At least someone knows how to get a good score…
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[7.14]
Oliver Maier: Rosalía’s sixth single of 2019 contains the most obvious traces of El Mal Querer‘s menacing DNA. Others from this year’s crop have placed a similar emphasis on repetition, but always as a means towards poppier ends, like the braggadocio of “Con Altura” or the infatuated flutter of “Yo x Ti, Tu x Mí”. “A Palé”, on the other hand, is a glitch labyrinth of dead ends, and the repetition is punishing above all else. Rosalíá’s voice is magnetic even when she raps in a languid croak, and the tension between her sinister coolness and the monolithic, bass-heavy surroundings is what keeps the whole affair from becoming either too sloppy or too static. Comparing anyone to Beyoncé feels trite, but I can think of few other pop dynamos who so consistently pull off the same feat, making the exceptional seem effortless and the straightforward seem superhuman.
[8]
Natasha Genet Avery: What’s made Rosalía’s victory lap so satisfying to watch is that she’s been unafraid to stray off course. “A Palé” follows her extremely successful dabbles in reggaeton, música urbana and Europop, and serves as a testament to her versatility. Over minimal, thunderous bass, Rosalía’s soft and measured delivery exudes nonchalance — the perfect posture for her Kawasaki, Saint Laurent and caviar flexes.
[7]
Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Collaborations with J Balvin and Ozuna are serviceable, but Rosalía shines best when solo. Part opera, part banger, and deeply odd at its core, “A Palé” is the definition of a show-stopper.
[9]
Ian Mathers: As the only one here who really liked that song she did with James Blake, of course I prefer the intro here to the (still very good!) rest of it.
[7]
Isabel Cole: I wish the warbling soprano at the beginning came back or else was indicative of a song interested in exploring that kind of contrast. The beat is good, the vibe unimpeachably cool, but I’m not compelled to play it again.
[6]
Kylo Nocom: Given that most of this song is muttered rapping, Rosalía is still losing sight of her most obvious strong suit: her voice. Frank Dukes and El Guincho load “A Palé” with handclaps and Yeezus screeches, almost enough to trick me into believing there’s more here than there is, but the runtime and hook suggest otherwise — like most of her singles this year.
[5]
Thomas Inskeep: More flamenco than her last few singles, which is great. And this single’s better than great, it’s sensational. Expect a whole mass of flamenco-trap artists — something I never knew I needed before Rosalía, but now realize I do — over the next half-decade, and blame/thank Rosalía for all of ’em. That said, most won’t be as willfully weird as her, because she’s increasingly the Björk of Spanish-language music, turning this stuff into brilliant pop. Hearing her working together with both frequent collaborator El Guincho and Drake guy Frank Dukes on this is a wonder, the best of all sonic worlds. “A Palé” is delicate and bangs at the same time.
[8]