Another album from Pitchfork’s top list. R’n’B—that is, sweet-voiced funk-soul-hip-hop-like music for languid and glamorous young ladies, often performed by Black artists.
In places, the album’s sound is not quite as boring as R’n’B tends to be by default: there are various pensive spacey synthesizers, and in the album’s title track, “Kaleidoscope dream,” everything shimmers so much that you really do picture a kaleidoscope.
As for the lyrics, there is a curious point: it would seem they should not have an overly criminal or thuggish character, since they are not intended for the guys from the ghetto. But the performer, who has the same name as my sister’s cat, could not resist throwing in various moderately provocative words and themes. In one song he asks, “Do you love drugs,” obviously meaning not substances but his love. In another, he constantly uses the word “Pussy,” referring to the well-known primary female sex characteristic; the word is admittedly fairly mild, but even the song itself is called “Pussy is mine.” Miguel requires Aesopian language only to the extent necessary to avoid being considered outright crude, like the criminal types commonly found in hip-hop.
In the song “Use Me,” the lyrical hero openly offers to let himself be used; at least he does not mention whips or a strict mistress.
Still, girls surely forgive such a tender pretty boy his liberties and, on the contrary, enthusiastically embrace the thoroughly sexual subject matter, especially since it is seasoned with a generous helping of banal sentimentality, which is presumably meant to elicit the usual tearful, dreamy response from the female sex.
Men probably have no reason to listen to the album more than once, while girls may enjoy it.
Download Miguel - Kaleidoscope DreamKaleidoscope Dream.
6/10