Mis Manos

With fired-up reggaetoneros and diamond-encrusted traperos at the core of the Latin airwaves, the dominance of Colombias Camilo proves a potent anomaly. Every part the everyman, the vocalists stories deal in sugary kisses, earnest humility, and beach-bound joy -- typically the fare of campfire ballads, not global anthems. Yet global anthems theyve become. With all four of its singles past the 100-million-stream mark (and Vida de Rico already past the half-billion), Mis Manos arrives with a promise of international success -- a success it finds on the back of uncluttered songwriting, organic instrumentals, and a woozy dose of free-spiritedness. Having spent years writing hits for the likes of Becky G and Bad Bunny, Camilo Echeverry is a man who knows the potency of his words. However, his work under the Camilo moniker switches the scope, moving the focus from global glitz to self-effacing sentiments and sun-flecked wooing. Its a stark contrast to the devorarte como animals of contemporary successes, but its one thats brought to colorful fruition by Camilos bright tones and earworm hooks. Its the shocking simplicity of his lyrics that drives them to their gleeful heights, though: choruses grow organically from calls of que si and playful ay-ay-ays, while Camilo riffs with lively aplomb. Theres an almost Disney-like magic to the whole affair. A similar ease is found in the vocalists soundscapes. Camilos organic approach to instrumentation manages to squeeze every last drop out of its rural minimalism. The intimate, clicking drums of Machu Picchu, the flirty guitar flicks of Mareado, the despondent pianist of Manos de Tijera -- each is beautifully rendered by some of the finest mastering in the genre, giving even the simplest of summertime anthems the profound depth of a classic. The results speak for themselves: the calypso-like KESI bursts with Caribbean flair, the norteno Tuyo y Mio sashays with grace, and BEBE provides one of Latin pops catchiest breakup anthems. Machu Picchu, a duet between Camilo and his wife, Evaluna Montaner, proves touchingly intimate. Theres something fundamentally timeless about what Camilo is making here. The albums songs feel fundamentally out of time, caught in a summer where emotions tumble with a childlike spirit. While maybe lacking the development of a career-defining opus, Mis Manos nonetheless thrives in its own optimistic beauty. ~ David Crone