Album Review: JOSE by J Balvin

After years at the top of the Latin music world, J Balvin has become a globally recognised name, collaborating with the likes of Beyoncé, Cardi B and Pharrell and even releasing his own signature Jordan sneaker last year. However, within la industria, it appeared his Puerto Rican protégé Bad Bunny had surpassed him in terms of sales with his own deeply personal, musically experimental projects. With the release of Balvin's fifth solo album, JOSE, he is on a mission to humbly recapture his seat on the throne -- and undeniably succeeds. Over the years, Balvin had developed a successful formula of blending international trends with his trademark reggaetón sound and encapsulating club hits and ballads into a neat conceptual package.

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J Balvin's decade-long run of success has broken the glass ceiling for latin pop, establishing a global footprint in the process. Yet he's also rapidly evolved and diversified his sound - recently appearing on Skepta's 'Nirvana', while also contributing to the Metallica Blacklist project. 'Jose' finds a way to balance these impulses, accepting new ideas while leaning in on his heritage.

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