Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream – review

It's rare that an artist uses their commercial breakthrough as a springboard to radically change course – but that's exactly what Miguel Pimentel has done following his 2011 US R&B No 1, the irresistibly smooth Sure Thing. Beginning on his free Art Dealer Chic EPs earlier this year and more so again here, Miguel has carved out a headier aesthetic. Faded psychedelia (as on Do You … , with its promises of narcotic trysts) blends into startlingly intimate experiments in Purple Rain-esque rock: at times, it feels as though it's just you and him in a vast stadium. Kaleidoscope Dream is a touch self-conscious in its appeal to indie tropes at times – "Let me put you on this art shit – you know, smart shit," croons Miguel on …All. But this is balanced by genuinely thoughtful songwriting – the elision of sexual nerves and aggression into the same thing on Use Me, the low-key, carpe-diem anthem Where's the Fun in Forever? – and some revelatory vocals. Miguel has pushed himself hard on his second album, and pulled it off.