OCEAN by Karol G
Ocean is the second studio album by Colombian singer Karol G. It was released on May 3, 2019, through Universal Music Latino. Ocean is a reggaetón, urbano and Latin pop record, and features guest appearances by reggae artist Damian Marley, then-partner Anuel AA, Brazilian duo Simone & Simaria, Yandel, Maluma, J Balvin, Nicky Jam and Danay Suárez. Ocean was supported by nine singles off of the album's sixteen tracks, released between March 2018 and April 2020: "Pineapple", "Mi Cama" (including a remix with J Balvin and Nicky Jam), "Culpables" (with Anuel AA), "Créeme" (ft. Maluma), "Punto G", "Ocean" (with a duet version ft. Jessie Reyez), "Love with a Quality" (ft. Damian Marley), "Dices Que Te Vas" (ft. Anuel AA) and "La Vida Continúo" (ft. Simone & Simaria). The album was met with generally positive reviews from music critics and was initially a moderate commercial success. It managed to chart within the top sixty on the mainstream US Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 2 on the US Top Latin Albums chart, selling 12,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
When KAROL G’s debut album, <i>Unstoppable</i>, hit the airwaves in 2017, she became one of the first women to penetrate the hard-flexing boys club of Latin trap at a mainstream level with searing beats and even sharper bars. So for her highly anticipated follow-up, <i>OCEAN</i>, the rising Colombian dynamo switched up her sound with sinewy reggaetón, dancehall, and R&B, and harnessed a laidback vocal style that better accommodated earnest power ballads and smooth pop melodies. This shift cemented the relaxed, approachable aura that has since made KAROL G a Latin American powerhouse delivering constant crossover hits on the world stage. <i>OCEAN</i> kicks off with the title track; a piano ballad dripping with longing between lovers separated by the merciless currents of life. KAROL G's newly embraced softness shines through periodically, notably on “Dices Que Te Vas”, her acoustic duet with trap star and then-partner Anuel AA, and the inspiring brega affirmations of “La Vida Continuó” alongside Brazilian pop duo Simone & Simaria. The album’s title also nods to a greater presence of Caribbean rhythms, like the faint champeta guitars on “Créeme” with Medellín pop king Maluma, and the rushing dancehall of her collaboration with Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley on “Love With A Quality”. However, just because <i>OCEAN</i> showcased a more vulnerable side of KAROL G, that never meant she became a pushover. The icy synths and trap beats of “Sin Corazón” house an even colder heart, as she boasts about how a venomous romance made her immune to pain. There's also plenty of room for raunchy, waist-winding perreo, like on the cheekily titled “Punto G” and her team up with Puerto Rican reggaetón godfather Yandel on “La Ocasión Perfecta”. This latter cut is built on percolating, shape-shifting beats elegantly produced by Colombian studio wizard Ovy On The Drums, who helped cement KAROL G as a perennial dance-floor staple.
