All right, so if you haven’t listened to Miguel’s new album War & Leisure (which dropped on December 1st), and you’re thinking about it, or you’re not thinking about it at all, I’m just going to tell you why this a must-listen. We haven’t really heard too much from Miguel since he dropped Wildheart in 2015, and so much has happened in the world since then—I mean, look at 2017 alone! For starters, the juxtaposition of war and love that he portrays in every song and the political undertones makes this album relatable to the current events in America.  The music itself is just beautiful: it flows and makes you feel everything from sexy and heartbroken to hopeful and empowered. Obviously we already knew he was super talented but this album shows how he’s been able to spread his reach while keeping true to his style. I mean, could you ever get enough of this voice?! Miguel’s delivery is savagely smooth, electric, and versatile.

I don’t plan on breaking down every song in this review, but I will talk about my album favorites, “City of Angels,” “Criminal,” and “Now.” There is just something about “City of Angels” that really captures my attention. It’s the song that I want the guy who broke my heart to sing, when he realizes he missed out on something amazing.  I personally love “Criminal” because I’m probably a little crazy, and the first line, “Got a mind full of TNT, I need a lunatic just like me” is basically the sum of my personal love life. Regardless of that, this song compares loving someone dangerously to being a criminal.

“Now” is that piece that embodies everything I feel about the current state of affairs in America. There is one line where he says, “We will fall for standing and watching, all this silence. Dear Lord, are we numb? Where we going right now?”  I love this line because it hits such an important note. There is so much going on around us in this country, and no one is truly happy about it but everyone around me seems so silent on the issues that really matter, including myself. In 2017 alone, I have felt so numb and helpless to everything that has gone on, it is crazy. He ends the song with the phrase “We are the look of freedom. We are the sound of freedom.”  Miguel, you couldn’t be more right.  If that line does not get to you, I don’t know what will. Everyone in this country has a voice that they can use in one medium or another. If we don’t speak up for ourselves and those around us, no one will.

Hopefully by now I’ve convinced you to listen to the album at least ten times, but if not ten, I’ll be satisfied if you listen to it twice. At the end of the day this album will bless your soul in ways you didn’t even know your soul needed, but don’t take my word for it, find out for yourself!