Miguel

This is what R&B should sound like.

On “Kaleidoscope Dream,” R&B/funk newcomer Miguel picks up where Prince left off in the early 1990s, and does what many of us wish Prince were doing today.

His voice is different than anyone else’s in the R&B scene right now, with both a smooth, full falsetto and a powerful full-voiced belt.

It’s refreshing to hear this in a world of thin-voiced Chris Browns and Trey Songzes.
Often with nothing but echoing guitar, bass, 808, synths and voice, the songs come together just so, with no one element overshadowing the other.

“Dream” recycles a few tracks from Miguel’s “Art Dealer Chic” mixtapes, but with changes that earn another listen.

The standouts of the album are his simplest tracks. The bassline on the title track slithers into your brain, and the tight harmonies on “The Thrill” are actually thrilling.

Though the Alicia Keys-assisted “Where’s the Fun in Forever” is a close runner-up, the best song is “Candles in the Sun.”

Different from the mixtape versions, it has become a slow-burner, simple and ambitious. “Heroes often get shot,” he sings in a heartbreaking tone.

Miguel’s debut is promising, grade-A R&B.

By Kelly Fritz