Posted by 
A few months ago, the great R&B explorer Miguel finally released his long-promised opus Caos, his first full-length in eight years. The album didn’t set the world on fire, but maybe that’s because the world is already on fire. That, more or less, is the subject matter of “Angel’s Song,” the track that Miguel performed on Thursday’s edition of Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show. It’s a song about loving and wanting to protect your child even though you know that this kid’s generation will inherit a thoroughly fucked environment.
Miguel is an absolute pro, and he makes that abundantly clear every time he performs. He might style himself as a troubled auteur, but he knows exactly how to grab an audience. On Fallon, Miguel reminded you that he’s the kind of guy who can get an audience to applaud when he stands up mid-song. The lighting was a big part of the performance — slowly revealing the string section behind Miguel, letting loose with judicious strobes at the climax. But this is mostly a one-man show, and it’s a good one. I don’t think this is anywhere near Miguel’s best work, but when he hits a big note and falls to his knees, I believe.
[embedded content]
In other Miguel news, he recently did a long interview with Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. During that conversation, Miguel told a thoroughly befuddled Sharpe how much he loves the post-hardcore band Show Me The Body, and then he went on to explain his roots in San Pedro, the Minutemen, the skate scene there, and the influence that punk rock has on his own music. Sharpe had no idea what he was talking about. You might think that a former Baltimore Raven would’ve at least heard of Turnstile, but no.
Caos is out now on ByStorm/RCA. Miguel will be happy to hear that the next SMTB album is coming soon, according to Kenneth Blume’s Instagram.