“Waves” is an uptempo near-disco sex jam built around frenetic drums. Miguel’s collaboration with Los Angeles rapper Kurupt on “N.W.A.” is dark, subdued, menacing LA funk buoyed by satisfyingly booming drums that knock like nothing else on the album. Still, Miguel pulls Kurupt, a formidable artistic force in his own right, into his musical orbit and it’s telling that the only other guest included is Lenny Kravitz, who, in his own time, made the sounds of the 70s work in contemporary pop. 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. Those influences could overwhelm a lesser artist or pull him into the trap of corny tastefulness that afflicts so many retro soul acts, but Miguel has such a strong voice that he makes them all work in service of his personal vision. Miguel is seeking, sweaty, incense-smelling, intimate, a little too close, always a few nervous, exciting moments from enlightenment or maybe just ecstasy, or as Miguel sings on “Simple Things, “a free spirit with a wild heart.
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