LIDO PIMIENTA 'MISS COLOMBIA' LP

On her sophomore album, Colombian-born, Toronto-based musician Lido Pimienta combines the electronic with the acoustic, the pop with the traditional, and the personal with the political. Her lyrics -- which are sung mostly in Spanish -- range from songs about self-love and loss to songs about Indigenous inequality and racism, and the music mixes cumbia and porro with synth-fueled art pop and what Lido calls "industrial reggaeton." It's a warm, multi-layered, lively album that constantly changes shape but never loses focus. It has songs that rival Lido's radio-pop influences like Cardi B and SZA ("Nada"), as well as songs that faithfully honor Colombian folk music ("Quiero Que Me Salves"), and Lido ties it all together in a way that feels stunningly unique. Few albums in 2020 broke down boundaries this seamlessly and felt this powerful and inspiring in the process.