Through eclectic sounds, falsetto croons and twists on showing affection, Miguel’s sophomore album proves he cannot only conquer the art of soul and R&B, but he can willingly display the urge of wanting someone through his lyrics, inside and outside of the bedroom.
“Kaleidoscope Dream” sat in the third slot on the Billboard charts last week after its Oct. 2 release.The success of his album has led to nearly 70,000 copies being sold during the first week, topping the 2009 release of his first album “All I Want Is You.”
Like the title, “Kaleidoscope Dream” takes you on a trippy route filled with heavy bass guitar riffs and psychedelic synthesizing. At the same time, the album has cleverness mixed with expressed affection that makes R&B special.
“Adorn,” the first single off of the album, is No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Billboard chart for the fifth consecutive week. The track captures an assurance for his love through lines such as “These lips can’t wait to taste your skin/And these eyes can’t wait to see your grin” accompanying his high pitch screams that will remind listeners what a love song should embody.
Like many women who have indulged in his album, Lauren Sangster, a sophomore health care management student from Chicago, said what makes the album so appealing is how it’s different than most music that’s out today.
“It was a refreshing R&B album,” Sangster said. “His vocals were perfect and I loved the R&B and rock sound. What I disliked was that it had only one club banger, which was ‘Adorn.'”
Despite the lack of the usual club sound many are used to from R&B artists, Miguel makes up for it with playful, alluring tracks like “Do You,” “How Many Drinks” and “Use Me.” He makes listeners feel what he’s singing about is more profound, despite the mentioning of drugs, alcohol and sex.
Toward the end of the album, Miguel takes intercourse to a new level.
“Arch and Point,” the seventh track, gets raunchy as he explains his yearning for freaks, fishnet body suits and “a fetish that cannot be faked.”
What follows after, however, is one of the most honest songs on the album. On “P—y is Mine,” the soulful singer chants over a smooth, acoustic guitar his ability to embrace his insecurities, something that isn’t common in the masculine hip-hop world.
Having listened to Miguel’s first album, David Banks, a senior biology pre-med student from Boynton Beach, expressed his respect for Miguel’s style and direction with his music and how he can’t wait to listen to “Kaleidoscope Dream.”
“I’ve read so many great reviews so far,” Banks said. “This album should be great because Miguel brings that old school R&B vibe with his music. And true R&B is hard to find with the pop and techno influence on all genres recently.”
“Kaleidoscope Dream” can be a great listen for people who are looking for a wide variety of sounds with deep meanings.