The Weekly Coos

I’ve always readily fallen into pits where these new emerging artists speak loudly through their music while making a name that establishes themselves as more than just a musical act; they’re creators. With RaiNao, she quickly jumped into my ears and never left. With this burgeoning growth of Urbano music in the mainstream over the past decade, and because of the genre’s evergrowing populace, it’s easy to get lost in hyperbolic notions by publications that seem to prefer clickbait to not. That isn’t to discredit RaiNao, as her future is strong, and she will make more impactful releases. It’s easy to get confused by the hyperbole that comes with over-sensationalization of one’s pedigree and growth in the industry/genre, especially when their name isn’t as synonymous as many superstars of one name, like Madonna. Fortunately, you can look past hyperbole like “RaiNao Is on Her Way to Superstardom. What Better Time Than Now?” which was written by Rolling Stone. It’s bold to make such proclamations, but one thing is for sure: RaiNao is fantastic, and the music she delivers mirrors it, even if she plays it safe in some corners, and like the title, I hope it rings true.

RaiNao is, if nothing, comfortable in her skin and expresses that graciously and righteously as she maneuvers through these different songs that embody what the title of the album title speaks to. CAPICÚ is a play on a Carribean game, meaning a win-win move, and here it’s a scenario that resonates potently as the music strays from conventionalism and focuses more on being more in tune with what she makes. Here, you get these beautifully painted canvases of genre blends, which can feel unconventional but less so when you’ve grasped reggaeton and Urbano music’s evolution, and she’s part of that. What’s great is that she makes it known from the beginning with the phenomenally astute as the song incorporates elements of hyper pop and dubstep woven to give us this lovely reflexive track (“naval point”) that showcases fantastic vocals. It’s one fantastic equilibrium that remains intact, but as the album goes through these motions, its central fuse can flounder if only for trying to do a bit much. As you start to love these productions, some of the choices shine on how it does too much, despite finding these songs individually great. 

These songs, in particular, are “logout,” “paltrío,” and “Gualero REFF12.31,” which take pivots from this myriad of tracks trying to do new things. The former two, though not entirely conventional, take away from what comes before and after as they do little to move the needle as it borders a slight homogenization of sounds and more so flow in the rhythm without offering much to reflect on, especially when you have the phenomenal “roadhead” following it. It’s triumphant in being so direct with what it wants to say and embracing her body and sexual fortitude, making what she says more empowering, especially when you grasp at what is lyrically the norm for reggaeton tracks that do such. It benefits from a sizzling smooth beat from Tainy, who knows how to work around an artist’s strength or build them in so they benefit potently, especially honing in on atmosphere and hypnosis, as it’s finding itself bolstering the dance floors it will embody. With the last track, it’s one of my favorites off the album, but it’s a wide left as a tango song. In a sense, I feel its implementation does wonders to showcase RaiNao’s naturalistic vocals. 

Though these moments are a far cry from being drab or poor, they flounder the album’s flow as it takes a step back to go down to earth instead of continuing what is working well and can, in turn, become disappointments. Fortunately, there are significant highlights to reflect on that bolster CAPICÚ to being one solid debut. One is a cheeky moment that may fly by to some, considering the album is in the Spanish-language and not by RaiNao. “Bajo candau” is a song performed by Latin R&B artist Gyanma, who delivers this nuanced response to some of the emotions and thoughts delivered by RaiNao—in blending his vocal cadences with a more organic reggaeton beat, it shows why those I mentioned earlier aren’t as potent. It’s the same with others, like “Trentetiene,” with its subtle scratches and contrasting drums (between the loud club and tropical), “Haito” and its infused rock & roll and trap core, or “readysista” and its house influence (something ever prominent in the genre today). It’s an album that tries to keep it interesting from beginning to end, especially with a dynamic one-two punch to close the album in “f*ck$” and “track4,” the latter of which could get confused as a drum-n-bass beat, and the former is this radiant pop-trap track that hits all the right notes.

When you put it all together, you can see why one would write a headline like the Rolling Stone one because the path is there. It’s a shame that sometimes they add weight towards expectations, like how the weight has gotten imparted on Ice Spice, and now, the idea of her debut flopping is circulating. Unlike the Ice Spice trepidation, RaiNao has that pathway to become more than what gets presented here, and I’m all for it! I heavily recommend her debut because of its refreshing nature in pop and Latin music; I know I haven’t been able to press pause on the songs I loved since that first listen, and I hope that same sentiment reaches you as well. RaiNao is headed for greatness, and these are just the first steps.