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Prince Royce Ascends the Throne

by Rhapsody

Here at Rhapsody we've eagerly tracked what below we dub "The Latin-R&B Connection," wherein young, mega-talented, absurdly amorous Spanish-speaking lotharios freely mix bachata, hip-hop, funk, soul, schmaltz and whatever else they're digging into a stew of sweet sentimentality and boudoir salaciousness. Bachata kings Aventura (and more recently, their solo-stardom-seeking lead singer, Romeo Santos) struck first blood here, but this week we welcome another key player: New York City's own Prince Royce, whose sophomore full-length, Phase II, flits effortlessly between countries, genres, and phases of seduction. Below, we take a deep dive into the record, dig into that beloved Latin-R&B continuum, shake Aventura's family tree, and so much more. Enjoy.

Phase II

Prince Royce

Future historians may look back at this as the moment when bachata and R&B finally succumbed to the rhythms of their own satiny-slow dance and fully, blissfully merged. Here, Phase II draws us close into plaintively crooned, breathlessly intimate bachata ("Eres Tú"); there ("Addicted"), it dips us into sunny, morning-after soul; and just about everywhere, it spins us into a world where the line between them doesn't quite exist (see "Las Cosas Pequeñas"). Royce is a perfect matchmaker: He sings like Usher, woos like Bruno Mars and works the sultriest bachata shuffle this side of Santo Domingo.