Spotify record-breaker Bad Bunny returns — Un Verano Sin Ti review

The global pop market is made up of many different sounds and territories, with one dominating above all — the Anglosphere, with its powerful US-UK axis. Historically, the only rival in terms of sales figures and exports has been Latin American music. But relations between these giant musical geographies have been unequal.

When Carmen Miranda moved to the US in 1939, Brazil’s most popular singer adopted a blend of Portuguese and English in songs. She joked that she knew only 20 words in the latter language, including “money” and “hot dog”, but its use was judged necessary to make headway with US audiences. In contrast, when Paul McCartney set a world record in Rio in 1990 for the largest ever solo gig, he gave a cheery Portuguese salutation to his 184,000 Brazilian fans (“Tudo bom!”) but otherwise kept it Anglo.

Which brings us with a hop and jump to Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican singer, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is one of the biggest names in pop. He was the most-streamed artist on Spotify in 2020 and 2021, notching up 17.4bn plays. His new album Un Verano Sin Ti set a Spotify record for most streams in a single day with 183mn, knocking Drake into second place.

Unlike previous generations of Latin American crossover stars, he makes no concession to English speakers. Un Verano Sin Ti contains a sprinkling of English words in its 23 tracks, including “baby”, “booty”, “plan B” and, curiously, “underwater”. “Say ‘cheese’,” Bad Bunny sings in “Tití Me Preguntó” when he suggests taking “un selfie” with an admirer. But the singer with the anglophone stage name seems unconcerned about being comprehensible to non-Spanish speakers.

The album is his fourth solo outing. In keeping with the dubious modern habit of bulking out track-listings so as to boost streaming totals, it goes on far too long. But the songs are solidly made. Following the rock influences and apocalyptic theme of its pandemic-inspired predecessor, El Último Tour del Mundo, the focus switches to dance jams and summer anthems. Bad Bunny cruises through them with a deep singsong voice pitched between chanting and rapping.

His mode is reggaeton, the Central American genre that has become a major presence in global pop, as reggae did in the 1970s. With a hybrid sound based on US rap and Caribbean and Latin American music, it has found a fruitful home in Puerto Rico, a hinge island with links to all parts of the Americas. Many of the album’s guest vocalists are Puerto Rican or from the US diaspora.

Although the similarly paced beats get monotonous over the course of 81 minutes, a degree of stylistic variation keeps things ticking over. “Después de la Playa” shifts from brooding electronic balladry to no-nonsense Zumba workout. “El Apagón” opens with samba percussion before turning into a brash EDM headbanger. “Me Fui de Vacaciones” is a cheerfully cheesy reggae number in which Bad Bunny stocks up on beer and sets sail for an idyllic Caribbean holiday.

Alongside the dusting of English words in the album’s lyrics are references to Google Maps, WhatsApp and TikTok. Contrary to forecasts of Anglosphere linguistic domination — the spread of what has been called “globish” — globalisation speaks, or rather sings, with a Hispanic tongue on Un Verano Sin Ti.

★★★☆☆

‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ is released by Rimas Entertainment