Miguel Jontel Pimentel was born into a musically inclined family. Heavily influenced by his parents’ affinity for R&B and jazz, Miguel began pursuing a career in the music industry at age thirteen. By 15 he signed a production deal with Drop Squad, and by 19 he signed to independent record label Black Ice. In 2010, his debut album “All I Want Is You” was released. Since then he has been nominated for over 30 awards and won five. That being said, Miguel has never been a front-runner. It seems he’s been on the verge of becoming the “next big thing” for the last five years, constantly in the shadow of similar artists such as The Weeknd and Frank Ocean. This put more pressure on the late June release of his third studio album, “Wildheart.”
In contemporary R&B, it has become increasingly difficult to stand out. Far too many artists seem to adhere to a strict formula of a haunting melody, a sexy bridge and downright raunchy lyrics. Thus, top players like the Weeknd stay at the top because their name is already established, but new contenders can’t emerge from the depths because their sound is not cutting-edge. Miguel, however, proved with 2012 album “Kaleidoscope Dream” his ability to create LPs on which each track offers a unique experience. This, unfortunately, was not replicated on “Wildheart.” Nevertheless, there are two factors that set the album apart from others in the same genre: an attempt at above-average lyrical depth and a sex-positive, rather than sex-obsessed, attitude.
The majority of the album is true to Miguel’s classic, sexy style. Take “NWA” (featuring Kurupt), for example, with a chorus of “Little mama, mammy wanna throw me way back / She did it ‘til she OD / She just wanna ride with a, a NWA.” Later, he demonstrates impressively introspective songwriting when he sings “I never feel like I belong / I want to feel like I belong somewhere,” referring to his difficulties self-identifying as a mixed man (Miguel’s mother is African-American and his father is Mexican-American) in his song “What’s Normal Anyway?”
The album opener, “a beautiful exit,” is another stand-out. Instead of crooning from the bedroom, Miguel encourages a positive outlook on life, singing “Believe yourself, trust your intuition / You're here for a reason, you know.” The artistic decision to begin the LP with something so different from Miguel’s usual shows his genuine desire for growth.
Unfortunately, it seems as though this growth only resulted in a few great tracks. Although every song on “Wildheart” was pleasant to listen to, much of it seemed to be aimless background music. Miguel managed to show a reflective side, but packed essentially no other surprises. Nothing is offensive or incredibly different, but it’s still classic Miguel. It's difficult to see how a PBR&B fan would not like this smooth, agreeable album. The lack of risk factor, however, ensures “Wildheart” will not be a standout album by any means. Hopefully, Miguel will eventually push himself further and provide his genre with the diversity it so desperately needs.
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