Miguel’s New Album Shied Away From ‘Horny R&B’ Because Of The Current Political Climate

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Miguel’s just-released War & Leisure is one of the R&B star’s strongest albums to date, but it differs in one significant way from the rest of his discography: Its focus is much less on sexual themes. In a recent profile by NY Mag, he says that this shift wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision, but was a sort of reaction to the current political and cultural climate, in which issues of sexual harassment and assault are sensitive subjects:

“It was just a desire to be mindful. I don’t think my music is going to change the world. It’s more me trying to be aware of who I am in this moment and how my values are changing. […] I don’t think there was ever a time in history where people weren’t having sex, but talking about it that much right now may not feel as relevant.”

It certainly feels like there’s truth behind this: While songs on his previous releases have had titles like “Quickie,” “Flesh,” and “Pussy Is Mine,” there isn’t anything that overtly sexual in the War & Leisure tracklist. That’s not to say that his music isn’t still sexy — “Come Through And Chill” comes to mind as an example of a sultry track from the new album — but rather, that his music is perhaps more appropriate given the current state of the world.

Read our review of War & Leisure here.

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