This feels more like a mature singer-songwriter ballad, but at the same time, it has supreme hit potential. “fOol fOr YoU” This shows a remarkably different side and it comes from a much more stripped down place than what we have heard from ZAYN in the past. This part should have been extended further. But the best moment comes with the beat-breakdown at the end of the song. Again, the hit pop singles of the mid-eighties play as a big influence. “sHe” This is another club-ready track full of the same kind of energy. It has a chilled electro-vibe and it gets better and catchier with every spin. “PILLOWTALK” Rightfully, this is the album’s lead single and this song has an incredible sense of warmth. ![]() For an unabashed, shiny pop record, this album has enough interesting moments to win ZAYN some new fans. It shows that his future should be increasingly bright. This is the sound of a singer breaking free from the rigid mold of “boy-band” life. “Mind Of Mine” places ZAYN firmly ahead of the One Direction pack and he has enough charisma to lead the show. It isn’t astounding, but it is good enough to surpass most of ZAYN’s doubters’ expectations. This album isn’t a complete show-stopper. “dRuNk” has “smooth-lovin’” vibe, while “fOol fOr YoU” is a strikingly mature stab at piano balladry. On “iT’s YoU,” he goes into a falsetto turn that would have made a young Brian Wilson proud. On “tRuTH,” ZAYN tries his best to summon up his best Bill Withers energy, even if his hushed delivery lacks Withers’ sense of gravitas. There are more than a couple echoes of “Wildheart.” Miguel also seems to be a large influence here. When The Weeknd dropped “House Of Balloons” five years ago, he set a whole new production template that would shape a new sound for pop and R&B. Yes, this is still pop music of a bubblegum variety, but on a base level this is an enjoyable pop album, packed with the kind of smooth production you’d expect, with sped-up and manipulated vocal snippets added for decoration, lush synths and groove-driven beats. Sure, there are plenty of aspects of this album to pick apart, like for instance ZAYN’s strange use of capitalization in his song-titles. But this is a sleek, surprisingly enjoyable set of songs. There’s a feeling of liberation here as he surrounds himself with neon-soaked sultry electro grooves that show a strong eighties influence and the album’s parental warning sticker is no doubt a direct attempt to escape for his former group’s saccharine, squeaky-clean image. Justin Bieber’s “Purpose”) he’s still created a record much more compelling than anything his former band ever issued. ![]() Now he has made his solo debut as ZAYN and while he seems to be borrowing production techniques from The Weeknd (and. Quicklist: 1title: ZAYN’s “Mind Of Mine” ***1/2text: Leaving One Direction was a very smart movie on Zayn Malik’s part. We are in the midst of the spring release schedule with a lot of great new music to explore. Zayn Malik gives us his first solo offering after leaving One Direction, 2 Chainz joins forces with Lil Wayne, Bob Mould continues his journey back into hardcore and punk territory, soul singer Anthony Hamilton shows his sonic flexibility, The Thermals deliver a really tight set of punk-flavored indie-rock, Welsh rockers The Joy Formidable show some noticeable maturity and Swedish band the Sun Days evoke memories of a similar band from the past. — - intro: This week we have really fascinating collection of releases.
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