Anyone who knows me personally probably knows or has an idea of how I feel about Miguel’s music. Miguel has been one of my favorite artists for a long time; I pretty much have been a massive fan ever since I first started listening to him back in high school. Although I am a lover of so many types of music, I always fall back to R&B music as a main love for me. When Miguel burst onto the scene in the late 2000s and early 2010s, he stood out for his approach to the genre and his unmistakable vocals. If I can say I have one gripe with Miguel, it is that he just has not released enough music for my liking. In an era where most of his peers are super prolific, Miguel has always taken a lot of time in between releases. He also does not do a ton of interviews or press, which has led to not as much hype being around his albums as is probably deserved. Since his debut in 2010, Miguel has dropped five albums, but he was much more prolific at the beginning of his career; three of those albums came out between 2010-2015. His fourth record, War & Leisure, came out in 2017. War & Leisure is one of my all-time favorite albums. I would not be able to say enough about how much I love it, and I still listen to it on vinyl once in a while to this day. Since War & Leisure came out, Miguel has faded into the background a bit. He has dropped some singles over the years and has done some features, but he has been pretty quiet until this point. A couple of months ago, Miguel finally released a new album, titled CAOS. Below, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite tracks from CAOS, then give some of my overall thoughts to close things out. Please let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from CAOS, as well as how you feel about it as a whole!

CAOS

Not only was ‘Caos’ the last single released in anticipation of this record, but it is also the record’s opening track and title track. This is one of the most off-kilter and unique-sounding songs on the project as well; Miguel definitely gets things going on an extraordinary note with this track. The instrumental for ‘Caos’ is all over the place. The song is mainly driven by a vocal sample with a pretty creepy tone to it. This sample is complemented by a Desperado-esque piano riff and supplemented by some synths. The beat on this track switches up multiple times. Towards the beginning, it has a Disco-Pop tempo; as the song progresses, it switches to more of a merengue tempo. Miguel’s vocals on ‘Caos’ are just as all over the place as the instrumental. At some points, he sings and shows off his range; at others, he raps with a very relaxed tone. On ‘Caos,’ Miguel sings about using a relationship to fight through and forget his problems.

THE KILLING

‘The Killing,’ which is the second song on the record, certainly has a very different feeling than the opener. In fact, sonically, this song makes me think of another song of the same name by an artist whose career has been running about the same exact time as Miguel’s. Of course, I am talking about The Weeknd. Not only does this remind me of that particular track because of the name, but this song also makes me think of old music by The Weeknd as well. ‘The Killing’ is a melancholy and looming R&B Trap track. The melody for this song is huge and foreboding. It is initially driven by what almost sounds like a metal guitar riff, which is complemented by blaring synths and sound effects. The beat for this track is very slow yet punchy, and it goes so well with the instrumental. This is another one where Miguel sings and raps. His rapping calms down the track, while the high pitch he sings with gives it emotion. On ‘The Killing,’ Miguel uses terms revolving crime to describe how he is going to have sex with his woman. 

NEW MARTYRS(RIDE 4 U)

‘New Martyrs(Ride 4 U)’ was the first single released in anticipation of this album. As big a Miguel fan as I am, you can probably imagine how excited I was when this one came out. ‘New Martyrs(Ride 4 U)’ is not a song where Miguel really goes outside of anything that would be very expected of him. To be frank, I would say that this sounds like a very typical Miguel fan. But as a big fan of his older music, this worked for me. ‘New Martyrs(Ride 4 U)’ is a track with an Old School Rock R&B fusion of a sound that. The guitar riff that drives this one is so warm and so groovy. The way the synths complement it makes the song feel so all-encompassing. Miguel sings with a low and husky tone that really adds to the balmy and full feeling of the track. This is not his most rangey vocal performance, but it fits the sound of the instrumental so nicely. On ‘New Martyrs(Ride 4 U),’ Miguel sings about how he will do anything to defend the love of his woman. 

TRIGGERED

‘Triggered’ is definitely the harshest and most gritty song on the record to this point. Actually, it is probably the most bold sounding song on the whole record. ‘Triggered’ is the shortest song here at 1:59. It has such an interesting and immersive sound, though, that it feels a lot longer. ‘Triggered’ is a two-part song. Most of the instrumental has a quirky, futuristic Synth Pop sound. This part of the song sounds very sinister and glitchy. It is driven by a very negative guitar riff that is complemented by weird synths and sound effects. Overall, it makes the song sound very dystopian. There is a section of the song in the middle, however, that has an ultramodern Reggae feeling. This switch-up in tempo definitely makes the song feel lighter and reels in the weirdness of the track. The vocals for ‘Triggered’ feel just as strange as the instrumental. Miguel sings and raps with some pretty strange tones that really lean into the cold dark feeling of this track. On ‘Triggered,’ Miguel sings about how infatuated he is with his new lover. 

COMMA/KARMA (FEAT. GEORGE CLINTON)

The first four songs I picked for this list were four of the first five. The last song I picked, ‘Comma/Karma,’ is the final song of the record. I really think that Miguel potentially saved the best for last with this one. Like ‘New Martyrs(Ride 4 U),’ this one does not really stand out for being forward-thinking or fresh. Instead, its sound leans into exactly what Miguel has been so good at in the past. Now, the feature this track has, George Clinton, can probably tell you what the instrumental for this one is like. ‘Comma/Karma’ is driven by a super groovy guitar riff. There is a sweet vocal riff that provides the main idea for the melody, but that guitar riff, which is complemented by some synths, provides the basis for this one. The beat for ‘Comma/Karma’ is very glitchy. The tempo of the track is definitely classic Rock, but the glitchy sound effects modernize the track. ‘Comma/Karma’ has a very typical sort of Miguel vocal performance. I wouldn’t say this is among the top vocal performances of the record, but Miguel’s soothing style and range make this song welcoming. On ‘Comma/Karma,’ Miguel sings about wanting to party the night away with his sneaky flame. 

As I alluded to in the introduction, due to my great appreciation for Miguel, I have been waiting for a new album by him for quite a long time. Like I said, my biggest gripe with Miguel was his lack of releases, especially in recent years. Now, I try not to go into albums with super high expectations, because I feel like that is not fair to the artist. I like to let albums run their course without major judgment, as this is the most objective way to approach music. I would be lying, though, if my intrusive expectations did not leak forward as far as this new Miguel record goes. CAOS is certainly not an album that reinvents the wheel in any way. In fact, I would say it kind of does the opposite of this. It does not really push any boundaries, or push boundaries from what Miguel is known for(or of what he knows himself). Sonically, I would say this album reminds me a lot of his last record, War & Leisure. For the most part, CAOS sticks to the warm and fuzzy guitar-driven R&B music that Miguel has excelled at so often in his career. There are a couple of moments where Miguel does incorporate some Ultramodern Pop music as well as some R&B Trap. These tracks do shake things up as far as the continuity of the album goes, and they do add a bit of freshness. Vocally, Miguel shows he still has the sauce on this record. In fact, I would say his range, inflection, and his flows are as crisp as ever. If you are a fan of Miguel’s vocal style, this album has so much to love. I would not say Miguel demonstrates deep or thoughtful lyrics on CAOS, but the way he tells the stories throughout the record is clean. Overall, CAOS just feels very good for what it is. CAOS is a very good album, and an example of why Miguel has excelled for so long. Maybe I am biased, but I enjoy the hell out of this record. If you are a Miguel enjoyer in general or just like smooth R&B music, CAOS should be more than adequate.