PAPI JUANCHO

As much as 2019’s <i>11:11</i> demonstrated just how epic and immaculate the Colombian superstar’s pop game could be, there’s just something so satisfying about Maluma indulging his dirty side on record. For this surprise album, he gives those thirsty fans all the steamy, sordid jams they crave as he adopts the rakish loverman persona Papi Juancho. Reuniting with the Rude Boyz, the Medellín-based production duo behind his raunchy smash “Felices los 4”, he takes to the titular alter ego with debonair ease on sexually charged cuts like “Cuidau” and the polyamorous ode “Cielo a un Diablo”. Reggaetón rhythms reign across these luxe expressions of a lifestyle marked by trysts at 30,000 feet, though he weaves in R&B grooves on “Ansiedad” and the bilingual “Boy Toy”. He reminisces on the Myke Towers-assisted “Madrid” about a lustful romance that he wants to rekindle, and does the total opposite on the embittered kiss-off “Parce” with Lenny Tavárez and Justin Quiles in tow.