J Balvin, “RAYO.”

Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin morphs once again on RAYO, latest collection of dance bangers and melodramatic lyricism.

But unlike his last album, 2021’s kaleidoscopic, vibrant and family-centered Jose, RAYO is dark, sleek and made for the club as it often overpowers reggaeton’s roots with heavy electronic beats.

José Álvaro Osorio Balvín’s music was always meant for moving, but RAYO, which translates to lightning, is a story set at night. It’s like his reply to The Weeknd’s After Hours.

The entryway is “Cosa de Locos” (Crazy Thing), a synth-laden thumper. The skittering beat has a reverb effect to it that creates a feeling of being indoors, with lights dimmed and a party close by. As it ends, there’s a whooshing sensation, as if walking down a hallway, getting closer to something pulling you toward it.

That’s immediately followed by risqué and icy-sounding banger “Polvo de tu Vida,” on which he and Puerto Rican singer Chencho Corleone list off all the ways they plan to seduce someone special—and it’s not by taking out the trash or cleaning out the gutters.

For the album, J Balvin has said his goal was to remind Latin music fans about reggaeton’s roots in Puerto Rico, as he viewed the genre as being over-blended with too many other styles. Working with a plethora of up-and-coming Puerto Rican artists was his answer, and they’re all over this album.

Rapper Luar La L appears on the heavy and menacing “Swat,” spitting bars over synth horns as Balvin sings about mami picante. Over the same skittering reggaeton beat but this time with more melodic, wistful layers, Puerto Rican singer Zion guests on “Lobo.” On album closer “En Alta” (On Top), which Balvin released close to a year ago, there are five guest artists, four of them Puerto Rican.

Singer-songwriter Dei V appears on woozy and sleek mood piece “La Noche,” which best summarizes the tone that J Balvin is shooting for on ROYA—a dark space space lit only by occasional flashes. Night also appears in the title of “3 Noches,” a longing, sensual lament to which you can still dance.

“Three nights without you/ Three nights without your body/ If you flip the switch/ The days seem eternal,” he sings, his voice floating above moody guitar noodling. Another album highlight is the guitar-tinged and rock-flavored “Sólido” (SOLID).

The Colombian recruited some of his countrymen to RAYO as well. Squelchy banger “Doblexxó” has Medellín-born Feid, shooting for the same eerie ’80s vibe that Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein went for on the “Stranger Things” soundtrack. Singer-songwriters Blessd and Ryan Castro guest on “Origami,” one of the most straightforward dance tunes on the album.

Spanish reggaeton and trap star Saiko and singer Bad Gyal (Alba Farelo Solé) respectively appear on “Gaga” and “Gato.” The former goes for the same synth-laden vibes as “Doblexxó,” while the latter interestingly blends a Spanish folk melody into the mix. Solé’s vocals especially complement Balvin’s on the album. If there’s one knock to be said about the album, it’s that it probably could have benefited from a few more female voices.

The biggest change of pace comes on pop tune “Stoker,” with Mexican regional music artist Carin León. The song kicks off as folky guitar-led ballad before the dance beat kicks in. The album overall has lots of features, but none as well-known to American audiences as Balvin’s previous collaborators like Bad Bunny, Rosalía, Beyoncé or Cardi B. Rather than legitimizing his own skills, which’s he’s already accomplished, he’s introducing us to new voices.

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.