could ask for, and Lucas Villa of MTV News praised its impressive roster of guests. The album was nominated for Best Música Urbana Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Did You Know?
- The album debuted at number three on both the US Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums charts with first-week sales of 12,000 units.
- It was certified sextuple platinum (Latin) by the RIAA for sales of over 360,000 units in the United States.
- Alejandro and J Balvin performed "De Cora <3" on The Late Late Show with James Corden on November 23, 2020.
More in Sony Music Latin Albums
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Afrodisíaco (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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