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From NPR's 'Alt Latino,' a review of Karol G's 'Manana Sera Bonito: Bichota Season'

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Colombian singer Karol G is out with a brand-new surprise album. It's called "Manana Sera Bonito (Bichota Season)." It's a follow-up to her record-breaking February release, which was simply called "Manana Sera Bonito." This new album features remixes as well as brand-new music and comes as Karol G kicks off her first U.S. stadium tour. NPR's Alt.Latino host Anamaria Sayre has this review.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OKI DOKI")

KAROL G: (Rapping in Spanish).

ANAMARIA SAYRE, BYLINE: So I wasn't sure what to think about this one because I feel like generally, when an artist comes straight out of the gate with a kind of bonus record after they've released a big album, it doesn't quite hit all the time. But I must say Karol G coming back with her bonus "Bichota Season" is actually quite fun. She really does a lot of sonically divergent things on it that she didn't quite get to cover on the first record, although that, too, hit a lot of good points. And so this one was really fun to listen to - a lot of very exciting collaborations.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PROVENZA (REMIX)")

KAROL G: (Singing in Spanish).

SAYRE: That was "Provenza," the Tiesto club remix. I first heard this track when I was biking home from work, and I was like, I need to turn around right now and get myself to the club. This is such a fun song.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PROVENZA (REMIX)")

KAROL G: (Singing in Spanish).

SAYRE: "Provenza" has been a single off of the album for a while now. It's had two separate summers that it's been able to run in. And it's always been kind of, I think, to me, a track for dancing, for being out with friends, for summertime. And the Tiesto club remix really takes it to a whole nother level, I must say. I would not have expected to love it this much, but I do love how she's been playing a little bit more in the EDM space. A lot of Latin artists have been, and something about Latin rhythms and a nice EDM bass drop just actually marries perfectly, especially on this track.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PROVENZA (REMIX)")

KAROL G: (Singing in Spanish).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "QLONA")

KAROL G: (Singing in Spanish).

SAYRE: That was the collaborative diss track coming from Karol G and Peso Pluma. I would love to tell you the name, but I can't say it on the air.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "QLONA")

PESO PLUMA: (Singing in Spanish).

SAYRE: This collab has been teased for quite some time now, and this is absolutely not what I thought would come out of the two coming together. Peso Pluma has been notoriously open to doing reggaeton but most of the time sticks in the regional lane. So to hear the two of them together on this track was really cool. His vocals work really, really well on a reggaeton track. They're so unique. They're always interesting to listen to. And the two of them together I just actually really enjoyed.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "QLONA")

PESO PLUMA: (Singing in Spanish).

CHANG: That was NPR's Alt.Latino host Anamaria Sayre. Karol G's new album "Manana Sera Bonito (Bichote Season)" is out now.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MI EX TENIA RAZON")

KAROL G: (Singing in Spanish). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Anamaria Artemisa Sayre is co-host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.