42

For Panama’s Carlos Isaías Morales Williams, known to the world as superstar reggaetonero Sech, music has proved not just a passion, but a relentless graft. “Llegó un día, bueno uno de los dias mas tristes de mi vida… me robaron los ahorros, la bocina, todos sinceramente” the musician recollects in his 42 Documentary, as actors reenact the heartbreaking burglary of his childhood home in Río Abajo. Yet nothing could prove an impediment to his passion for the craft: untampered by every setback, Sech’s early struggles in Panama City only deepened his desire to make his voice heard. These early years were documented extensively in a series of journals Williams wrote throughout his teens -- and when one of these notebooks resurfaced in 2020, it proved the inspiration for his third studio album, 42. Imbued with a titular tribute to Jackie Robinson and Mariano Rivera, 42 mines Sech’s adolescent stories for a wealth of emotions, verging from the easy party-call of “Sal y Perrea” to the push-and-pull romance of “¿Qué Somos?”. Those that come directly from the heart often ring the truest; barebones emotion and a potent interpolation drives “Feliz de Mentira” to golden, stretching heights, while “Playa” sits in stark contrast with limply-executed similes and a platitudinous chorus. The duo of “Mi Ex” and “911,” originally conceived as a single song, offer superb night-and-day takes on one of Sech’s former lovers: “Mi Ex” inherits the twinkle of “Me Olvidé” for its downbeat shuffle, while the empowering stride of “911” has already placed it among the vocalist’s ever-growing pantheon of hits. Although most of 42 adopts the vocalist's trademark breeziness, the call of the dancefloor is never too far away. At the top of the pile is “Pata’ Abajo,” a skilful negotiation between the thumping classics of collaborators Wisin & Yandel and the genre’s modern formats. While some muddy mixing fumbles some of the project’s later floor-fillers, all is soon forgotten in the light of the long-awaited “Wao,” which lives up to its social media hype with all-star production and a cycling set of infectious verses. Though far from new territory for the Panamanian MC, Sech’s latest full-length is yet another testament to his potent song writing talents; informed slyly by stories of the past, 42 proves a compellingly breezy set that marks another strong entry in the vocalist’s catalogue.
© David Crone /TiVo