Explain why it took Saturday Night Live so long to book Miguel, please? The pint-sized, Grammy-winning R&B sex machine, and this generation’s closest incarnation to Prince, conquered Studio 8H last night (April 13), with two hard-rocking transformations from his Best Album of 2012 Kaleidoscope Dream. The first was his go-to late-night single (and No. 6 Best Song of 2012) “Adorn.” In Prince-like fashion, Miguel stripped away the album cut’s bass throb and replaced it with wailing electric guitar and live drums.
For his second act, “How Many Drinks” left remix partner Kendrick Lamar at home, and took the rock-revisionist approach one step farther. Miguel slowed it down, singing out like a preacher peddling repentance over undulating synth and snickering guitar, before cracking it open with an epileptic punk-rock freakout. “Yeah, baby,” he boasted camera-right with a cock of his head and two kicks in the air. Then he dropped the mike and got the fuck off stage, because what else was left to be done? He’d seduced the audience and then slaughtered them all.
