María José Llergo, one of the great voices of contemporary Spanish music and winner of the Ruido Prize for her amazing second album, ‘Ultrabelleza’ (2023), seems to begin a new recording stage. This has been suggested by La Lectura, the cultural supplement of El Mundo, when commenting on his new single, ‘Mala mia’, one of the most notable musical news of the week.
Although it is not confirmed that ‘Mala mia’ is the preview of an upcoming album, the musical proposal is compelling. Llergo once again opts for the fusion of flamenco and electronics, this time on a base of orchestral trip-hop in which the strings, rather than sound, bleed. The Björk reference arises again, now that the Icelandic is current.
The artist moves with a glorious melody and a spectacular vocal performance, transmitting the story of a heartbreaking heartbreak in which she announces herself on the verge of dying for love. The images are tragic and rural, almost gothic, speaking of exhumed emotions and mentioning death itself. “I have unearthed / the sorrow of the past / that is why I have tears / and dirt in my hands,” he sings. His previous single was dedicated to his ‘Grandfather, who died last year.
The foray into trip-hop does leave some doubts, since the vocal melody and rhythmic base do not seem to fully come together, as if each were going their own way, resulting in a kind of “mash-up” that does not achieve the desired cohesion. Of course, precisely that criticism has always been directed at Björk’s music, so we may be looking at a textbook grower.
In the aforementioned interview, Llergo offered some clues about this new stage, stating that, after the music she has recorded, “she can die peacefully.” Is death crucial in María José Llergo’s new album?
Charging …