Hi, everyone. I'm 40 now... It's time for a review of this new Mon Laferte record, Femme Fatale.

Mon Laferte is a talented Chilean vocalist and songwriter who I now think is on her ninth full-length album. She has been a figure on the more alternative side of the Latin scene for years now, defining herself by her versatility and eccentric and creative reinventions with each new era in her career. I just became aware of her work through her last full-length LP, 2023's Autopoiética, a project that was a surprising mix of art pop, trip hop, electronic music, too, whatever you want to call alt pop, but obviously with a Latin twist.

And while this album, at least from what I understand, has been one of Laferte's most internationally successful projects so far, also one of her most fringe, she has now, though, decided to do something on this new album that, comparatively, is a lot more traditional. I feel like this direction was made pretty clear from the outset, not just with the album cover, which features a classic car, a shabby but chic makeup and girl group, hairdo combo, which is contrasted by an outfit that looks like what a Cookie Monster pajama ants, girls besties would wear to the 711.

But also on top of that, the beauty pageant sash, as well as the title of the album, is certainly evocative of a bygone era. Then we have teaser tracks from the record like "Esto Es Amor," which featured guest vocals from Conociendo Rusia. The whole thing is this throwback high glam, high romance duet with a dash of soul and some really classy arrangements surrounding it, too. The band and production sound incredible across this record, actually. The vocal performance, the lyricism on this track, are incredibly hot and bothered. I mean, comerte los labios es religión? Then there were other teasers that backed up these classic vibes as well, like "Otra Noche de Llorar," which is a vocal jazz number with some weepy little strings in the background, and these incredible, aggressive vocal peaks that remind me of famous performances like Björk on "It's Oh So Quiet."

The closing track echoes that a little bit as well, but we'll get to that later. With the expectations set, I guess it was just a matter of seeing how well Laferte would essentially commit to the bit on this record, how well it would be executed. However, that's not really a question, though, because if you go through her back catalog, if this woman does anything well and consistently, it is commit to a bit. It is follow through with a vision.

And while I wouldn't say Mon Laferte and her band, her collaborators on this project, with these genres of music, that she's dabbling in here with almost like a contemporary, nostalgic approach like an Amy Winehouse. What I'm trying to say is that even though the spin on these sounds isn't exactly brand new, Mon Laferte's vocal performances across these tracks are so fantastic, are so expressive, are so jaw-dropping at points that honestly, she's doing a great tribute to these, again, vintage shades of jazz and soul and vocal pop. In addition to that, her lyrics are actually quite gritty, I would say, raunchy on certain occasions as well, which adds a refreshing and dark dynamic to the songs and pieces.

But getting into some of these reference points, "Mi Hombre," I would say, brings very big Nancy Sinatra energy to the table. It's alluring, it's dramatic, and there are some subtle touches of autotune here and there on the vocals that aren't necessary or anything like that. They're just there to add a little bit of extra tiny bits of twang here and there, and it's very interesting. Really catches my ear.

This also turns up on certain passages of "Veracruz," whose spacious outro makes it sound like the whole band playing behind Mon Laferte is slowly being sucked into a black hole. We also have "El Gran Señor," which was a highlight for me, a really over-the-top Latin jazz number that is essentially the reason words like "sultry" were invented. But through a passionate and pained performance, the lyrics on this track describe being held in essentially romantic captivity by this big boss criminal bastard who Mon Leferte or her character on the track grows to hate.

Moving further into the album, we have "1:30," which is a spoken word centerpiece on the record. It's an interesting choice, not only because of the way it breaks up the flow of the album, but also it reads as this insane masturbation monologue, or at least that's how it starts, because as we dig further into the track, we have themes diving into abuse as well as broken masculinity and sexuality, generally. Now, it's after the midpoint of this record, a lot of vocal guests begin to roll into town. We have "La Tirana" featuring Nathy Peluso, which is a bit of a combination of salsa and bolero, too.

The vocal chemistry on this track is just absolutely sublime. Hearing both Nathy and Mon Laferte's vocals just soaring above all of this instrumentation in such a loud and intense and passionate way is just mind-blowing. However, this track sits next door to another duet whose dynamic is much sleepier and more unmemorable by comparison. Maybe my least favorite track on the entire LP. Comparatively, "Ocupa Mi Piel" is a much more memorable song even if it is like a star-y slow burner that Mon Laferte flies solo on.

Then on "My One And Only Love," we have vocal performances from a few more of my favorites. We have Silvana Estrada on this track, as well as the great Natalia Lafourcade. And given the names teaming up on this track, I will admit I expected a blowout. However, the song that we're actually getting here is more of a close, intimate ballad with a duop energy, given the vocal harmonies and how just closely layered they are. I do love the song itself. I think those subtle vocal harmonies add so much to the track. They're necessary for the style, I would say. I think this is a great moment right before the big finish of the album, but come on. You've got two of your strongest vocal contemporaries on the same song as you, on your new record, and you're going to do this like, sleepy little lullaby?! It's still a highlight. I cannot deny that, but you knew what you were doing.

The closing track "Vida Normal", I also love quite a bit, really gives the album a massive finish, not just instrumentally, because just the horns, the drums have this Broadway-sized ambition to them. But Mon Laferte also gives one of her best and most intense and strongest vocal performances on the entire record. I would say the lyrics on this track tie things up really nice narratively, too, as the words to this song deal in the mental health struggles and anxieties of an aging mother who's just freaking out over wrinkles that she sees and coming in in her face in the mirror, pills that she has to take in order to keep her shit together. It's just this over-the-top ode to the slow grinding insanity of, I would say, a mundane life taking over your brain. When you thought the normal life that you were seeking would be normal or would be comfortable or comforting in some way, but it turns out it wasn't for whatever reason.

But yeah, in my opinion, great album. Loved listening to it. Another strong addition to the Mon Laferte catalog. There were several tracks that most definitely paled in comparison to the best moments on the album. I will say, if the vocal performances weren't quite as strong and as awe-inspiring as they are a lot of the time, it would be a lot easier to read this record purely as just stale and uninventive.

I think, if anything, given how adventurous the last record from Mon Laferte was, I think more could have been done to experiment or broaden the sounds and songs and aesthetics a bit more, use this as an opportunity to refresh the soul and jazz and classic pop sounds just a bit more. But still, as is Femme Fatale is a really impressive album, which is why I'm feeling a strong eight on it for sure.

Anthony Fantano. Mon Laferte. Forever.