Kaleidoscope Dream

Miguel released his debut album All I Want Is You in November 2010 after it had been shelved by Jive Records for two years,{{cite news|last=Rytlewski |first=Evan |date=October 9, 2012 |url=https://www.avclub.com/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-1798174517 |title=Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream |journal=The A.V. Club |location=Chicago |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030073133/http://www.avclub.com/articles/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream,86389/ |archive-date=October 30, 2012 |url-status=live }} It sold poorly at first and was underpromoted by Jive, amid the label's dissolution.{{cite web|last=McCarthy |first=Sean |date=October 19, 2012 |url=https://www.popmatters.com/164313-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-2495806674.html |title=Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream |work=PopMatters |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021220923/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/164313-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream/ |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |url-status=live }} As its singles received radio airplay and Miguel toured in its promotion,{{cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |date=September 21, 2012 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/474985/miguels-kaleidoscope-dream-inside-the-rb-dynamos-fresh-start |title=Miguel's 'Kaleidoscope Dream': Inside The R&B Dynamo's Fresh Start |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240526082428/https://www.webcitation.org/6BhO2d9mt?url=http://m.billboard.com/v/News/MiguelsKaleidoscopeD/%3Fp=0&KSID=a50205cabdfcfa59f882e28e7e34e7ae&ints_viewed=1 |archive-date=May 26, 2024 |url-status=live }} the album became a sleeper hit and helped him grow an audience and commercial exposure,{{cite web|last=Graham |first=Nadine |date=March 24, 2011 |url=http://soultrain.com/2011/03/24/qa-miguel/ |title=Q&A: Miguel |publisher=Soul Train |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928161427/http://soultrain.com/2011/03/24/qa-miguel/ |archive-date=September 28, 2013 |url-status=live }} along with his fervent concert performances.{{cite news|last=Kennedy |first=Gerrick D. |date=November 11, 2012 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-rb-renaissance-miguel-20121111,0,3483680.story |title=Miguel helps lead the charge for an edgier kind of R&B artist |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111200541/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-rb-renaissance-miguel-20121111,0,3483680.story |archive-date=November 11, 2012 |url-status=live }} After Jive was shut down and absorbed by RCA Records, Miguel met a new marketing team to help present him as more than a typical urban contemporary 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.{{cite news|last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot |date=November 21, 2012 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/chi-miguel-interview-rb-star-miguel-profiled-20121121,0,4631467.column |title=Miguel connects with the soul of R&B |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122181634/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/chi-miguel-interview-rb-star-miguel-profiled-20121121,0,4631467.column |archive-date=November 22, 2012 |url-status=live }}

Miguel sought to rebrand himself artistically with the second album. Inspired by his more alternative musical influences,{{cite web|date=October 7, 2012 |url=http://www.rttnews.com/1978561/miguel-releases-the-thrill-video.aspx |title=Miguel Releases 'The Thrill' Video |publisher=RTTNews |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212854/http://www.rttnews.com/1978561/miguel-releases-the-thrill-video.aspx |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=live }} 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."{{cite web|last=Headley |first=Maxine |date=September 2012 |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/interview/miguel-september-2012-interview |title=Miguel Interview |publisher=Contactmusic.com |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619121508/http://www.contactmusic.com/interview/miguel-september-2012-interview |archive-date=June 19, 2013 |url-status=live }} 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."{{cite web|last=Romero |first=Angie |date=October 4, 2012 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Entertainment/rb-singer-miguel-prince-generation/story?id=17399499 |title=Album Review: Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream is Magical |publisher=ABC News |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008173349/http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Entertainment/rb-singer-miguel-prince-generation/story?id=17399499 |archive-date=October 8, 2012 |url-status=live }}

File:Alicia Keys @ Tokyo Summer Sonic 2008 01.jpg (pictured in 2008) co-wrote and sang on "Where's the Fun in Forever".]]

Miguel worked on Kaleidoscope Dream for approximately three months.{{cite web |last=McKynzie |first=Amber |date=October 19, 2012 |url=http://www.sohh.com/2012/10/kaleidoscope_dream.html |title=Kaleidoscope Dream: 'I Was Still Being Experimental and Creative' |publisher=SOHH |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021232952/http://www.sohh.com/2012/10/kaleidoscope_dream.html |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite magazine|last=Shipley|first=Al|date=n.d.|url=https://the-dowsers.com/playlist/six-string-soul-miguels-guitar-music/|title=Six-String Soul: Miguel's Guitar Music|magazine=The Dowsers|access-date=July 9, 2021|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190017/https://the-dowsers.com/playlist/six-string-soul-miguels-guitar-music/|url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite AV media notes|title=Kaleidoscope Dream|others=Miguel|publisher=Black Ice Records, ByStorm Entertainment and RCA Records|type=CD liner|id=88725-47203-1}} 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: "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 on the Lower East Side that has a secret door and a password."{{cite news |last=McManus |first=Brian |date=January 16, 2013 |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-01-16/music/pazz-jop-miguel-is-living-the-dream/ |title=Pazz & Jop: Miguel Is Living The Dream |newspaper=The Village Voice |location=New York |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118183040/http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-01-16/music/pazz-jop-miguel-is-living-the-dream/ |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |url-status=dead }} Miguel recorded "Adorn" in 2011 in the bedroom of his Los Angeles apartment, which he used as a makeshift studio at the time.{{cite journal|last=Cooper |first=Duncan |date=November 16, 2012 |url=http://www.thefader.com/2012/11/16/miguel-second-wind/ |title=Miguel: Second Wind |journal=The Fader |location=New York |issue=83 |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117183611/http://www.thefader.com/2012/11/16/miguel-second-wind/ |archive-date=November 17, 2012 |url-status=live }} Parts of the album were edited by Miguel and his engineers using Pro Tools.

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.{{cite web|last=Goble |first=Corban |date=September 27, 2012 |url=https://stereogum.com/1162512/miguel-talks-kaleidoscope-dream/video/ |title=Miguel Talks Kaleidoscope Dream |publisher=Stereogum |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023105829/http://stereogum.com/1162512/miguel-talks-kaleidoscope-dream/video/ |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |url-status=live }} 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, country rock and funk. An orchestra was enlisted and string arrangements incorporated in the music, along with a drum loop, to the album's title track, which he felt aurally defined the moods of his personality.{{cite web|last=Thomas |first=Rebecca |date=October 10, 2012 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1695224/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-tracks.jhtml |title=Miguel Talks Kaleidoscope Dream, 'Friends' With Benefits: Watch Here! |publisher=MTV News |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013235513/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1695224/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-tracks.jhtml |archive-date=October 13, 2012 |url-status=dead }} Miguel also worked with previous collaborators Salaam Remi and Happy Perez, among other producers. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys co-wrote and sang background vocals on the song "Where's the Fun in Forever"; singer-songwriter Elle Varner co-wrote "Use Me"; and Brook D'Leau of J*Davey played keyboards on "Candles in the Sun".

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 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.{{cite web|author=Verse |date=September 18, 2012 |url=http://www.soulculture.co.uk/music-blog/miguel-on-alicia-keys-collaboration-wheres-the-fun-in-forever-soulculture-tv/ |title=Miguel on Alicia Keys collaboration 'Where's the Fun in Forever' |publisher=SoulCulture |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025225615/http://www.soulculture.co.uk/music-blog/miguel-on-alicia-keys-collaboration-wheres-the-fun-in-forever-soulculture-tv/ |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |url-status=live }} 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 "[Keys] 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, chorus, or form.

File:Prince (cropped).jpg-influenced music of Prince ({{circa}} late 1980s) is cited by writers in comparison to Kaleidoscope Dream.]]

According to The Independent{{'}}s Holly Rubenstein, Kaleidoscope Dream is "widely considered a leading example" of alternative R&B; Miguel himself described it as "avant soul".{{cite news|last=Rubenstein|first=Holly|date=February 21, 2014|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/alternative-rb-much-more-than-bump-n-grind-9142021.html|title=Alternative R&B: Much more than bump'n'grind|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=May 29, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529080447/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/alternative-rb-much-more-than-bump-n-grind-9142021.html|archive-date=May 29, 2016}} In the opinion of NPR's Frannie Kelley, the record combined R&B, pop, funk, rock and soul genres. Its music features sparse production,{{cite web|last=Larson |first=Jeremy D. |date=October 5, 2012 |url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/10/album-review-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream/ |title=Album Review: Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream |work=Consequence |access-date=October 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108094030/http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/10/album-review-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream/ |archive-date=November 8, 2012 |url-status=live }} eccentric details,{{cite news|last=Kot |first=Greg |date=October 12, 2012 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/chi-miguel-album-review-kaleidoscope-dream-reviewed-20121012,0,1158753.column |title=Album review: Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream' |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015031427/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/chi-miguel-album-review-kaleidoscope-dream-reviewed-20121012,0,1158753.column |archive-date=October 15, 2012 |url-status=live }} thick basslines, buzzing synthesizers, and hazy, reverbed sounds. AllMusic'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".{{cite web|last=Kellman |first=Andy |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/kaleidoscope-dream-mw0002413681 |title=Kaleidoscope Dream – Miguel |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203225544/http://www.allmusic.com/album/kaleidoscope-dream-mw0002413681 |archive-date=December 3, 2019 |url-status=live }} Maura Johnston said much of it "sounds, as the title might suggest, fractal."{{cite journal|last=Johnston |first=Maura |author-link=Maura Johnston |date=October 1, 2012 |url=http://m.spin.com/entry/view/id/23181?KSID=11510b5ca9b6efddcd6d0d6235b1ee5d&ints_viewed=1 |title=Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream' (Bystorm/RCA) |journal=Spin |location=New York |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240526082509/https://www.webcitation.org/6BhPCrrCm?url=http://m.spin.com/entry/view/id/23181%3FKSID=11510b5ca9b6efddcd6d0d6235b1ee5d&ints_viewed=1 |archive-date=May 26, 2024 |url-status=live }}

As an R&B album, The A.V. Club{{'}}s Evan Rytlewski said, Kaleidoscope Dream deviated from genre conventions by minimizing the influence of hip hop; Jim DeRogatis believed it notably draws "on elements of great psychedelic rock and pop to color [the album's] soul and R&B".{{cite web|last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |author-link=Jim DeRogatis |date=October 18, 2012 |url=http://www.wbez.org/blogs/jim-derogatis/2012-10/miguel-proves-be-potent-voice-rb-103230 |title=Album review: Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream' |publisher=WBEZ |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020091746/http://www.wbez.org/blogs/jim-derogatis/2012-10/miguel-proves-be-potent-voice-rb-103230 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |url-status=live }} Austin Trunick of Under the Radar compared the album's "often-hypersexual subject matter" and "unusual production" to Prince,{{cite journal|last=Trunick |first=Austin |date=December 4, 2012 |url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/kaleidoscope_dream/ |title=Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream (RCA) |journal=Under the Radar |location=Los Angeles |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213102439/http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/kaleidoscope_dream/ |archive-date=December 13, 2012 |url-status=live }} while Rytlewski said Miguel evokes the musician's "pop instincts" and "loud, funk rock guitars". Alex Macpherson of The Guardian perceived a "headier aesthetic" than on All I Want Is You, with "faded psychedelia" and "intimate experiments in Purple Rain-esque rock".{{cite news|last=Macpherson |first=Alex |date=October 18, 2012 |at=section G2, p. 23 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/oct/18/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-review |title=Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream – review |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020071625/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/oct/18/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-review |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |url-status=live }} Writing about the record for WNYC, Gretta Cohn claimed Miguel was "redefining what contemporary R&B can be".{{cite web|last=Cohn|first=Gretta|author-link=Gretta Cohn|date=December 12, 2012|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/256975-gretta-cohns-2012-music-survey/|title=Gretta Cohn's 2012 Music Survey|publisher=WNYC|access-date=May 29, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827151551/http://www.wnyc.org/story/256975-gretta-cohns-2012-music-survey/|archive-date=August 27, 2016}} Mark Edward Nero of About.com considered the album "eclectic, artsy R&B-pop".{{cite web|url=http://randb.about.com/od/reviews/fr/Miguel-Kaleidoscope.htm|title=Album Review: Miguel - 'Kaleidoscope Dream'|access-date=August 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111181751/http://randb.about.com/od/reviews/fr/Miguel-Kaleidoscope.htm|archive-date=November 11, 2012}} Miguel said he "definitely think[s] it's an R&B record, though other people may not ... [Listeners] are 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 interprets its "overarching theme" to be "the highly sexualized seen through the lens of the eager and innocent." Miguel's lyrics express modesty,{{cite web|last=Ryce |first=Andrew |date=October 4, 2012 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17125-kaleidoscope-dream/ |title=Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream |work=Pitchfork |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026110542/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17125-kaleidoscope-dream/ |archive-date=October 26, 2012 |url-status=live }} yearning, vulnerability, and cheeky humor,{{cite web|last=Kelley |first=Frannie |date=September 23, 2012 |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/09/24/161566783/first-listen-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream |title=First Listen: Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream' |publisher=NPR |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027124934/http://www.npr.org/2012/09/24/161566783/first-listen-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream |archive-date=October 27, 2012 |url-status=live }} with Kelley likening his songwriting to Tony! Toni! Toné! while also observing "Little Richard-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.{{cite web|last=Alexander |first=Christopher |date=November 28, 2012 |url=http://cokemachineglow.com/records/miguelneurosis-kaleidoscopedecay-2012/ |title=Miguel / Neurosis: Kaleidoscope Dream / Honor Found in Decay |publisher=Cokemachineglow |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202040927/http://cokemachineglow.com/records/miguelneurosis-kaleidoscopedecay-2012/ |archive-date=December 2, 2012 |url-status=live }} Consequence{{'}}s Jeremy D. Larson views that Miguel employs a "fangs-out approach to R&B" similar to Frank Ocean and The Weeknd, 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."

{{Listen|pos = right

|filename = Miguel - Use Me.ogg

|title = "Use Me"

|description = A ballad about sexual vulnerability, "Use Me" features shoegaze guitars, oscillating beats, and echo-laden pleas to a lover.{{cite journal|last=Walters |first=Barry |date=August 22, 2012 |url=https://www.spin.com/2012/08/frank-ocean-miguel-and-holy-other-usher-in-pbrb-20/ |title=Frank Ocean, Miguel, and Holy Other Usher in PBR&B 2.0 |journal=Spin |location=New York |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240526083834/https://www.webcitation.org/6BlFeEScw?url=http://m.spin.com/entry/view/id/22071%3FKSID=98635e5ba539426e568fe16e91ff4363 |archive-date=May 26, 2024 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|last=Battan |first=Carrie |date=July 31, 2012 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/13969-use-me/ |title=Miguel: 'Use Me' |work=Pitchfork |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109122315/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/13969-use-me/ |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |url-status=live }}

}}

"Adorn" has both digital and analog sensibilities, with lyrics featuring brazen declarations of affection, and promises of adoration to a female subject.{{cite magazine|last=Tannenbaum |first=Rob |date=October 5, 2012 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/kaleidoscope-dream-20121005 |title=Kaleidoscope Dream |magazine=Rolling Stone |location=New York |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021052649/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/kaleidoscope-dream-20121005 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |url-status=live }} "Don't Look Back" features amplified bass, bombastic drums, and metallic synths. Rob Markman of MTV News writes that the song "represents the morning after when the reality of the previous night's efforts creep in."{{cite web|last=Markman |first=Rob |date=October 2, 2012 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1694839/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream.jhtml |title=Miguel Shatters R&B 'Stereotype' With Kaleidoscope Dream |publisher=MTV News |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106003934/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1694839/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream.jhtml |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |url-status=dead }} Its closing interlude has Miguel crooning lyrics from The Zombies' 1969 song "Time of the Season" over sentimental synths and musky, psychedelic music. "Use Me" features hollow, electronic sounds, heavily multitracked vocals, metronomic rhythms,{{cite web|last=Soto |first=Alfred |date=October 16, 2012 |url=http://thequietus.com/articles/10378-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-review |title=Miguel |work=The Quietus |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204132948/http://thequietus.com/articles/10378-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-review |archive-date=February 4, 2013 |url-status=live }} and an industrialized 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 song,{{cite journal|last=Kelly |first=Chris |date=October 4, 2012 |url=http://www.factmag.com/2012/10/04/kaleidoscope-dream/ |title=Kaleidoscope Dream |journal=Fact |location=London |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008051157/http://www.factmag.com/2012/10/04/kaleidoscope-dream/ |archive-date=October 8, 2012 |url-status=live }} "Do You..." portrays a narcotic tryst and mixes amiable come-ons with drug imagery. The psychedelic title track incorporates synthesizer arpeggios, minor chords, oscillating blips, fuzzy guitar,{{cite web |last=Cheesman |first=Danielle |date=September 10, 2012 |url=http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/groove-blogpost.aspx?post=a01c720b-6f55-435f-9884-db01c35bb1bb |title=Miguel Previews His 'Kaleidoscope Dream' (Again) with 'The Air Preview' |work=MSN Music |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016034759/http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/groove-blogpost.aspx?post=a01c720b-6f55-435f-9884-db01c35bb1bb |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |url-status=dead }} and a bassline interpolation of Labi Siffre's 1975 song "I Got The". The sample's groove 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 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,{{cite web|last=Browne |first=Rembert |date=October 5, 2012 |url=http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/59094/miguel |title=Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream and the R&B Renaissance of 2012 |publisher=Grantland |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114125849/http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/59094/miguel |archive-date=November 14, 2012 |url-status=live }} and rolling dynamics with measures that advance an argument.{{cite news|last=Roberts |first=Randall |date=November 18, 2012 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-ca-ms-miguel-kaleidoscope-in-rotation-20121118,0,22517.story |title=In Rotation: Miguel's searing 'Kaleidoscope Dream' |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119152415/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-ca-ms-miguel-kaleidoscope-in-rotation-20121118,0,22517.story |archive-date=November 19, 2012 |url-status=live }} The song celebrates youthful bliss and preaches a carpe diem philosophy. It transitions into the rock song "Arch & Point", which has sexually charged ballet metaphors and bare power pop elements. "Pussy Is Mine" features a high vocal range by Miguel, a rudimentary chord progression played on electric guitar, and a stripped, demo quality. The song is about sexual jealousy and an ignoble man's plea for exclusivity in a casual relationship. Its sexually explicit, bawdy lyrics eschew masculine hip hop tropes for feelings of insecurity. The song is bookended by background studio chatter.{{cite web|last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=October 2, 2012 |url=https://stereogum.com/1166782/album-of-the-week-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream/news/ |title=Album of the Week: Miguel Kaleidoscope Dream |publisher=Stereogum |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024181520/http://stereogum.com/1166782/album-of-the-week-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream/news/ |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=live }} "Candles in the Sun" is a slow burning, political soul song.{{cite news|last=Caramanica |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Caramanica |date=October 4, 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/arts/music/the-rb-star-miguel-at-bowery-ballroom.html |title=Breaking into Machismo After Playing It Cool |newspaper=The New York Times |page=C6 |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101061816/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/arts/music/the-rb-star-miguel-at-bowery-ballroom.html?_r=0 |archive-date=January 1, 2013 |url-status=live }} It touches on senseless killings, drug-infested communities,{{cite journal|last=Wete |first=Brad |date=August 21, 2012 |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2012/08/interview-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-alicia-keys-fame |title=Interview: Miguel Talks Upcoming "Kaleidoscope Dream" Album, Working With Alicia Keys, and Wanting More Fame |journal=Complex |location=New York |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826090523/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/08/interview-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-alicia-keys-fame |archive-date=August 26, 2012 |url-status=live }} and questions the existence of God and the motives of governments.{{cite news|last=Gamboa |first=Glenn |date=September 28, 2012 |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/miguel-s-kaleidoscope-dream-review-a-new-vision-of-r-b-1.4052241 |title=Miguel's 'Kaleidoscope Dream' review: a new vision of R&B |newspaper=Newsday |location=Melville |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629142004/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/miguel-s-kaleidoscope-dream-review-a-new-vision-of-r-b-1.4052241 |archive-date=June 29, 2013 |url-status=live }} Chris Kelly of Fact writes that, along with "Adorn", "Candles in the Sun" "bookend[s] the album with another tribute to Marvin Gaye, a la 'What's Going On?'{{-"}}

File:Singer Miguel 2013 2.jpg

After pitching the strategy to RCA, Miguel first marketed Kaleidoscope Dream virally with a three-volume series of EPs entitled Art Dealer Chic,{{cite news|last=Matos |first=Michaelangelo |date=August 8, 2012 |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-08-08/music/the-next-ep-isode/ |title=The Next EP-isode |newspaper=The Village Voice |location=New York |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024104828/http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-08-08/music/the-next-ep-isode/ |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=live }} which were released as free downloads 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—{{cite web|author=Shamz |date=July 27, 2012 |url=http://www.okayplayer.com/news/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-water-preview-ep-stream.html |title=Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream: Water Preview |publisher=Okayplayer |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919151251/http://www.okayplayer.com/news/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-water-preview-ep-stream.html |archive-date=September 19, 2012 |url-status=live }} 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 on August 7,{{cite web|url=http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=69239 |title=FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more! |publisher=Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106203907/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=69239 |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |url-status=dead }} becoming a sleeper hit on urban radio. It was Miguel's second number-one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and his highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 17.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/miguel/chart-history/hsi/ |title=Miguel – Chart History: Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615203141/http://www.billboard.com/artist/311090/miguel/chart |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |url-status=live }} By September, the single had sold 190,000 copies. According to NPR's Audie Cornish, Miguel "broke through to a national audience in 2012" with both "Adorn" and Kaleidoscope Dream.{{cite web|last=Cornish |first=Audie |author-link=Audie Cornish |date=December 31, 2012 |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/12/31/168093822/miguel-an-honest-introduction-to-an-r-b-star |title=Miguel: An 'Honest Introduction' To An R&B Star |work=All Things Considered |publisher=NPR |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102232137/http://www.npr.org/2012/12/31/168093822/miguel-an-honest-introduction-to-an-r-b-star |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |url-status=live }} The second single "Do You..." was released on September 18,{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/do-you-single/id561312088 |title=Do You – Single by Miguel |publisher=iTunes Store |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140616180603/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/do-you-single/id561312088 |archive-date=June 16, 2014 |url-status=dead }} and reached number 32 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/miguel/chart-history/bsi/ |title=Miguel – Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619180341/http://www.billboard.com/artist/311090/Miguel/chart?f=367 |archive-date=June 19, 2015 |url-status=live }} The album's third and final single, "How Many Drinks?", was released on March 3, 2013.

Kaleidoscope Dream was first released in vinyl LP format on September 25, 2012, in an effort by RCA to make the deadline for the Grammy Awards' eligibility period without charting prematurely on lower sales.{{cite magazine|last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=September 26, 2012 |location=Los Angeles |url=http://m.billboard.com/entry/view/id/48664?KSID=b0ba31e4844d0774c3faa0c083f668c5&ints_viewed=1 |title=Grammys Deadline Spurs Early Vinyl Releases From Cher Lloyd, Muse |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624130306/http://m.billboard.com/entry/view/id/48664?KSID=b0ba31e4844d0774c3faa0c083f668c5&ints_viewed=1 |archive-date=June 24, 2018 |url-status=live }} The following week, it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 71,000 copies in the US.{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=October 10, 2012 |url=http://m.billboard.com/v/News/Muses2ndLawLeads/?p=0&KSID=0338d893982483bc0599a5062864c4d9&ints_viewed=1 |title=Muse's 'The 2nd Law' Leads Seven Top 10 Debuts on Billboard 200 |magazine=Billboard |location=Los Angeles |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240526082549/https://www.webcitation.org/6BhQhHusp?url=http://m.billboard.com/v/News/Muses2ndLawLeads/%3Fp=0&KSID=0338d893982483bc0599a5062864c4d9&ints_viewed=1 |archive-date=May 26, 2024 |url-status=dead }} It was Miguel's first album to be released in the United Kingdom,{{cite web|last=Batte |first=Elliott |date=October 31, 2012 |url=http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/175665/9 |title=American Singer Miguel Lines Up Biggest Headline UK Tour Yet |publisher=Stereoboard UK |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010401/http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/175665/9 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |url-status=live }} where it spent 15 weeks on the country's R&B chart,{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/r-and-b-albums-chart/ |title=R&B Albums Top 40 – 26th January 2013 |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227124620/http://www.officialcharts.com/r-and-b-albums-chart/ |archive-date=December 27, 2012 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web |last=Langhorne |first=Cyrus |date=February 20, 2013 |url=http://www.sohh.com/2013/02/bruno_mars_leads_the_way_kendrick_lamar.html |title=Bruno Mars Leads The Way, Kendrick Lamar Exits Top 20, Frank Ocean Strikes Gold |publisher=SOHH |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224004515/http://www.sohh.com/2013/02/bruno_mars_leads_the_way_kendrick_lamar.html |archive-date=February 24, 2013 |url-status=dead }} By June 2015, the album had sold 535,000 copies in the US.{{cite web|url=http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |title=Upcoming Releases: Hits Daily Double |publisher=Hits Daily Double |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627143834/http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |archive-date=June 27, 2015 |url-status=dead }} It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (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, The Wendy Williams Show, Late Show with David Letterman, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.{{cite press release|url=http://www.eurweb.com/2012/09/miguel-set-to-release-sophomore-cd-kaleidoscope-dream-on-tuesday-october-2/ |title=Miguel Releases Sophomore CD 'Kaleidoscope Dream' on Tuesday, Oct. 2 |publisher=The Chamber Group |location=New York |last1=Archibald |first1=Sherlen |last2=Plotkin |first2=Juliana |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110202151/http://www.eurweb.com/2012/09/miguel-set-to-release-sophomore-cd-kaleidoscope-dream-on-tuesday-october-2/ |archive-date=November 10, 2012 |url-status=live }} 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' Chapter V World Tour during November 2012 to February 2013,{{cite journal|date=October 9, 2012 |url=http://www.rap-up.com/2012/10/09/trey-songz-announces-chapter-v-world-tour-with-miguel-elle-varner/ |title=Trey Songz Announces 'Chapter V World Tour' with Miguel, Elle Varner |journal=Rap-Up |location=Los Angeles |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013014654/http://www.rap-up.com/2012/10/09/trey-songz-announces-chapter-v-world-tour-with-miguel-elle-varner/ |archive-date=October 13, 2012 |url-status=live }} a headlining tour in the UK and Ireland during January 2013, and an opening slot on Alicia Keys' Set the World on Fire Tour in March and April.{{cite journal|last=Carter |first=Terry |date=January 10, 2013 |url=http://www.vibe.com/article/alicia-keys-and-miguel-set-world-fire-tour-dates-announced |title=Alicia Keys and Miguel 'Set The World On Fire' Tour Dates Announced |journal=Vibe |location=New York |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119000636/http://www.vibe.com/article/alicia-keys-and-miguel-set-world-fire-tour-dates-announced |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |url-status=live }} 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. He started ripping his shirt off during performances after being inspired by Songz' concerts.{{cite news|last=Jonze |first=Tim |date=February 8, 2013 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/09/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream |title=Miguel: the slow-burn success of a new R&B superstar |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |at=The Guide section, p. 10 |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210032812/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/feb/09/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream |archive-date=February 10, 2013 |url-status=live }}

{{Album ratings

| title = Kaleidoscope Dream ratings

| ADM = 8.0/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/4925/Miguel-Kaleidoscope-Dream.aspx|title=Kaleidoscope Dream by Miguel reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=October 31, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101102207/http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/4925/Miguel-Kaleidoscope-Dream.aspx|archive-date=November 1, 2016}}

| MC = 86/100

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}

| rev2 = Chicago Tribune

| rev2Score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}

| rev3 = The Guardian

| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev4 = The Irish Times

| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news|last=Carroll |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Carroll (journalist) |date=November 23, 2012 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2012/1123/1224326977014.html |title=Miguel |newspaper=The Irish Times |location=Dublin |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006144020/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2012/1123/1224326977014.html |archive-date=October 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}

| rev5 = MSN Music (Expert Witness)

| rev5Score = A−{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |date=December 28, 2012 |url=http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/expert-witness-blogpost.aspx?post=4ae4a71f-e229-44a9-ae0d-5f3bf53cc93b |title=Miguel |work=MSN Music |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108002013/http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/expert-witness-blogpost.aspx?post=4ae4a71f-e229-44a9-ae0d-5f3bf53cc93b |archive-date=January 8, 2013 |url-status=dead }}

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6Score = 8.4/10

| rev7 = Q

| rev7Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream|journal=Q|location=London|date=January 2013|issue=318|page=110}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

| rev9 = Spin

| rev9Score = 9/10

| rev10 = USA Today

| rev10Score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Steve|date=October 1, 2012|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2012/10/01/listen-up-muse-heart-miguel/1606837/|title=Listen Up: Album reviews of Heart, Muse, Miguel|work=USA Today|location=McLean|access-date=September 25, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010181043/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2012/10/01/listen-up-muse-heart-miguel/1606837/|archive-date=October 10, 2016}}

}}

Kaleidoscope Dream was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 86, based on 20 reviews.{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/kaleidoscope-dream/miguel |title=Reviews for Kaleidoscope Dream by Miguel |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227095537/http://www.metacritic.com/music/kaleidoscope-dream/miguel |archive-date=December 27, 2012 |url-status=live }} Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? 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, Greg Kot 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 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 wrote that, along with Frank Ocean's Channel Orange, it showed R&B as the innovative genre in mainstream music during 2012, while Los Angeles Times 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 appreciated Miguel's ability to "articulate how a love man can be louche without being a douche." Ken Capobianco from The Boston Globe was more critical, finding some of the songs overworked and Miguel "too remote for a true soul singer".{{cite news|last=Capobianco |first=Ken |date=October 2, 2012 |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2012/10/01/review-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream/4oiBSgRFDvhGDMeCJEq9VK/story.html |title=CD Review: Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream' |newspaper=The Boston Globe |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028160609/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2012/10/01/review-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream/4oiBSgRFDvhGDMeCJEq9VK/story.html |archive-date=October 28, 2014 |url-status=live }} New York Times critic Jon Caramanica 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/feature/top-ten-lists-best-albums-of-2012 |title=Music Critic Top 10 Lists – Best of 2012 |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112205543/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/top-ten-lists-best-albums-of-2012 |archive-date=January 12, 2013 |url-status=live }} Ann Powers named it the best album of 2012.{{cite web|last=Powers |first=Ann |author-link=Ann Powers |date=December 12, 2012 |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/bestmusic2012/2012/12/11/166996838/ann-powers-top-albums-and-songs-of-2012 |title=Ann Powers' Top Albums And Songs Of 2012 |publisher=NPR |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213042439/http://www.npr.org/blogs/bestmusic2012/2012/12/11/166996838/ann-powers-top-albums-and-songs-of-2012 |archive-date=December 13, 2012 |url-status=live }} It was also ranked number 26 by Robert Christgau,{{cite web|last=Christgau |first=Robert |date=January 14, 2013 |url=http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/The-Dean-s-List-2012/ba-p/9707 |title=The Dean's List 2012 |work=The Barnes & Noble Review |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120191819/http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/The-Dean-s-List-2012/ba-p/9707 |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |url-status=live }} number eleven by The Guardian,{{cite web|date=November 28, 2012 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/nov/28/guardian-best-albums-2012-20-11 |title=Best albums of 2012: 20–11 |work=The Guardian |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202072017/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/nov/28/guardian-best-albums-2012-20-11 |archive-date=December 2, 2012 |url-status=live }} number 10 by the Chicago Tribune, number eight by Slate, number six by the Los Angeles Times, number five by AllMusic, Okayplayer, and Spin, number four by Entertainment Weekly, number three by Billboard, New York, and Now, and number one by Idolator. Metacritic named it the 12th best-reviewed album of 2012.{{cite web|last=Dietz |first=Jason |date=December 21, 2012 |url=http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-albums-of-2012 |title=The Best Albums of 2012 |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224011414/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-albums-of-2012 |archive-date=December 24, 2012 |url-status=live }} The album was voted the fifth best album of 2012 in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by The Village Voice.{{cite news|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/albums/2012/ |title=New York Pazz and Jop Albums |newspaper=The Village Voice |location=New York |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217011508/http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/albums/2012/ |archive-date=February 17, 2013 |url-status=live }} Kaleidoscope Dream was nominated for the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album, while "Adorn" was nominated for Best R&B Performance and Song of the Year, winning in the Best R&B Song category.{{cite news|date=February 10, 2013 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/music/la-et-ms-grammys-2013-complete-list-of-nominees-and-winners,0,4278545.story |title=Grammys 2013: Complete list of nominees and winners |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216225240/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/music/la-et-ms-grammys-2013-complete-list-of-nominees-and-winners,0,4278545.story |archive-date=February 16, 2013 |url-status=live }} In 2014, Pitchfork ranked the album at number 59 in their list of "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)".{{cite web |title=The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014) |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9465-the-100-best-albums-of-the-decade-so-far-2010-2014/?page=3 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=October 22, 2018 |page=3 |date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031055019/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9465-the-100-best-albums-of-the-decade-so-far-2010-2014/?page=3 |archive-date=October 31, 2018 |url-status=live }}

{{Track listing

| headline = Kaleidoscope Dream standard edition

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 42:11

| title1 = Adorn

| writer1 = Miguel Pimentel

| extra1 = Miguel

| length1 = 3:13

| title2 = Don't Look Back

| writer2 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Nathan Perez}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Happy Perez|Miguel}}

| length2 = 4:26

| title3 = Use Me

| writer3 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Warren Felder|Andrew Wansel|Steve Mostyn|Elle Varner|Ronnie James|Nycole Russell}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Pop Wansel|Oak Felder|Ace{{ref|a|[a]}}|Miguel{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length3 = 4:40

| title4 = Do You...

| writer4 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Jerry Duplessis|Arden Altino|Paul Pesco}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Duplessis|Keyz{{ref|a|[a]}}|Miguel{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length4 = 3:28

| title5 = Kaleidoscope Dream

| writer5 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Salaam Remi|Labi Siffre}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Remi|Miguel{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length5 = 4:17

| title6 = The Thrill

| writer6 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Allen Arthur|Clayton Reilly|Keith Justice}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|Miguel|Phatboiz}}

| length6 = 3:04

| title7 = How Many Drinks?

| writer7 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Remi|Roger Nichols|Paul Williams}}

| extra7 = Remi

| length7 = 4:32

| title8 = Where's the Fun in Forever

| writer8 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Alicia Keys|Felder|Wansel|Mostyn}}

| extra8 = {{hlist|Pop Wansel|Oak Felder|Ace{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length8 = 3:29

| title9 = Arch & Point

| writer9 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Mac Robinson|Brian Warfield}}

| extra9 = Fisticuffs

| length9 = 3:17

| title10 = Pussy Is Mine

| writer10 = Pimentel

| extra10 = Miguel

| length10 = 2:53

| title11 = Candles in the Sun

| writer11 = Pimentel

| extra11 = Miguel

| length11 = 4:55

}}

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| headline = iTunes bonus track{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/kaleidoscope-dream/561709112 |title=Kaleidoscope Dream by Miguel |date=September 25, 2012 |publisher=iTunes Store |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111225638/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/kaleidoscope-dream/id561709112 |archive-date=January 11, 2013 |url-status=live }}

| title12 = Adorn

| note12 = Remix) (featuring Wiz Khalifa

| writer12 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Cameron Thomaz}}

| extra12 = Miguel

| length12 = 3:47

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = UK bonus tracks{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/kaleidoscope-dream/id561579942 |title=Kaleidoscope Dream by Miguel |publisher=iTunes Store |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005003656/http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/kaleidoscope-dream/id561579942 |archive-date=October 5, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title12 = Gravity

| writer12 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Robinson|Warfield}}

| extra12 = {{hlist|Miguel|Fisticuffs}}

| length12 = 3:39

| title13 = ...All

| writer13 = Pimentel

| extra13 = Miguel

| length13 = 3:59

| title14 = Adorn

| note14 = Remix) (featuring Wiz Khalifa

| writer14 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Cameron Thomaz}}

| extra14 = Miguel

| length14 = 3:47

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = International bonus tracks{{cite web|title=Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream|url=http://www.sonymusic.de/Miguel/Kaleidoscope-Dream-Deluxe-Version/P/2727266|publisher=Sony Music Germany|access-date=December 12, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130701024932/http://www.sonymusic.de/Miguel/Kaleidoscope-Dream-Deluxe-Version/P/2727266|archive-date=July 1, 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00CSZ43YE/ref=dm_sp_alb|title=Kaleidoscope Dream (Deluxe Version) [Explicit]|publisher=Amazon.com|access-date=May 10, 2015|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620061653/https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00CSZ43YE/ref=dm_sp_alb|url-status=live}}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title15 = How Many Drinks?

| note15 = Remix) (featuring Kendrick Lamar

| writer15 = {{hlist|Pimentel|Remi|Nichols|Williams|Kendrick Duckworth}}

| extra15 = Remi

| length15 = 4:30

}}

Notes

• {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies a co-producer
• "Don't Look Back" contains a portion of "Time of the Season", written by Rod Argent and performed by The Zombies.
• "Kaleidoscope Dream" contains a sample from "I Got The... ", written and performed by Labi Siffre.
• "How Many Drinks?" contains a sample from the O'Donel Levy instrumental cover of "We've Only Just Begun", written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams and originally performed by The Carpenters.

Information is taken from the album credits.

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

• 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
• Oak Felder – 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
• Alicia Keys – background vocals
• Phillip Levy – violin
• Kim Lumpkin – production coordination
• Shawn Mann – viola

{{col-2}}

• 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, Pro Tools, 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
• Salaam Remi – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, producer
• Rafael Rishik – violin
• Timothy Saccenti – photography
• George Kim Scholes – celli
• Jayme David Silverstein – 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 – producer
• Brian Warfield – Pro Tools

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Kaleidoscope Dream}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=album|artist=Miguel|title=Kaleidoscope Dream|award=Gold|id=11415|relyear=2012|certyear=2022|access-date=June 28, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Miguel|title=Kaleidoscope Dream|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2012|certyear=2023|access-date=January 8, 2025|source=radioscope}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=Miguel|title=Kaleidoscope Dream|award=Silver|relyear=2012|certyear=2021|id=17668-4244-2|access-date=November 22, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=Miguel|title=Kaleidoscope Dream|award=Platinum|relyear=2012|certyear=2017|access-date=December 6, 2017|refname="RIAA"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

• iTunes LP
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2012
• Progressive soul

{{reflist}}

• {{cite news|ref=none|last=Morgan|first=Clive|date=February 13, 2013|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/musicvideo/9821765/Miguel-Kaleidoscope-Dream-album-track-by-track.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213222934/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/musicvideo/9821765/Miguel-Kaleidoscope-Dream-album-track-by-track.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 13, 2013|title=Video: Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream – album track by track|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}

• {{Official website|http://www.officialmiguel.com/home}}
• {{Discogs master|type=album|498551}}

{{Miguel}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2012 albums

Category:Albums produced by Happy Perez

Category:Albums produced by Salaam Remi

Category:Miguel (singer) albums

Category:RCA Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Jerry Duplessis

Category:Albums produced by Oak Felder