Miguel has returned withCAOS,his first album in eight years, via ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Records.
Released on his 40th birthday (Oct. 23), the project (previously titledViscera) is a raw, unrefined collection of songs that probes deep into the process of personal transformation. It doesn’t attempt to be clean-cut or placid. Instead, the album is an intentional mess that brilliantly captures the tumult of deconstructing and reconstructing oneself. Sonically,CAOStranscends genre barriers, allowing Miguel room to experiment with different textures to shape each track’s mood.
“To rebuild, I had to destroy myself. That is the core confrontation of CAOS,” Miguel explained. “Through my personal evolution, I learned that transformation is violent. CAOS is the sonic iteration of me bending that violence into something universally felt.”
Opening with the title track, Miguel flirts with the seduction of ruin, toggling between English and Spanish as he drifts into a reverie where chaos brings comfort. He sings in the first verse: “I think I’m better under pressure [Mejor bajo presión] / I’m inches from a sabotage [Albourde una sabotaje] / No tengo miedo puesto todo [All in I’ll risk it all].”
“The Killing” morphs from psychedelic haze to hypnotic seduction, where a spellbound Miguel is ready to annihilate his partner between the sheets. “Lifeless on my bed, a blissful casualty / I won’t stop until I hear you gasp for me,” he croons.
The previously shared “RIP,” not to be interpreted as “rest in peace,” starts mellow before nightclub synths and driving percussion kick in to intensify the thrill of surrender: “So I get edgy on my empty oscillation / And I’m ready to go / I rip when the weight bears down / Can I surrender to you?”
After calling for love and solidarity in “New Martyrs (Ride 4 U),” Miguel takes another dive into toxicity on “Triggered,” where he admits to finding pleasure in working up his woman. “You’re f*****g beautiful when you explode and love me in your rage,” he sings in a mellow, robotic voice. The sexual tension returns in “Perderme,” where he croons, “I wanna rage through your body / Yeah, I might lose myself in you.”
As the album progresses, the sonics shift from the fast lane to cruise control, which matches the more refined version of Miguel that begins to emerge. “Angel’s Song” is probably the most personal record on the 12-track set. Written and produced by Miguel, the tender ballad is an ode to his son Angelito. (Miguel and his partner Margaret Zhang quietly welcomed their baby last year. He revealed the news in September.)
The mellow “Always Time” bids farewell to the past, inked in gratitude rather than regret. “This may be the most difficult song I’ve ever had to write — for all of the life lessons and experiences that live between each line,” Miguel explained. “I’m grateful for the closure it has given me and know it’s the most honest way to begin this chapter of my artistry and relationship with my audience.”
Miguel closes the album with “Comma/Karma,” featuring funk icon George Clinton, a song thatcelebrates the other side of chaos.
If CAOSwere a film, it would be gripping and disorienting, but still intriguing enough to keep you watching. Here, Miguel doesn’t just recite lines; he goes full-blown method actor to bring you closer to the chaos. It may not be a crowd-pleaser, but it has all the makings of a cult classic. At a time when A.I. is being pushed everywhere, Miguel’s CAOSsucceeds because it understands what it means to be imperfectly human.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Stream Miguel’s new albumCAOSbelow.