Grammy-winning artist Miguel released his fourth studio album, War & Leisure on Dec. 1. Full of powerful vocals and vibrant sounds, War & Leisure features dark lyrics in upbeat songs.The album is about celebrating life while being aware of politics and the problems going on around the world.

The singer had not released anything since his 2015 album, Wildheart, which charted at number two on the Billboard 200 and earned him two Grammy award nominations.

In an interview with Billboard, he spoke about what his album is about. “War & Leisure has political undertones, because that’s what life feels like right now,” he said. “This album is intentionally about the ethos right now, that we are right in the middle of all this. We’re trying to flourish in the middle of all this.”

The album’s lead single was “Sky Walker,” which featured Travis Scott. The collaboration had a psychedelic and chilled-out vibe to it. The hip-hop single plays around with some trap elements. It’s a fun track that one can call “trippy” as it makes listeners feel as if they are in a dreamy state. In the song he sings, “I’m outstandin’ so I stand out.” He spoke about the lyrics in a Genius interview, saying, “Knowing you’re valuable and being able to say that is important for self-confidence and positivity.”

The album contains great songs like “Pineapple Skies” and “Banana Clip”. “Pineapple Skies” is a summery song that has a positive vibe to it, as he sings “Everything gon’ be alright.” “Banana Clip” contains phrases like “ we hear missiles in the sky” and “a lot of terror on her mind.”

He also collaborated on the album with artists such as Rick Ross, Kali Uchis, J. Cole and Salaam Remi. Some of his lyrics are portrayed as darker on “Told You So”, “Now” and “Come Through and Chill” as he writes about political views and the issues going on around the world. In “Come Through and Chill,” J. Cole’s verse mentions police brutality and Trump manipulating people.

In “Now,” he sings about different problems that have occurred. In the song, he references the shootings and killings of African-Americans by the police, the hurricanes and natural disasters that have hit different places around the world, and how unresponsive the government was to these problems. In an interview with Billboard, he spoke of what was going on in his mind when writing the song. “In my mind, I was having a conversation with (Trump) and playing it out,” he said. “Like, you’re in charge now, and this is what you want to do? These are the seeds you’re planting? Go ahead and watch what happens. Not even judging. But let’s talk about this.”

As usual, Miguel’s vocals do not fail to impress. His unique voice mixes very smoothly with psychedelic guitars. The album shows how much Miguel has grown and matured as an artist. War & Leisure is full of colorful and catchy songs that express love, pain and the troubles going on around the globe. It is a bit different than his old albums but in a good way. With the interesting lyrics, fresh production and tuneful tracks, the album is definitely worth a listen.