We first became acquainted with Kali Uchis (née Karly-Marina Loaiza) via her brief but momentous turn on Gorillaz' seminal Humanz album and have been ready for a full-length ever since. Isolation is chock full of slickly-produced pop greatness, draped in Daptone-grade warmth and backed with diverse instrumentation courtesy of Thundercat, BadBadNotGood, TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek, Om'Mas Keith (I knew I smelled some of that Sa-Ra cosmic dust), The Internet's Steve Lacy, Tame Impala's Kevin Parker and more, with none of the above ever usurping Kali's mesmerizing voice as the star of the show. Highlights include: "Coming Home," "Killer," "Miami," tender reggaeton waltz "Nuestro Planeta" bubblegum acid joint "Dead To Me" and "After The Storm" featuring Bootsy Collins and Tyler The Creator. The first of many great records we can expect from this woman for sure. Indie exclusive blue vinyl edition, recommended.

• blue colored vinyl
• indie exclusive
• full color printed insert
• limited edition
• music label: Virgin 2018

reviewed by cico buff 11/2018