Artist: Miguel
Mixtape: I Got Next
Released on: July 14, 2011
Miguel has been noted to describe his music as “fly, funkadelic, intergalactic-hip-hop-meets-sexy-orgasmic crazy, dope sh*t” and I have to agree that it’s all that and more. This mixtape is everything I’ve been searching for with the releases of 2011! All I want from artists is innovative, spirited, courageous and compelling music and I realize in a world of bandwagon artists who jump on the latest trend, that is setting high expectations, but Miguel served and did not disappoint! It’s really hard to believe he is only 24 years old and like myself, he has such an eclectic taste in music. With his delivery of “I Got Next”, I hear many components of funk, jazz, electronic, soul and pop incorporated into his own music gumbo and I really LOVE it. Miguel is a gifted songwriter and producer and there is no one with his sound. It is authentic and heartfelt and I really FEEL this guy. The majority of the tracks on this album are artistically incredible and if I were him, I would have kept them for my next LP.
The mixtape begins with “Right Now”, this track is straight up riding in your car music, the instrumental was hot and I loved the vocal arrangement and his tone. The song “Like A Knife” is one I found myself repeating over and over and everytime I listened, I had the same reaction. This is a groove that will get your head nodding. “Go” makes me feel that Miguel has the ability to make you like any track with vocals presented like that. “Me Oh Me Oh My” was more of an interlude, but it made me smile. I loved the emphatic jazz phrasings and beautiful harmonies, I just wish there were more bars added. I was feeling “I’ll Still Try”, Miguel is singing about all of the things women would love to hear, especially when we are having “just one of them days”.
On the second half of “I Got Next”, the track “Hard Way” is a funky, hard-hitter, which I loved the musicality of, this is something I could possibly hear from “Gnarls Barkley”. With “The P is Mine”, Miguel is explicit and gritty, over an acoustic guitar, that makes you feel he should be singing about love, but he’s not exactly. With a mind-blowing falsetto and timbre, he makes you ponder if you were in that position would you be as vulnerable to allow him to think it was his, LOL.
Honestly, it was difficult to choose my favorite track off “I Got Next”, but I believe I found it in the “Supernatural” track. I felt this track in my bones, the energy of it, it’s stripped nature, his melismatic inflections and in his amazing head voice register, I completely fell in LOVE with this one. And last, but certainly not least, “Let’s Just Be” was a great follow up track to “Supernatural”, the Ne-Yo penned track was melodically, vocally and lyrically satisfying for me, but what would you expect from a dynamic duo like this. It’s the kind of song you want to hear when you’re in love, definitely another great track.
In conclusion, I do not believe there was a track on this mixtape that I flat out did not like and feel. I felt all of the tracks were organic and well-produced. I’m upset at myself that I’m just now really diving into Miguel’s music, I feel like I should’ve known about this guy years ago! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed “I Got Next”, it is a certified banger and I loved all of the tracks. They were refreshing, yet nostalgic of music I grew up on and I believe he’s going to higher places, I can’t hardly wait to see what he has in the chamber for his next album!
Rating: 4.5 earphones out of 5
