Miguel’s Wildheart

photo via http://okp-cdn.okayplayer.com
Miguel’s third studio album, Wildheart. Released 6/29.

Miguel’s Wildheart is just that; unapologetic, spontaneous, and sensual. His third studio album will be released Monday (6/29) and it has easily perched Miguel on top of the R&B ladder. Miguel’s ear for electronics, vibe-y choruses, and overly sexualized lyrics keep him relevant and always on point. R&B is revitalized through the artistic eyes of Miguel, the visionary. Wildheart is a concept album focusing on West Coast influences as you hear sprinkled on every flawless track.

Several 70’s vibes are filtered throughout this album on several songs; the sultry/dance tune “deal”,  the clap-happy “wave”, and the easy-going “nwa”. There’s no denying, electric guitar and a heavy drum beat guide almost every song into an endless good vibe. Miguel’s voice echoes every guitar strum as smooth as melted butter in cookie batter.

You say Miguel, I say…sexual. The amount of sexual innuendos are pretty much spilling through every song. Wildheart is definitely not an album to play in the van when you pick the kids up from school. “valley” is definitely one of the most explicit songs off the album; “I wanna f*** like we’re filming in the valley” just gives you an idea of what Miguel’s talking about here… A clear homage to the saucy side of California with racy lyrics to fit the cliché bill. Harmonies overlap near the end as Miguel leaves you in a trance-like state of mind. “Flesh” is another sexually charged anthem. Miguel’s falsetto takes shotgun as you ride through heavily sedated verses and low rumbling guitar. “I’m a slave to your flesh, woman put me right where I belong,” he sweetly sings in the 4 and a half minute tune.

Yowza….

The lyrics may be super racy but songs like “what’s normal anyway”, “leaves”, and “face the sun” carry more weight lyrically. “what’s normal anyway” challenges the racial boundaries that we see and hear about everyday. “I look around and I feel alone, I never feel like I belong.” A more emotional side of Miguel. A bit of 80’s synth pops into the song near the end adding more of a melancholy feel. “What’s normal anyway” quickly turns into a proclamation of self love; “don’t let them change you, just be who you are.” Miguel proves he can still write a powerful love song with the gorgeous “face the sun” featuring Lenny Kravitz on the electric guitar. “leaves” serves as another ode to California just like he promised; “sweet California, I should’ve known better, cause the leaves don’t change.” Impeccable vocals and simple lyrics flood this song with strong symbolic meaning. One of Miguel’s finest off the album.

For me, Wildheart is Miguel in his prime. He blows through everyone’s idea of R&B and creates a new age style that you can’t resist. A little bit of rock, funk, R&B, and pop thrown into a blender and you have the masterpiece that is Wildheart.

Cheers, Miguel!

Here’s his latest music video for single, “Coffee”:

-Abbey 🙂

Music Monday’s: Nightmare

Nightmare

Key Item: A graphic t-shrt

Key Materials: Destroyed Denim

Shoe Situation: Classic sneaker, ex. adidas Superstars

Accessory Must: Oversized sunglasses

http://www.billboard.com/

Miley Cyrus’ new leaked song could be giving fans a glimpse into what we can expect from her Bangers follow-up… With Cyrus being so heavily portrayed as a crazy lady in the media, “Nightmare” does nothing to prove that. She goes back to her electronic/pop sounds with a fiery chorus and clap-happy verses; “I woke up in another life, where nothing’s really dangerous, and everything is black and white…” A song with simple lyrics most people can relate to. When Cyrus does decide to release this song, it will surely climb the music charts in no time. I prefer this style of electronic/pop on Miley Cyrus, it suits her well and she knows how to make it work. Bangers was an epic form of artistic expression and I’m positive her next album will live up to the hype.

-Abbey 🙂

Spotlight On: The Weeknd

photo via http://static.idolator.com
photo via http://static.idolator.com

Sultry crooner, The Weeknd recently released two new songs off his upcoming album Chapter |||; “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face”. Both give fans the two things they love most about The Weeknd; that sexy falsetto and a crazy good vibe. I haven’t always been a fan of The Weeknd, some of his earlier songs are a little too racy for my liking, but this new batch of music could be changing my mind. The music is less vulgar (AKA- radio ready) and more in tune with what’s poppin’ in the music scene as of lately.

“The Hills” is a moody/darker tune, touching on a sexual relationship; “I only call you when it’s half-past, five, the only time I’d ever call you mine.” Abel’s voice drags nonchalantly through the verses as the story progresses. The chorus is sinister-like with heavy bass while Abel’s voice takes front and center. His infamous muffled vocals add a haunting element to the song, especially near the end as he sweetly sings “the hills have eyes, the hills have eyes, who are you to judge?”. “The Hills” is a slow-going song, something only certain people could enjoy listening to. Late night cruises with friends is what this is meant for.

On the other hand, “Can’t Feel My Face” is a straight up pop tune. My first thoughts while listening to this song…MICHAEL JACKSON. Abel’s voice on the verses is so so insanely similar to MJ, it’s incredible. His punchy word annunciations add to the immediate dance groove of the song. The backup vocals near the end are something you would hear off a funky greatest hits album. This is pop with a twist of modern R&B, sung by a man who is capable of harnessing so many different energies just with the wavering tone of his voice. There’s no doubt, The Weeknd, is a truly unique artist who spends time creating his music, which is essentially his art.

Safe to say, this next chapter will be glorious to listen to.

-Abbey

Music Monday’s: Escape Route

Escape Route

Key Item: Vivid graphic t-shirt

Key Materials: Leather short

Shoe Situation: A simple sandal or any shoe of your choice

Accessory Must: Bold lense sunnie

Photo via: http://dearryk.com
Photo via: http://dearryk.com

“I got a life out there somewhere its waiting, lined with palm trees and only new faces,” sound straight out of lead singer Hayley Williams’ dream diary. Paramore added this adventurous heavy track to the deluxe version of their self titled album, Paramore. “Escape Route” follows someone as they start on a new adventure; something most people can easily relate to. “I’m moving on, cause I just want to feel for once that I belong,” are the lyrics blurted out of Williams’ mouth as she effortlessly creates her new life plan. “Route” is reminiscient of Paramore’s earlier songs (especially All We Know Is Falling), because of its emphasis on heavy guitar and drums and a fast paced/repetitive chorus. Nothing like a straight up Paramore rock jam to motivate some positive life changes, right?!

-Abbey 🙂

Addicted to…ZEDD

image via: http://img.talkandroid.com
image via: http://img.talkandroid.com

Zedd’s second full-length album titled True Colors could be his most emotional yet. Almost every song features simple lyrics and of course the dance drop we’re all waiting for. Zedd pulls in help from vets like Selena Gomez and newcomers like Echosmith and Troye Sivan. That’s the cool thing about Zedd, he’s always willing to let other people shine on his music, whether they have a million fans or a couple hundred. He cares about the final product and not the popularity status. Zedd has perfected his own style as something I like to call Dalectropop. A fancy mixture of dance, electronic, and pop.

image via: concertfix.com
image via: concertfix.com

Songs like: “Bumble Bee” and “Addicted to a Memory” follow the harder side of dance music, while “Daisy”, “Illusion”, “I Want You To Know”, and “Straight Into the Fire” focus on storybook lyrics, impeccable vocals, and cohesive electro beats. The best thing about this album is the beauty heard in every song. True Colors is exactly what the dance world needed; to slow down a little bit and appreciate the power of dance/electronic music. It doesn’t have to all be “shake your ass and fist pump”, it can tell stories and provoke true emotions.

Zedd recently told Billboard magazine, “I’m just an album artist. There are singles artists and there are album artists. I don’t think i’m the guy to just be able to put out a song and be fully satisfied with that. Because that puts you so much more into a box.” Sounds like the words of a true artist, my friends. True Colors is meant to be consumed and heard as a whole. Every song has its own strength and weight to the albumA lot of people stereotype DJ’s thinking all they do is play on computers when really they are creating sounds and insane hooks that we normal people could never replicate. Back in December of last year, Zedd released a half hour documentary that explains his success with Clarity and gives more of a closer look into his life. Please watch:

Proof that this album is a continuous vat of emotion and beauty is heard on the final two songs titled “Daisy” and “Illusion”. The lyrics in “Daisy” set the scene for “Illusion”. “Daisy, always climbing up the same tree, finding love in all the wrong scenes, Daisy, you got me” are the words sung out of Julia Michaels mouth (also lends her vocals to “Straight Into the Fire”). This song illustrates the struggle of not knowing a good thing when its right in front of you. The innocence in Michaels’ voice helps the songs message of uncertainty and confusion with the concept of true love. Near the end of the song, piano chords start to play as the intro to the closing track “Illusion”.

This song is almost painfully gorgeous as Sydney Sierota, lead singer of Echosmith, sings, “It feels like the fairytale’s over, I really wanted these pages to begin, with once upon a time, like all those lullabies.” This is the song that makes you cry but also has the power to save you. The hook is “This love is your illusion”, which becomes a mantra you end up hearing yourself singing over and over in your head as Zedd takes over and creates an electronic symphony epically matching the vibe of the song. “Illusion” is absolute magic.

gif via giphy.com
gif via giphy.com

-Abbey 🙂