Harry Styles’ debut self-titled solo album came out earlier this month and it has something for everyone… literally. This album is all over the place. “Sign of the Times” is very pop-ballad. “Kiwi” sounds like it came from an old 70s rock record you found while cleaning out your garage. “Sweet creature” is reminiscent of good old 1D. “Two Ghosts” sounds almost, dare I say… country. The songs seem more like they would be played on the same radio station rather than as a part of the same album.
Styles deserves our forgiveness for this because, however different, they are good. He is trying to be different than he was. It is a smart move, intended or not, because Styles will reach a broad audience with this album. Alternative, rock, and pop fans alike will move songs from this album off their guilty pleasure playlist to the playlist they use when they are trying to impress people.
Unless you followed One Direction with the ferocity that only a 13-year-old could give, Harry Styles was the favorite. A lot of people were gritting their teeth waiting for the release of this album. It had a lot to live up to, the unexplained circumstances that the band ended and the slow calculated way it fell apart. The boy-band to solo artist set Styles before the shoes of legends like Justin Timberlake and even Paul McCartney.
This album turned out okay, and I think everyone let out a sigh of relief. It is disjointed and different. Crazy in the way that comes with Styles trying to discover who he is as an artist now that he is the only one calling the shots. It seems that everyone is rooting for him, hoping that Styles will have a good solo career. It looks like he is heading in that direction.
Listen to the album here.
