Out of this world. That was my first reaction to Kali Uchis’ third studio album, “Red Moon In Venus,” released on March 3, 2023. This R&B masterpiece was not only a release of 15 new tracks, but rather the end to a highly-anticipated three-year wait. After playing on repeat, I’m left with mixed feelings. I loved this album, but I can confidently say it left me wanting more. 

Throughout the 45-minute album, Uchis successfully captures the complexities of romance, faith and honesty. The passion Uchis conveys through each song encapsulates her raw emotion. From start to finish, I felt like I was experiencing Uchis’ real-life journey with love, relationships and heartache. Her incorporation of English and Spanish lyrics also added a personal touch given her background as a Colombian-American singer-songwriter. 

While I appreciated Uchis’ consistent R&B style throughout the album, this consistency definitely had positive and negative outcomes. 

Starting with the positive, “Red Moon In Venus” is cohesive. There weren’t many choppy moments and the songs flowed with each other. The end of each track set up the beginning of a new song, and Uchis’ consistent musical style made the album feel more like one consecutive piece rather than 15 individual songs. This is the perfect album to do homework to or listen to in the background, but after a while, it got a bit boring. 

Out of the 15 tracks that debuted on “Red Moon In Venus,” Uchis featured artists on three songs. “Fantasy” featuring Don Toliver and “Deserve Me” with Summer Walker are some of my favorite tracks, and I feel like they made up for some of the originality missing throughout the album. They both have compelling themes, personal lyrics and a catchy beat, but the distinction that makes them my favorite is that they both feature the vocals of other R&B artists. I think Uchis is perfectly capable of creating a great song by herself, but I appreciated the contrasting twist an additional artist added. 

All in all, I am and will continue to be a big fan of Kali Uchis’ music. When her first studio album, “Isolation,” was released, I was instantly hooked. Over the past few years, her music has been a foundational part of my playlist, so I had high hopes for “Red Moon In Venus.” Even though Uchis delivered most of what I was looking for, I crave more variety in her music. I think she has amazing potential as an R&B artist, and I am excited to see if she takes new approaches to her music in the future. If you need to build onto your playlist, I recommend giving “Red Moon In Venus” a listen.