Are albums still relevant in today’s music? Apparently, yes.

This question has been asked because the format of music keeps changing with the age of digital streaming. Albums, however, remain a popular way for singers to release music, even well into the age of TikTok and streaming services such as Spotify.

With that said, the album “Un Verano Sin Ti” (translated “A Summer Without You”) by Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican rapper, was the number one album for the year 2022. Released on May 6th, the album also won the Favorite Latin Album of the year, and was the first album to reach a staggering 10 billion streams on Spotify.

“Un Verano Sin Ti” runs just over 80 minutes with 23 songs. The album gets off to a solid start with “Moscow Mule.” The song has a medium flow, and Bad Bunny’s voice felt pretty smooth throughout the entire song. It should be noted that this entire album is in Spanish (Though I only understood a fraction of the words, thanks to my bit of time learning Spanish, the song was still nice to listen to).

The second song, “Después de la Playa,” begins moderately fast but then picks up speed in the middle of the song to become a fast-paced song to dance and let loose to. The subsequent song, “Me Porto Bonito”, slows down the speed into an R&B-style song.

As a person who loves bass in a song, I love the fourth song, “Titi Me Pregunto.” The song made me want to learn how to dance and turn the speakers all the way so my windows rattle. Bad Bunny seems to alternate his songs throughout the album from fast-paced DJ picks for a party to songs that you could slow dance to.

“Yo No Soy Celoso”, the sixth song in the album, features a bossa nova type of beat, with a ride cymbal and a steady guitar strumming to keep the beat. Easy on the ears, I think this might be my favorite song in the album. It also closes with a piano, which brings this smooth song to a rich close.

The rest of the songs after this continue the fast-song-slow-song pattern, which would make it great to listen to on a long run. You could run, walk, and then run again with this type of beat.

Another notable song is the thirteenth song “Ensename a Bailar”. Translated as ” teach me to dance,” this song is a beautiful love song. Being a musician, I could also hear that the key of the song was in A-flat, which is one of the most pleasing keys to listen to. Songs that portray majesty and grandioso are in this key. I even added this song to my love playlist (yes I have one of those). I have a hard time picking between this and “Yo No Soy Celoso” as my top picks from this album.

Bad Bunny broke the fast-slow pattern in his album with another slow song, “Ojitos Lindos,” which also has a female lead for the song. It was a great complimentary song for “Ensename a Bailar,” and it sets a romantic mood more than the other songs.

Overall, most songs in this album were enjoyable and memorable. Only one, song sixteen, “El Apagon,” was one that I didn’t particularly care for. Other than that song, I would say that this album is worth a listen.

It was a good experience overall listening to “Un Verano Sin Ti.” If you are looking for a good musical experience in another language, this album delivers.

Paul Tointigh is a third-year Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.