The Singles Jukebox

Reggae times Reggaetón equals… Reggae^2-tón?

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[5.33]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: My first pleasant surprise about “Dura” is the reggae cadence and the I-vi-IV-V chords; it’s always cute and comforting when reggaetón recognizes its Jamaican heritage, or at least, the legacy of early Panamanian dembow (it was originally billed as reggae en español, after all). The other one, even bigger, is the fact that Daddy Yankee is starting to take serious cues from his genre’s new guard, most importantly Ozuna and Nicky Jam, when it comes to the overall sound and flow of his performance. He’s the King, and “Despacito” reassured his global dominance, but he’s not sleeping on his laurels. It seems like tenemos Cangri pa’ rato. 
[6]

Thomas Inskeep: I know it sounds odd, but this is basically equal parts reggae and reggaetón, and that’s not a redundancy. Catchy as hell and destined to soundtrack the next year’s worth of Zumba classes, it’s a grower, though I wish it didn’t sound kinda dated.
[6]

Alfred Soto: Now, see, this is the reggaetón I remember blasting from cars on hot summer nights in Miami, circa 2002. “Mamacita” was the leitmotif then too, and no matter how affectionate the singer’s intentions it came off like the panting of a guy who’ll never get any.
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Iain Mew: “Dura” hits every party record button available, which is one way of standing out from the reggaetón crowd. It just doesn’t stop hitting them, and the hyperactive approach means touches like the percussion with the title go from playful to played out before the record is done.
[5]

Stephen Eisermann: This song is a blast. More-reggae-than-normal reggaetón has always felt best on Daddy Yankee and in “Dura” it works so well that I’m willing to look past the “you’re hot, I want you” lyrics. Besides, this will inevitably be played at quinceñeras and bodas for years to come, so I might as well embrace it now rather than after four too many tequila shots.
[7]

Juana Giaimo: While the reggaetón scene is changing, Daddy Yankee insists on his old style. There is no influence from trap here, instead a bouncy repetitive chorus with too loud vocals objectifying women — but I guess that hasn’t changed in the rest of the reggaetón scene either.
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