Reminder to those whose summer is now to stay cool in this heat (literal or metaphorical)…
[Video]
[5.29]
Katherine St. Asaph: “Papasito” is Karol G’s first (partially) English-language track but, she says, not a crossover bid — not that something this anodyne would do it anyway.
[3]
Mark Sinker: Nicely chirpy Colombian-English PowerPoint detailing (SCIENCE FACT) how romantic love is a worrying mental health issue.
[8]
Claire Davidson: There’s a palpable yearning in Karol G’s lovestruck delivery, as if she can’t help but lose her discipline in the presence of her lover, but she still remains light enough on her feet to mirror the flirtatiousness of her merengue groove. The English lyrical segments of “Papasito” are slightly elaborate in the way that very literal translations typically are, but this song is so good-natured at heart that it’s hard to really care. What really prevents me from loving this track is the mixing, which renders the percussion just a touch louder than Karol G’s voice, thereby overpowering the delicate quality that makes her presence so inviting.
[7]
Nortey Dowuona: Karol’s soprano is soft and bubbly, but while it’s not so soft that it can be completely drowned out, it needs a plusher, lighter arrangement to flourish. Despite the lovely drum programming and percussion by Ovy On the Drums, the bass and clavinet chords don’t emerge into the foreground of the mix to allow Karol’s voice that support. They just fight her fruitlessly, as well as the guitar and synth riffs that appear during the opening of the second verse, for that primacy. The whole song collapses into itself, fainting before it can even make its case.
[7]
Will Adams: Clears the low bar of avoiding a fire/desire rhyme, which I would’ve expected in a song that makes lovesickness sound utterly unremarkable.
[3]
Alfred Soto: Cruise ship Latino, as hot as a frozen margarita.
[4]
Ian Mathers: Ah, the gentleman’s 5, good to see you again.
[5]