Miguel popped back up on the scene with a new gangster lean a few months ago in anticipation of his upcoming album, War & Leisure. After surprising us with the laid back “Sky Walker,” and then confusing us with the political “Shockandawe,” he’s returning to form with his latest single, “Told You So,” a funky little uptempo number. However, while the song is what we’ve come to know, love and expect from the “Coffee” singer, the video for the track is more in line with his more conscious leanings. “Told You So” is a mix of both war (visually) and leisure (audibly). It makes us wonder if the singer is trying to seduce us or scold us — or both.
The concept for the clip seems to be Miguel, playing the role of a hippie conspiracy theorist, spiraling out of control in the desert as he becomes overwhelmed by all the chaos in the world. All. Of. It. Mr. Pimiento rolls up to a rocket launch site in an old-school station wagon straight out of the 1980s. He jumps out of the vehicle dancing like Michael Jackson in the “Black or White" video, while his passengers sit back in the car watching in bewilderment as rockets launch towards the heavens. Meanwhile, we’re treated to clips of protests, marches, police brutality and bombs dropping. Miguel’s co-stars soon join him as the chaos of the world becomes too much for them to sit back and ignore. The clip ends with a plane bursting into flames mid-air while Miguel and company look on.
“Told You So” will be featured on Miguel’s War & Leisure, due for release on December 1st. In a recent interview, the singer discussed wanting to be more politically in-tune with his audience, suggesting the album will have political undertones. As far as what to expect, the video definitely matches the title of the album, but we aren’t sure if these are two great tastes that taste good together.
