Let’s slow things down a bit…

[Video][Website]
[5.43]

Juana Giaimo: CNCO is right in singing that people don’t dance to slow reggeaton songs anymore. Reggaeton artists have been trying instead to be edgier, less acoustic, sexier. Instead, “Reggeaton Lento” has a light reggaeton beat and includes some rapped verse, but it also has a warm melody. As a result, CNCO’s innocence sounds fresh — just like bachata’s mellowness a few years ago.
[7]

Tim de Reuse: The aughties boy-band glossiness that smears itself all over the surface of this track gives it an nauseating, medicinal sweetness — and so we have a song asking me to dance that is comprised entirely of elements that make me want to leave the room. I don’t think that’s a success.
[2]

Peter Ryan: CNCO is the most boy-band — everything about Primera Cita and its campaign, from the name (did it really take until this worst-of-all-years for an exec to greenlight “First Date” as a boyband’s debut title?) to shit like this, makes clear that the group and its team know exactly how this game works (I see you, Ricky). “Tan Fácil” and “Quisiera” were the aw-shucks overtures full of cutesy what-ifs; this song is the requisite ever-so-slight deviation — it’s all teenage-boy-posturing-by-way-of-nostalgic-appeals over a buoyant mix of presets and organics that collectively sounds just a little expensive. The assertiveness does feel a bit awkward at this point (see: Joél’s part of the bridge), but their underlying sentimentality hasn’t gone anywhere (see: Zabdiel’s part of the bridge, the fact that they wanna dance to a reggaetón lento, etc.) and for me that’s what keeps it from grating. It also helps that it’s devastatingly catchy.
[7]

Jonathan Bradley: Shares some of the slow romance of Nicky Jam’s “Hasta el Amanacer” (and, intriguingly, a snatch of melody from “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”) but shies  away from anything too adult. That’s not unexpected for this group, but it’s also a touch disappointing.
[5]

Edward Okulicz: Convinced that a previous single of theirs had a magnificent “As Long As You Love Me” boyband classic hidden inside it stifled by its beat, I went into this one with quite high expectations. “Reggaeton Lento” sounds right, not like the beat’s been plonked on because that’s what this group does. I love the richness of the boys’ voices, particularly the harmonised roll of the R on the word “reggaeton” too. There’s a smear of danger in the verses that lends a nice contrast to the smooth chorus too. But there’s so much of that chorus that it feels like a wash.
[5]

Ramzi Awn: Nothing wrong with a solid synth that doesn’t mess around, and CNCO’s vocals are strong. “Reggaeton Lento (Bailemos)” avoids overindulging in its sweetness. 
[7]

Ryo Miyauchi: Each flatter the beat fine for the most part; Richard Camacho rises a tad above the others as he works a little English there. But if they’re all going to work it just about the same, might as well skip to the chorus where they all come together to bring their real A-game.
[5]