Miguel, Wildheart | Album Review 💿

Miguel shines on his 3rd studio album, Wildheart, thanks to his eclectic brand of R&B and a heaping dose of sex.

“Just let my love, just let my love adorn you / And you gotta know, you gotta know / You know that I adore you.” Miguel had one hell of a year in 2012 with the release of his sophomore album, Kaleidoscope Dream.  The aforementioned lyrics hail from the biggest song of his career, “Adorn,” which earned him a Grammy for Best R&B song.  Back in 2015 with his third studio album, Wildheart, he shines once more thanks to his eclectic brand of R&B (contemporary and alternative, with dashes of rock and pop) as well as a heaping dose of SEX.  Safe to say, Miguel is horny to the nth degree. [Note: This is a revised version of a review originally written in 2015 when Wildheart was released.] 

“A Beautiful Exit”

“Speeding through all of these red lights, fast life / Dreaming of a beautiful exit / We’re gonna die young.” Sigh, Wildheart commences superbly with ✓ “A Beautiful Exit,” a record that exhibits pop sensibility led by its guitars. On “A Beautiful Exit,” Miguel starkly contrasts “Adorn,” showcasing his artistic versatility. The chorus, excerpted above, is the centerpiece.

“Love me, love me for profit, I can make you go down / I can show you the money if you wanna go out.” Follow-up ✓ “DEAL features an infectious groove that instantly latches. Alt-R&B at its best, Miguel goes against the grain, coming through once more with a simple, yet scintillating chorus:

“Want money? Got clout
Need bitches, need bitches
Give it, babe.”

“I’m your pimp, I’m your pope, I’m your poster baby / Confess your sins to me while you masturbate… this is hard babe, play your part baby / Then we all get paid.” ✓ “The Valley” represents one those moments where Miguel is horny to the nth degree.  Essentially, he’s the director of this ‘pornographic film’, arguably, the filthiest, freakiest song on WILDHEART and quite possibly, his discography. Case in point:

“I wanna fuck like we’re filming in the valley
I wanna push and shove and paint your hills and valley
I got a red idea to expedite the ride
Put it over, pull ‘em to the side…”

One legitimate debate regarding “The Valley” – is it sexual overkill or actually sexy? – “That is the question!”

“Coffee”

While “Valley” arguably overdoses sexually, ✓ “Coffee” is risqué employing a metaphorical approach.  Over the course of the song, Miguel progresses the narrative of the relationship both emotionally and physically. “Coffee” isn’t merely carnal, but certainly arrives at a sexual place.  The innuendo is poetic, particularly moments like, “Wordplay, turns into gunplay / And gunplay turns into pillow talk / And pillow talk turns into sweet dreams / Sweet dreams turns into coffee in the morning.” The reference to “coffee in the morning” suggests a night of play and perhaps, morning sex.  The best line comes care of the blasphemous “Old souls we found a new religion / Now I’m swimming in that sin, that’s baptism…” “Coffee” lacks the innocence of a morning cup of Joe but ends up being incredibly rewarding.

“She just wanna have fun / She just want a wild nigga right now / She just wanna fuck crazy / She just wanna fuck ‘till she can’t move no more.” The hits from Wildheart continue with ✓ “NWA” (Nigga with an attitude) featuring Kurupt. As the title suggests, the song possesses a sick groove and a badass, feisty attitude. Miguel delivers falsetto that is on-point, while Kurupt slaughters with his bars.

“Waves”

“Don’t stop, I wanna ride that wave / All night, I wanna ride that wave / Look here, I’m gonna surf in it baby / I’m getting turnt in it baby / Putting work in it baby / Keep working it while I ride that wave.” It’s pretty clear what Miguel is ‘surfing’ in on “Waves” is intimate and private. Beyond sex, there’s plenty of other takeaways from this standout, including nuanced, soulful vocals, with distortion adding even more character.  Furthermore, he’s amplified by backing vocals, and pays ode to the soul of old to a certain extent.  The bridge is among the crème de la crème moments:

“Yeah, get wild baby, so hot, goddamn, I need a towel baby
If I could wipe you down right now baby
If I could ride that wave right now, say…”

“Too proper for the black kids, too black for the Mexicans / Too square to be a hood nigga, what’s normal anyway?” On ✓ “What’s Normal Anyway,” Miguel is honest AF, as he finds himself in somewhere in the middle or arguably, ‘out of place’ in a number of life scenarios and situations.  What’s stands out about this record is the authenticity, not to mention the break from ‘getting it on’ that dominates “Wildheart.”

“Hollywood Dreams”

“Said wow, up fame, became your religion woman / Unique as you are your faith is coming / Now the walk of shame woman, its reputation / Cheap thrills, fake friends, coke binge, what a numb sensation.” Miguel delivers a pessimistic view of Hollywood on “Hollywood Dreams,” which arrives from the perspective of a female protagonist.  The woman that he sings about is wide-eyed for fame and fortune (“Sweet Hollywood sign, you’re my salvation”), but has fallen into bad habits including drugs (“Cokey scenes full of pipe dreams / Palm trees and a numb sensation”). As expected, there’s also sexual innuendo:

“And we could be better than heroes baby, alright
We could fly higher than spaceships baby, all night long
Girl, you’re looking at the magic man
I can make it happen, alright
Lost Hollywood dreams.”

On “…Goingtohell,” Miguel asserts, “Don’t care, I’m in love / I’m going to hell with you” and ultimately states, “Only you can save me I’m a sinner.” Fair enough.

Although he’s willing to damn himself in flames on “…Goingtohell,” ✓ “FLESH” is the more compelling number, influenced by the likes of Prince and D’Angelo. On the chorus, he asserts, “I’m a slave to your flesh / Woman put me right where I belong.” As the title suggests, “FLESH” ranks among the elites when it comes to the sensuality factor, particular when Miguel titillates with that nasty falsetto.

“Leaves”

“Heart caught in a rift, cold pacific waters / Keep on pulling me under, drowning in my sorrows…” “Leaves” shows just how beautiful Miguel sounds vocally, characterized by cracks, grit, and bite.  Pacing is a pro, as “Leaves” continues to build up until the end reaching a fever pitch.  The standard edition of Wildheart concludes with “Face the Sun” featuring Lenny Kravitz.  Miguel sounds powerful, enthusiastic, and maybe most surprising, chivalrous: “Cause when it’s time to face the sun / I know that you’re the only one.”

The deluxe version of Wildheart adds four songs: “gfg” (“Good Fucking Girl”), “destinado a morir,” “Simple Things,” and “Damned” where he asserts, “I’m damned for loving you.” 

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, revisiting Wildheart, I still feel that Miguel delivered a solid R&B, particularly in 2015 which had a shortage of strong urban contemporary efforts. The biggest rub is also one of the artist’s strengths – overindulgence in sex.  Yeah, it gets too freaky, but all of the things that Miguel typically does well he executes superbly here.

✓ Gems: “A Beautiful Exit,” “Deal,” “The Valley,” “Coffee,” “NWA,” “What’s Normal Anyway” & “FLESH”

Miguel • Wildheart • RCA • Release Date: 6.29.15

Photo Credit: RCA