Bad Bunny released a brand new album earlier this year that has garnered much critical acclaim.
After a two-year hiatus from releasing albums, Benito returns with ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,’ a tour through his home country.
The phrase, debi tirar mas fotos, translates to “I should have taken more photos” in English. In an interview with Apple Music, Benito said, “It’s more than just a picture. It’s more like about the moment, about the history – I should have asked more questions, I should have expressed my feelings more, I should have known you better. Sometimes people come into your life and you didn’t get to know them well enough.”
Purely making everything in this album from Puerto Rico makes it feel more authentic while also making every song easy to listen to. Benito delivers his most personal pieces of work, spanning just over one hour and seventeen tracks.
Standout Tracks
NUEVAYoL
“NUEVAYoL” is the intro to this fantastic piece of work. Benito starts the album off in New York before taking the listener to Puerto Rico in track 2, “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR.” Benito also flaunts his lifestyle in this fast-paced reggae-pop environment.
BAILE INoLVIDABLE
Undeniably, one of the best and personal favorite songs from this album is track 3, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE.” This starts a change in sound from the previous two’s fast tempos. It also happens to be the longest track, spanning over six minutes. Salsa is one of the most prevalent elements of this song.
LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii
By this point, track 14, the album takes an emotional turn. Benito uses the history of everything that happened to the U.S. state of Hawaii and references the similarities to his home country, Puerto Rico. He pleads for his Puerto Rico not to end up like Hawaii, stripped of everything he loves. Benito sings:
Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa
Quieren el barrio mío y que abuelita se vaya
No, no suelte’ la bandera ni olvide’ el lelolai
Que no quiero que hagan contigo lo que le pasó a Hawái
DtMF
Taking a trip down memory lane, Benito reflects on his life, which he feels has gone by too fast so early on. He spills his regrets for not photographing the moments he misses. Living in the moment was fun, but now they are nothing but memories. It is most likely the most introspective, personal, and emotional song on this album, which also happens to be the most popular, with a beautiful outro and chilling instrumental.
LA MuDANZA
Ending the album with a dedicated intro to his parents, Benito shows off his pride in being from Puerto Rico. Finally picking up the pace with tempo once again, Benito repeats:
De aquí nadie me saca, de aquí yo no me muevo
Dile que esta es mi casa donde nació mi abuelo
Nobody will take away what he loves and what belongs to him. He is proud of what he has achieved and lives to represent Puerto Rico and shine every light possible on it.
Overall Thoughts
Benito certainly does not disappoint and keeps the album flowing. Ranging from salsa instrumentals to fun reggaeton pop elements, he makes the listening experience fun and interesting. No song feels like a filler track or dull moment.
Benito keeps everything close to home and wears his pride on his sleeves. He lets every listener know exactly what Puerto Rico means to him and what it is about. Benito guides the listener through the culture, hardships, and touristic elements that Puerto Rico has to offer.
With the album’s heavy and easy consistency, it is impossible not to let it pass you up. It’s a significantly fun listen that you will find something in. With most sounds on this album being purely real instrumentation, it is pretty fascinating.
‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’ deserves every piece of acclaim earned. It certainly deserves a 10 out of 10 – a contender for album of the year.
