''Kaleidoscope Dream'' is the second studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Miguel. It was released on September 25, 2012, by Black Ice Records, ByStorm Entertainment, and

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. After the commercial breakthrough of his debut album '' All I Want Is You'' (2010), Miguel pursued a greater creative role on ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' as its principal writer and producer. He recorded most of the album at Platinum Sound Studios in New York City and MJP Studios in Los Angeles, working alongside producer-musicians

Oak Felder Warren "Oak" Felder (born November 9, 1980)Dale KawashimaSongwriter Universe, September 7, 2017. is a Turkish-born American songwriter and record producer based in Atlanta and Los Angeles. He is known for his work as part of the production duo Po ...

Jerry Duplessis Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (born 9 August 1975) is a Haitian music producer, film score composer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. His first major success was as a producer for the Fugees' 1996 album '' The Score''. He also played the bass guitar w ...

, and

Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...

, among others. With the album, Miguel wanted to explore the roots of R&B beyond the genre's contemporary trends and began playing guitar as a compositional source for his songs. With his studio personnel, he incorporated dense bass lines, buzzing synthesizers, and hazy, reverbed sounds into a musical style that draws on pop, funk,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

, and psychedelic genres. Miguel titled ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' as both a metaphor for life and the creative freedom possible in dreams, while wanting to reflect his lifestyle and personality in the songs, which deal mostly with sex, romance, and existential ideas. In marketing ''Kaleidoscope Dream'', Miguel previewed the songs virally through a series of free EPs. The album was promoted further with three singles, including his biggest hit yet " Adorn", and his touring in North America and Europe from 2012 to 2013. ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 71,000 copies, eventually selling 535,000 copies total by 2015. One of 2012's most critically successful releases, it was viewed by reviewers as an innovative and appealing R&B album, receiving praise for Miguel's singing and songwriting.

Background

Miguel released his debut album '' All I Want Is You'' in November 2010 after it had been shelved by Jive Records for two years, It sold poorly at first and was underpromoted by Jive, amid the label's dissolution. As its singles received radio airplay and Miguel toured in its promotion, the album became a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little prom ...

and helped him grow an audience and commercial exposure, along with his fervent concert performances. After Jive was shut down and absorbed by

, Miguel met a new marketing team to help present him as more than a typical

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban conte ...

artist, having felt pressure into being marketed as one by Jive. He said that the experience of balancing creativity and business sense on his first album made him more confident in his approach to ''Kaleidoscope Dream''. Miguel sought to rebrand himself artistically with the second album. Inspired by his more alternative musical influences, he wanted to change the sound and expectations of R&B songs on urban radio. The album's title, according to Miguel, is "a metaphor for our life; everyone has their own ''Kaleidoscope Dream'', it is the life that they project and it is the life that they are solidifying with their conscious decision and their subconscious feelings." Miguel also said that the album represents how fantasies are conveyed through dreams, which he felt embody "the purest form of fantasy we unleash through our subconscious ... the truest freedom we can experience. Totally unrepressed and totally creative."

Writing and recording

Alicia Keys @ Tokyo Summer Sonic 2008 01

Miguel worked on ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' for approximately three months. He sought to play a larger creative role than he had on ''All I Want Is You'', with more involvement in the production and songwriting, writing or co-writing every song on the album. The album's writing also marked the beginning of Miguel's use of guitar as an instrument through which to compose songs. ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' was recorded at Platinum Sound Studios in New York City and MJP Studios in Los Angeles; the songs "Arch & Point" and "Gravity" were recorded at Gustavo's Golden Gloves Gymnasium in Los Angeles. Miguel spent almost two years in New York City, which he felt let him explore "the edgy side" of his life and consequently made his sonic approach grittier, saying in an interview for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'': "I'm not the 'go to the club and pop bottles' kind of guy. That's not my lifestyle. I really like to party, but it's ... just darker. I'm looking for the

speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States ...

on the Lower East Side that has a secret door and a password." Miguel recorded " Adorn" in 2011 in the bedroom of his Los Angeles apartment, which he used as a makeshift studio at the time. Parts of the album were edited by Miguel and his

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the ...

using

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture ( sound design, audio post-produ ...

. Miguel wanted the album to be "a pure and honest projection of my lifestyle and my kaleidoscope dream", and used the music's pace and sound to represent his lifestyle and the lyrics to represent his personality. To sustain his creative approach, Miguel avoided media outlets that he usually visited for music, including radio and Internet blogs. He drew on musical influences from early in his life, including

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

, country rock and funk. An orchestra was enlisted and string arrangements incorporated in the music, along with a

drum loop In music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections can be repeated to create ostinato patterns. Longer sections can also be repeated: for example, a player might loop what they play on an entire verse of a song in order to ...

, to the album's title track, which he felt aurally defined the moods of his personality. Miguel also worked with previous collaborators

and Happy Perez, among other producers. Singer-songwriter

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

co-wrote and sang background vocals on the song "Where's the Fun in Forever"; singer-songwriter

Elle Varner Gabrielle Serene Varner (born February 12, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Born into a musical family in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Los Angeles, Varner studied at New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music. In ...

co-wrote "Use Me"; and Brook D'Leau of

J*Davey J*Davey is an American music duo from Los Angeles, California. The group consists of vocalist Jack Davey and keyboardist/ producer Brook D'Leau, Apart from sexual themes, Miguel wrote about conversational and existential topics. When writing "Pussy Is Mine", he drew on his sexual behavior as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

man and "moments of power and vulnerability" with a sexually promiscuous woman. Miguel originally co-wrote "Where's the Fun in Forever" with Alicia Keys in Jamaica, a collaboration for her project. Miguel deemed the notion of the song "such a personal thought and perspective", and felt very attached to it when the song was completed. Keys ultimately did not use the collaboration for her project, which Miguel was happy about, explaining to ''SoulCulture'' that "

eys Eys (; li, Ees ) is a village in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem, Limburg, the Netherlands. The town is located 3 km. from Gulpen and 17 km. from provincial capital Maastricht. Furthermore, it is characterised by its location in th ...

was gracious enough to let us keep it and it's one of my favourite songs on the album". He wrote the album's title track in reaction to Jive's request for more conventional urban songs, with unusual lyrics that lacked a

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

, chorus, or

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data ...

Music and lyrics

According to ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''s Holly Rubenstein, ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' is "widely considered a leading example" of alternative R&B; Miguel himself described it as " avant soul". In the opinion of

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's Frannie Kelley, the record combined R&B, pop, funk,

and

genres. Its music features sparse production, eccentric details, thick basslines, buzzing synthesizers, and hazy, reverbed sounds.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's Andy Kellman found the album "funkier and weirder" than ''All I Want Is You'' and observed an "illusory atmosphere ... intensified by some unexpected touches".

Maura Johnston Maura K. Johnston (born May 28, 1975) is a writer, editor and music critic. A member of Boston College's journalism faculty, she has written for ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Boston Globe'', ''Pitchfork'', ''The Awl'', ''The New York Times'', ''Spin' ...

said much of it "sounds, as the title might suggest, fractal." As an R&B album, ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

''s Evan Rytlewski said, ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' deviated from genre conventions by minimizing the influence of hip hop;

Jim DeRogatis James Peter DeRogatis (born September 2, 1964) is an American music critic and co-host of '' Sound Opinions''. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as ''Rolling Stone'', '' Spin'', '' Guitar World'' and ''Modern Drummer'', and for ...

believed it notably draws "on elements of great psychedelic rock and pop to color

he album's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

soul and R&B". Austin Trunick of '' Under the Radar'' compared the album's "often-hypersexual subject matter" and "unusual production" to

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

, while Rytlewski said Miguel evokes the musician's "pop instincts" and "loud,

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stat ...

guitars". Alex Macpherson of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' perceived a "headier aesthetic" than on ''All I Want Is You'', with "faded psychedelia" and "intimate experiments in '' Purple Rain''-esque rock". Writing about the record for

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that ...

, Gretta Cohn claimed Miguel was "redefining what contemporary R&B can be". Mark Edward Nero of

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

considered the album "eclectic, artsy R&B-pop". Miguel said he "definitely think it's an R&B record, though other people may not ... istenersare so conditioned to expect certain things out of current R&B, and it's about following a formula. But R&B was once live music, it was psychedelic, it was rock, it was funk, and all these genres stem from soul music ... There would be no hip-hop or rock without R&B. It was important for me to be true to what R&B is, and that is soulful." The album's lyrics generally deal with themes of adult love, meaningful sex, and romance. Andrew Ryce from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' interprets its "overarching theme" to be "the highly sexualized seen through the lens of the eager and innocent." Miguel's lyrics express modesty, yearning, vulnerability, and cheeky humor, with Kelley likening his songwriting to

Tony! Toni! Toné! Tony! Toni! Toné! was an American soul/ R&B band from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq ...

while also observing "

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

-level insinuations" and "absurd provocations in the style of Akinyele". DeRogatis views that Miguel avoids braggadocio and is "man enough to admit his own insecurities and question whether he's worthy of love—or lustful indulgence." The album explores the anxiety and momentary nature of sex and clubbing. ''

Consequence Consequence may refer to: * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior * Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...

''s Jeremy D. Larson views that Miguel employs a "fangs-out approach to R&B" similar to

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

and

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...

, writing that "nothing shrouds Miguel and his directives, and worries, and prayers, and cat calls – it's all there, full of light and love, refracting through a kaleidoscope of rocks glasses, rainy windshields, and blood-shot eyes." NPR's Frannie Kelley said the album is "made up of love songs, but they are more specifically songs arguing for love, acting casual, wishing and hoping and then imagining what it would be like to consummate ... It's soul-baring, but mirrored and fairly guarded." "Adorn" has both digital and analog sensibilities, with lyrics featuring brazen declarations of affection, and promises of adoration to a female subject. "Don't Look Back" features amplified bass, bombastic drums, and metallic synths. Rob Markman of

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

writes that the song "represents the morning after when the reality of the previous night's efforts creep in." Its closing

interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...

has Miguel crooning lyrics from

The Zombies The Zombies are an English rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two fu ...

' 1969 song "

Time of the Season "Time of the Season" is a song by the British rock band the Zombies, featured on their 1968 album ''Odessey and Oracle''. It was written by keyboard player Rod Argent and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 1967. Over a year after its origin ...

" over sentimental synths and musky, psychedelic music. "Use Me" features hollow, electronic sounds, heavily multitracked vocals, metronomic rhythms, and an

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

ized mix of guitar and percussion. Its lyrics blur expressions of sexual nerves with gentle dominance, as the narrator instructs his lover how she can toy with him. An atmospheric

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

song, " Do You..." portrays a narcotic tryst and mixes amiable come-ons with drug imagery. The psychedelic title track incorporates synthesizer

arpeggio A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...

minor chord In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on C, called a C minor triad, has pit ...

s, oscillating blips, fuzzy guitar, and a bassline

interpolation In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has a n ...

Labi Siffre Claudius Afolabi Siffre (born 25 June 1945) is a British singer, songwriter and poet. Siffre released six albums between 1970 and 1975, and four between 1988 and 1998. His best known compositions include " It Must Be Love" which reached number 1 ...

's 1975 song "I Got The". The sample's

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

is played at a different tempo than other instruments on the song. The song's lyrics feature synesthetic imagery ("I taste you, infinite colors"), and a boast by the narrator about kissing his subject's

third eye The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is a mystical invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. In Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra. In ...

. "The Thrill" has a sparse bass groove, layered keyboards, and existential lyrics with YOLO imagery. " How Many Drinks?" has sardonic, swaggering lyrics and a rap verse by Miguel, who veers between seducer and user. "Where's the Fun in Forever" features atmospheric drums and bass, an a cappella

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, and rolling dynamics with

measures Measure may refer to: * Measurement, the assignment of a number to a characteristic of an object or event Law * Ballot measure, proposed legislation in the United States * Church of England Measure, legislation of the Church of England * Measu ...

that advance an

argument An argument is a statement or group of statements called premises intended to determine the degree of truth or acceptability of another statement called conclusion. Arguments can be studied from three main perspectives: the logical, the dialectic ...

. The song celebrates youthful bliss and preaches a

carpe diem is a Latin aphorism, usually translated "seize the day", taken from book 1 of the Roman poet Horace's work ''Odes'' (23 BC). Translation is the second-person singular present active imperative of '' carpō'' "pick or pluck" used by Horace t ...

philosophy. It transitions into the rock song "Arch & Point", which has sexually charged ballet metaphors and bare

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

elements. "Pussy Is Mine" features a high

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

by Miguel, a rudimentary

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

played on electric guitar, and a stripped,

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

quality. The song is about sexual jealousy and an ignoble man's plea for exclusivity in a

casual relationship Casual dating or a casual relationship is a physical and emotional relationship between two people who may have casual sex or a near- sexual relationship without necessarily demanding or expecting the additional commitments of a more formal rom ...

. Its sexually explicit, bawdy lyrics eschew masculine hip hop tropes for feelings of insecurity. The song is bookended by background studio chatter. "Candles in the Sun" is a slow burning, political soul song. It touches on senseless killings, drug-infested communities, and questions the

existence of God The existence of God (or more generally, the existence of deities) is a subject of debate in theology, philosophy of religion and popular culture. A wide variety of arguments for and against the existence of God or deities can be categorized ...

and the motives of governments. Chris Kelly of ''

Fact A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...

'' writes that, along with "Adorn", "Candles in the Sun" "bookend the album with another tribute to Marvin Gaye, a la ' What's Going On?'

Marketing and sales

After pitching the strategy to RCA, Miguel first marketed ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' virally with a three-volume series of EPs entitled ''Art Dealer Chic'', which were released as free

downloads In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...

during February to April 2012 and previewed songs from the album. He released two more EPs—''Kaleidoscope Dream: Water Preview'' on July 31 and ''Air Preview'' on September 11— to digital retailers. In an interview for ''The Village Voice'', Miguel said that the strategy allowed listeners to absorb the songs at his desired pace and called it "a great way for me to reconnect with my peers ... the people that I hang out with—that go to the same shows, listen to the same music, read the same blogs, same magazines." "Adorn" was released as ''Kaleidoscope Dream''s

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

on August 7, becoming a sleeper hit on urban radio. It was Miguel's second number-one single on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, and his highest charting single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 17. By September, the single had sold 190,000 copies. According to NPR's

Audie Cornish Audie N. Cornish (born October 9, 1979) is an American journalist and a former co-host of NPR's ''All Things Considered''. She was previously the host of ''Profile'' by Buzzfeed News, a web-only interview show that lasted one season, as well as ' ...

, Miguel "broke through to a national audience in 2012" with both "Adorn" and ''Kaleidoscope Dream''. The second single "Do You..." was released on September 18, and reached number 32 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's third and final single, "How Many Drinks?", was released on March 3, 2013. ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' was first released in

vinyl LP The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

format on September 25, 2012, in an effort by RCA to make the deadline for the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

' eligibility period without charting prematurely on lower sales. The following week, it debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 71,000 copies in the US. It was Miguel's first album to be released in the United Kingdom, where it spent 15 weeks on the country's

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

, peaking at number 13. By February 20, 2013, the record had charted for 20 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold 321,000 copies, according to

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

. By June 2015, the album had sold 535,000 copies in the US. It was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) in November 2017. In further support of ''Kaleidoscope Dream'', Miguel embarked on a short promotional tour in the US on September 26, 2012. He also promoted the record with television performances on ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'', ''

The Wendy Williams Show ''The Wendy Williams Show'' (often shortened to ''Wendy'') is an American syndicated talk show created and hosted by Wendy Williams, and produced by Wendy Williams Productions, along with Perler Productions. The show is distributed by Debmar-Me ...

'', ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'', and ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

''. He subsequently toured in support of the album for six months throughout North America and Europe, including concert dates as a supporting act on

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, ''Trey Day'', ...

' Chapter V World Tour during November 2012 to February 2013, a headlining tour in the UK and Ireland during January 2013, and an opening slot on Alicia Keys'

Set the World on Fire Tour The Set the World on Fire Tour was the fifth concert tour by American recording artist Alicia Keys in support of her fifth studio album, '' Girl on Fire'' (2012). The tour ranked 22nd on Pollstar's annual "Top 100 Worldwide Tours – Year End". I ...

in March and April. While on tour, Miguel did not choreograph his shows but routinely rehearsed in a dance studio and practiced singing in front of a mirror. In concert, he performed dramatic leaps, staggers, and other moves fashioned after Little Richard and

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. He started ripping his shirt off during performances after being inspired by Songz' concerts.

Critical reception

''Kaleidoscope Dream'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 86, based on 20 reviews. Aggregator

AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...

gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Andy Kellman hailed it as "2012's most pleasurable pop-R&B album". In the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'',

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

said Miguel "creates a fluid, dreamscape environment that floats across eras with a connoisseur's discerning feel for the telling detail." Macpherson wrote in ''The Guardian'' of Miguel's occasional "appeal to

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

tropes" balanced by "genuinely thoughtful songwriting", while admiring his use of a commercial breakthrough "as a springboard to radically change course". Sean McCarthy from ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' wrote that, along with Frank Ocean's ''

Channel Orange ''Channel Orange'' (stylized as ''channel ORANGE'') is the debut studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Frank Ocean. It was released on July 10, 2012, by Def Jam Recordings. After releasing his mixtape '' Nostalgia, Ultra'' the previous ...

'', it showed R&B as the innovative genre in mainstream music during 2012, while ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' critic Randall Roberts said it "offers further evidence of a genre being reborn in 2012." ''Pitchfork''s Andrew Ryce hailed Miguel as "the rare vocalist who makes you ''feel'' what he's singing about, even when his lyrics can be transparent." Alfred Soto of ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

'' appreciated Miguel's ability to "articulate how a love man can be louche without being a douche." Ken Capobianco from ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' was more critical, finding some of the songs overworked and Miguel "too remote for a true soul singer". ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' critic

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...

said ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' sounds inconsistent and "a little washed-out, a blend of Prince-isms and slurry grooves", while Kellman complained of the lyrics occasionally veering "too close to 'artsy' teenage erotic poetry". At the end of 2012, ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' appeared on several critics' lists of the year's best records.

Ann Powers Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and pop music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also served as pop critic at ''The ...

named it the best album of 2012. It was also ranked number 26 by

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

, number eleven by ''The Guardian'', number 10 by the ''Chicago Tribune'', number eight by ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

'', number six by the ''Los Angeles Times'', number five by AllMusic,

Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...

, and ''Spin'', number four by ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', number three by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'', and ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'', and number one by

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

. Metacritic named it the 12th best-reviewed album of 2012. The album was voted the fifth best album of 2012 in the

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

, an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by ''The Village Voice''. ''Kaleidoscope Dream'' was nominated for the 2013

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for

Best Urban Contemporary Album The Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality works on albums in the urban contemporary subgenre within the R&B field. Honors in several categories are presented at t ...

, while "Adorn" was nominated for

Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

and Song of the Year, winning in the

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

category. In 2014, ''Pitchfork'' ranked the album at number 59 in their list of "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)".

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer * "Don't Look Back" contains a portion of "

", written by

Rod Argent Rodney Terence Argent (born 14 June 1945) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Argent came to prominence in the mid 1960s as the keyboardist, founder and leader of the ...

and performed by

. * "Kaleidoscope Dream" contains a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

from "I Got The... ", written and performed by

. * "How Many Drinks?" contains a sample from the

O'Donel Levy O'Donel "Butch" Levy (September 20, 1945 – March 14, 2016) was a Rhythm and blues, rhythm & blues, funk and jazz guitarist from Baltimore, Maryland. He was brother of session drummer Stafford Levy. Levy studied music at the Peabody Institute at ...

instrumental cover of "

We've Only Just Begun "We've Only Just Begun" is a single by the Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols (music) and Paul Williams (lyrics). It was ranked at No. 414 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Song information The so ...

", written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams and originally performed by

The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct ...

Personnel

Information is taken from the album credits. * Arden "Keyz" Altino – producer * Wayne Barrow – executive producer * Tanisha Broadwater – production coordination * Tyler Bunting – engineer * Darius Campo – violin * Roberto Cani – violin * Rich Costey – mixing * Tom Coyne – mastering * Tim Davies – string arrangements * Dru DeCaro – guitar * Brian Dembrow – viola * Gleyder "Gee" Disla – engineer * Brook D'Leau – keyboards * Bruce Dukov – violin * Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis – producer * Steve Erdody – celli * Eun-Mee Anh – violin *

– producer * Fisticuffs – musician, producer * Erwin Gorostiza – creative director * Jessica E. Guideri – violin * Tamara Hatwan – violin * Paula Hochhalter – celli * Eric Isip – assistant engineer * Chris Kasych – Pro Tools * Ronald Kelly – drums *

– background vocals * Phillip Levy – violin * Kim Lumpkin – production coordination * Shawn Mann – viola * Manny Marroquin – mixing * Donnie Meadows – production coordination * Michel Michelakis – drum programming * Miguel – art direction, background vocals, creative director, design, drums, engineer, executive producer, primary artist,

, producer * Victoria Miskolczy – viola * Alyssa Park – violin * Sarah Parkins – violin * Happy Perez – producer * Paul Pesco – guitar * Phatboiz – producer * Mark Pitts – executive producer * Christian Plata – mixing * Lance Powell – engineer, Pro Tools *

– bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, producer * Rafael Rishik – violin * Timothy Saccenti – photography * George Kim Scholes – celli *

Jayme David Silverstein Jayme is a unisex given name and a surname which may refer to: Given name: * Jayme Alaric de Perpignan, ambassador from Pope Clement IV and James I of Aragon to the Mongol ruler Abaqa Khan in 1267 * Jayme de Almeida (born 1953), Brazilian football ...

– bass * Lisa M. Sutton – violin * Sarah Thornblade – violin * Sergio "Sergical" Tsai – engineer * Cecelia Tsan – celli * Jo Ann Turovsky – harp * Courtney Walker – art direction, design * David F. Walther – viola *

Pop Wansel Andrew "Pop" Wansel (born April 27, 1988) is an American record producer, musician and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the son of Philadelphia soul musician Dexter Wansel, Pop grew up in the music industry and began writing and pr ...

– producer * Brian Warfield – Pro Tools

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2012 albums Albums produced by Happy Perez Albums produced by Salaam Remi Miguel (singer) albums RCA Records albums Albums produced by Jerry Duplessis Albums produced by Oak Felder

Background

Writing and recording

Music and lyrics

Marketing and sales

Critical reception

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

References

Further reading

External links