Miguel’s fourth studio album “War & Leisure” was released on Dec. 1, 2017.
Photo courtesy of RCA Records
With its contemporary, soulful R&B sound, Miguel’s fourth studio album “War & Leisure” illustrates the type of artist Miguel truly is. Within the album, the Grammy Award-winning singer gets gritty, sexy and loving all at once, while never over doing himself or the album. “War & Leisure” is melodic and metaphoric, yet simple to absorb.
The album starts out with “Criminal” featuring Rick Ross, in which Miguel talks about his choosy mentality when it comes to being with a woman. He just wants someone he can trust, and questions whether the person he has on his mind is the right person for him. In the song he refers to his love as dangerous, like a criminal.
The clear hit of the album has been “Sky Walker” featuring Travis Scott. The single was released several months prior to the album’s release and has done well with various plays on the radio. In the song Miguel says, “I’m Luke Skywalkin’ on these haters.” Miguel is a huge Star Wars geek and he told Genius he is planning on going to the next Star Wars convention in full costume.
“City of Angels” is one of those songs that might fly under the radar when people talk about this album, but the song is a true gem. The California native talks about a fictional attack on his hometown of Los Angeles. He said they won the war, but the city was destroyed along with his girl. Miguel is disappointed in himself because when the city was destroyed, he was somewhere else with another woman.
The half Mexican-American singer shows his Hispanic side in “Caramelo Duro” featuring Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis. The title translates to “Hard Candy” in English. The song is full of Spanish vibes and dance rhythm. It is the first song Miguel has predominately sung in Spanish.
The best song on the album might be “Come Thru and Chill” featuring J. Cole. The duo has collaborated before on a couple of very successful hits such as “All I Want is You” and “Power Trip.” The song carries that classic melodic Miguel sound with two socially impactful verses from Cole. It’s a must listen to song.
From beginning to end, this is an album that is simple to listen to. Whether he is singing about love in a melodic, funky manner like in “Told You So” or is feeling blessed by a woman in “Anointed,” Miguel proves once again he is a staple in the R&B genre. Although he may be overlooked sometimes, the man has rarely disappointed in any of his albums. “War & Leisure” may not be his best album, but it is undeniably another impressive addition to his discography.
