Juanes released the album "Mis Planes son Amarte" sometime in late spring or early summer 2017. It had been just over three years since he released his last album "Loco de Amor" in March 2014. "Mis Planes Son Amarte" is a concept album of twelve tracks that tell a story. Juanes made music videos for each of the songs and when they're viewed in order they tell a story of space and time, of searching for a lost love separated by distance, wilderness, and nearly a century of time. Juanes plays the protagonist, an astronaut who travels to Mars (Marte) and back only to find he has traveled back in time. The story flashes back and forth between when he falls in love in the past and the present day when he searches for the people and places he met then, especially his love. I think most of it takes place in Colombia when he's not in outer space. He travels from the big city to the coast to the rural outskirts and the wilderness. The story starts out a bit confusingly. It doesn't follow the traditional linear pattern and I had to get used to the flashbacks. But as I watched I got more into it, wanting to know where the story went, what happened next. By the end I found it very compelling and moving. All but one of the videos is live action. The last one is a cartoon of Juanes traveling to Mars (Marte). The liner notes consist mostly of cartoon drawings of Juanes traveling through space.
The first song, "Perro Fiel" is slow and rhythmic. The title seems to be figurative though a dog ("Chet's Guy") does appear in the video, a stray who Juanes' character feels prompted to follow. The song seems to be about being torn between leaving a loved one or staying where one does not belong. It's sung by the person who is being left behind. The next song, "Ángel," is a bit faster and louder and more celebratory with a loud drum beat. It's a fervent love song with the refrain, "Quiero ser tu ángel y amarte" that includes part of the album title. The next track "Fuego" sounds more traditional, relying on a guitar rhythm, not fast, but not quiet either. I think it's about desiring something or desiring to be with someone from whom one is separated. It talks about waking up in the morning, as if from a dream, and realizing that something is missing. The desire burns. The next song, "Alguna Vez," features the singer Fonseca. It's quieter, has a snapped rhythm, and is very gentle and tender. I think it's about being contented in love or maybe how one will feel when one is back together. In the video, Juanes picks up Fonseca on the road through the Colombian countryside.
The next song has a decidedly different mood. Its rhythm sounds more desperate. The title, "El Ratico," is reminiscent of one of Juanes' earlier albums, "La Vida es un Ratico" that literally translates to life is short. The second half of the song features Kali Uchis, a young Colombian-American R&B singer who mostly sings in English though occasionally in her native language. She released her first album, "Isolation" in April 2018 and performed at Coachella that year. We watched the webcast of her set that had her performing against a backdrop of palm trees and cordillera under a warm sun. Tyler the Creator cameoed during one of her songs and Kali Uchis later cameoed during Miguel's set. The video of "El Ratico" has Juanes meeting Kali Uchis at a coastal restaurant or bar. She does not play his lost love but seems to channel his love's feelings. She has blond hair in the video and had dark hair about a year later when she performed at Coachella.
The next song, "Hermosa Ingrata," has a similar complaining tone and faster rhythm. Juanes has regressed from love songs to rants. I wonder where this is going. He actually takes the opposite view with the following song "Bendicido." He goes from calling someone ungrateful to feeling blessed and grateful to have them in his life, or to have known them. The song is just as fast but the softer drum rhythm sounds gentler than the guitars of the prior songs. They return for the song "Es Tarde" that sounds like a call to action. Now that he appreciates his love it's time to get to work and track them down despite any obstacles of time and distance. At one point the song sounds like he's rapping. The next song, "Actitud" has a slower drum rhythm and sounds. The song is a declaration of being in control of one's outlook. Juanes urges to keep the positive outlook despite obstacles. It doesn't feature anyone but late in the song in sounds like kids are singing backgrounds.
The next song is the title track "Mis Planes song Amarte" that translates to "my plans are to love you." It's probably the most poignant love song though it has plenty of competition on this album. It's a slow song that starts with a very quiet cymbal rhythm. The title sounds phonetically just like "mis planes son a Marte." Juanes loves to wordplay and this makes sense because he plays and astronaut. The chorus lyric goes, "mis planes son amarte y los tuyos son a la luna." It's like he's saying he plans to love you and he plans to leave for Mars with the same verbal sentence. For part of the song it sounds like he's singing through the astronaut radio. The next song is in a similar vein but in a different language. I believe "Goodbye for Now" is Juanes' first song sung all in English. It has a mild guitar and drum rhythm and is probably one of the kindest farewell songs that I've ever heard. The video is when Juanes as an astronaut spends his last moments with his love from the past. He sings, "Every ending is a new beginning." I think he does a great job singing in English. Maybe he'll do it again for a future song.
The next song, "Esto no Acaba" sounds like one of those complain songs that Juanes is so good at. But it's gentler than others such as "Hermosa Ingrata." I think it reflects the pain and meaninglessness he feels after leaving his love. The video is the one in cartoon when he travels to Mars. It's kind of a sad note to end on, but we have to keep in mind that the story isn't linear and the last track is not the end of the story. The flashbacks make it impossible to follow the story linearly even if you watch the videos in a different order. I enjoyed "Mis Planes Son Amarte" very much because it can be experienced in different ways: as songs on an album, as a collection of music videos, and as a story about love, loss, searching, and the supernatural. I look forward to Juanes' future plans but in the meantime I continue to enjoy his "Planes."
Comments