Music Review: Miguel Kaleidoscope, Dream

Miguel has released his latest album “Kaleidoscope Dream” featuring the hit single “Adorn.” I will say that I had to listen to this album numerous times to get into it. On first listen I was not into it at all. This is not a typical R&B album. You have to actually pay attention to the lyrics to understand the song and its meaning.

 1. “Adorn”  – Love, love, love this song. It’s why I bought the album. I would say that this song would go down as a classic. I haven’t heard anyone say anything  negative about this song. It’s catchy, it’s real and it put Miguel back in everyones ears.

2. “Don’t Look Back” – At first listen I didn’t like this song. I didn’t like the slow tempo or the beat. While after a few listens it’s still not may favorite, I do like the chorus but once that’s over I go back to not liking the song. He did show off his  great vocal skills in this song.

3. “Use Me” – I actually like this one. It’s pretty fast tempo. If I’m not mistaken I liked this one on first listen. This is one of the songs that forced me to give the album another chance. The bass guitar in the beat makes for a great instrumental addition to the song.

4. “Do You ” – This is song has a reggae, carribean feel to it. The beat makes me think I should be on an island somewhere. The lyrics go along with the reggae concept if you listen closely. It’s not a bad song, just not my favorite.

5. “Kaleidoscope Dream ” – This is the title of the album. I would have expected more from this song. I just don’t like it.

6. “The Thrill” – Here’s another one I actually I enjoy listening to. The beat is crazy. I would love to hear this one performed with a live band.  After the last song I needed something to bring me back and this song did it for me.

7. “How Many Drinks” – Miguel keeps me listening with this one. It’s catchy. It has an up-tempo beat that keeps my head bopping. I’m sure guys asked this question when going out and approaching a female. Miguel shows off his vocal skills with his falsetto. I’m a fan of a man with a good falsetto. This song also features an unknown rap artist and he adds the hip-hop to the song for a perfect balance.

8. “Where’s the Fun in Forever” – I don’t care how many times I listen to this song, I just don’t like it. I won’t force myself to do so. This is the one song I’m guaranteed to skip over. The beats, the lyrics, the meaning; none of those things do it for me with this song. The album could have really done with out this.

9. “Arch & Point” – This is my favorite song on the album. It has the bass guitar in the background that I absolutely love. It has the signature clap also that always seems to catch people’s attention. This song goes hard. It’s suggestive, it’s sexy and I love it.

10. “Pussy is Mine” – This song has a cool concept. It’s performed as if Miguel didn’t know he was recording. It’s simple. All you hear in the beat is the guitar and Miguel displaying his vocals. The “less is more” concept worked perfect for this song. With such an explicit title, Miguel didn’t have to over-do this song. Perfect composition.

11.  “Candles in the Sun” – When this song first starts it made me want to just skip to the next song but the more I listened the more I wanted to keep listening. This is a story-teller about real life situations, hard times and struggles. It takes the listener away from the other songs on the album and shows something different. It’s truthful. I like it.

12. “Adorn feat. Wiz Khalifa [Remix]” – I love the original so much that I was reluctant to listen to this song because I think some songs just shouldn’t be remixed. Besides the addition of Wiz, the song is the same. I’ll stick to listening to the original.

           3 out of 5 Owls