With their first album, British band Eades proves that their previous two EPs weren’t a flukeĪ true representation of its creator simultaneously delicate, fierce, vulnerable and fieryĮades are exploring as much as they’re introducing, and it’s expertly done He toys with LA superficiality (Hollywood Dreams) and its inherent loneliness (What’s Normal Anyway), leaving Wildheart lacking much-needed cohesiveness For the most part, however, it’s a record that struggles to fully hold your attention Wildheart impresses in parts, and Miguel’s vocals are a thing to behold. Now, we just have to wait for him to do something with itĬalifornian R&B singer’s third album includes standard pop-flavoured fare and southern hip-hop numbersĭisposable fluff kills any momentum Miguel’s hedonistic tales could muster Wildheart is the sound of Miguel fully coming into his own identity. The Hollywood corniness of the record is its greatest strength and its greatest downfall Wildheart sees Miguel expanding and refining his sound, and while not every experiment hits its mark, the result is an ambitious and moving album He could have settled into a career in the pop machine, but his mission to create has driven him down an auteur's pathĪ magnificent, swirling epic of longing, love, and lust Miguel's intentions have to be applauded. Wildheart is a beautiful album from one of the most exciting and talented artists in music right now The jury's out on whether Miguel's offerings as a whole are indeed superior to Ocean's, for now he should be content that they share a space at the pinnacle of genre-defining pop music It’s more intoxicating and eccentric than the other blends of shoegazing indie mixed with contemporary R&B Wildheart is not like other hybrid experimental R&B. Wildheart is a filthy, remarkable record of unexpected beauty It’s often brilliant, with moments of melodic flair like ‘Coffee’ rubbing up against the unsettling Prince-in-hell nightmare ‘Flesh’Ī quixotic take on the R&B and rock landscape. The 13 tracks on Wildheart are stunning individually and hypnotic collectivelyĪ beautiful, heady blend of fuzzy guitar, fading falsetto and vivid textures that contributes to a blurry (or smoggy) morning-after zone between mythology and realityĭensely layered and richly rewarding, Wildheart is further evidence that Miguel suits his outsider status It’s much more evocative than Snoop’s recent celebration of LA it may be meaningless but as meaningless experiences go, it’s up thereĪn intoxicating master class in electro-porn R&B While the reduction in lucid hooks and the uptick in wince-inducing lyrics diminish the album's appeal, the charms are hard to repel It’s more potent and idiosyncratic than the attempts by umpteen other artists to graft the smeared dynamics of shoegazing indie on to contemporary R&B Wildheart is his finest and most stubborn statement yet - a provocative, swooning mess
Miguel writes nothing but memorable melodies and his songwriting is the engine that makes Wildheart all work, that takes his affinity for funk, psychedelia and Prince, and turns them an album that feels totally of the moment The album soars with shiny guitar lines and sky-high vocals, which reflect the mythic possibilities of California and his hometown of L.A. It is an album that shows that Miguel isn’t interested in repeating himself and that he’s one of the most exciting and unpredictable singers around It stands as one of the year's standout efforts Sort by ADM rating Sort by most recent reviewĮmboldened by some miraculous mixture of fearlessness and self-doubt, Miguel collapses the idea of the soul singer as preacher, issuing extravagant edicts passed down from some remote higher power