Download has been something of a for-the-R&B-heads-only sleeper star. He
showed up armed with a guitar, an endearing croon that is both virtuosic
and everyman, a coiffed haircut, and a slightly retro sensibility. His
voice is an elastic thing that's rarely used to excessive effect; he
avoids the histrionic R. Kelly worship of so many of his compatriots in
favor of the school of smooth Sam Cooke ad-libs. And though his lyrics
are full of silly puns and earnest platitudes, he takes sex very
seriously: He's a happily-married man in a genre full of lascivious
bachelors, and his best music radiates maturity, self-assured and
confident but rarely showy. But despite his obvious talent, he hasn't
quite been able to break through to a wider audience.
Miguel's 2010 debut album, All I Want Is You,
was flanked with some stellar singles but weighed down by a lack of
identity as he flitted from producer to producer. It sounded like he
couldn't decide whether he wanted to be a Salaam Remi faux-nostalgia
crooner or a smart hip-hop crossover star, and the indecision hung over
the record like a cloud (it didn't perform well commercially either). He
returned earlier this year with a free trio of EPs under the
self-conscious title of Art Dealer Chic, showing
a newfound entrepreneurial sensibility and a streak of independence.
Those mostly self-produced songs at times sounded like rough sketches,
but they made it up for it by sounding personal and liberated from the
demands of the industry. Free and widely available, they earned him some
well-deserved re-examination. They also contained his best songs to
date. And now, with his second full-length, he's delivered on that early
promise.
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