The Singles Jukebox

Doomed love, always a favorite…

[Video]
[6.29]

Nortey Dowuona: Joaquin Diaz handled most of the production on nine of 21 songs on Romeo Santos’s “Formula Vol. 3”, so I guess during those sessions a bond was formed, prompting Romeo to write this sweet little ballad for Natti Natasha. Diaz swaddles the track in lilting guitar that slides across the track and enters a lithe, zippy lick that springs forth during the instrumental passage before the final verse and chorus, resolving in a bright finish. Natti’s voice mostly stays in her chest register but spirals toward head voice on certain lines: “porque nada es tan perfecto, solo mi dios/because nothing is so perfect, only my god.” It feels more deeply felt and genuine than the dainty fantasy penned by a dweeb with a higher pitch. (Still very sweet to say “tu amor me tiene endiosada.”)
[9]

Harlan Talib Ockey: The amount of lyrical and musical repetition makes “Quiéreme Menos” feel like it’s going in an endless loop. Natasha’s vocal performance is fine; the song gets the poignancy it needs, but I do miss the power that she shows in the bass-heavy reggaeton of a few other recent singles. The guitar solo is neat, although more nondescript than some of the guitar work in her other bachata efforts.
[5]

Brad Shoup: Natasha is fine here: she sketches a love of terrifying proportion, but vocally, she’s unwilling to shade it to match. But the instrumental break is astounding. A lonesome line (maybe on melodica) lows in the background; after a little guitar figure it’s supplanted—or transformed?—into a cosmic-disco synth meteor trail. I would listen to an entire dubplate based off those 15 seconds.
[6]

Katherine St. Asaph: If Diane Warren made bachata.
[4]

Jonathan Bradley: An agreeable if low-key swoon that wafts lazily without causing much fuss. The gently skanking guitar is a nice touch.
[5]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: With songs in languages that I don’t speak, I often find myself guessing as to the subject matter before looking up the translated lyrics. “Quiéreme Menos” reads as about complex love with no linguistic context, but I was not prepared for how convoluted and desperate of a story Natti Natasha was telling. Look up the lyrics without blushing, I dare you. 
[8]

Alfred Soto: With Romeo Santos collaborator Joaquín Diaz on guitar duties, “Quiéreme Menos” leans on the sweetness of the licks and the huskiness of Natti Natasha. She holds her fire until the final minute when her cadences lose their cool. A ballad whose sap tastes dry.
[7]