How many mushrooms does it take to get a fresh sounding Harry Styles album? I would say none, because his debut to me is so much stronger of a body of work than Fine Line was. With that disappointment in place, I go into his latest body of work with very little expectations.
The album seems a bit riddled with pop and soul elements, along with some funk. I am not sure it really fits "Harry", but if you were into "Treat People with Kindness" from Fine Line, musically this is the album. I will commend an expanded lyrical ability that somewhat faded with Fine Line, but it still does not have the power of his debut.
"Music for a Sushi Restaurant" seems a confusing opener. I think it was my introduction to Harry Styles trying to emulate funk. I don't like it sonically.
"Late Night Talking" has a bit more appeal, but falls on the generic side. It feels like a filler track that needs something to really hit.
"Grapejuice" would be a more interesting song if it did not bury his vocals at the start. The verses just come off disjointed. I admire the uniqueness of the track nevertheless.
"As It Was" is the lead single which I did a brief review of, but that annoying instrument off from the music has not grown on me a bit.
"Daylight" falls into feeling like a filler track again. Something about it seems like good background noise, but not a full album.
"Little Freak" is the first song I legitimately like. The track sounds sonically unique while being cohesive with the album, and the lyrics draw a picture. Makes me think of how he wrote Carolina on the first album.
"Matilda" is a beautiful song, but feels completely out of place on the album. The rest of the themes seem to follow him and a woman dealing with love and heartbreak, while this seems to be a girl trying to escape their abusive household and him telling her it is okay to run away.
"Cinema" feels like it was curated for pop radio. That is an insult to it.
"Daydreaming" reminds me a bit too much sonically of other songs on the album, and the lyrics do not really stand out much at all.
"Keep Driving" also relates a lot to other tracks sonically, but the earnestness of the vocals make me more interested in this song.
I appreciate there are more slow moments on this album, because personally I think Harry shines more in slower tracks. Even in One Direction, his best solos were not really in the songs with the most beats per minute. "Satellite" has such a nice build up and feels so genuine the way it is done.
"Boyfriend" almost sounds like...something from Simon & Garfunkel or something?
"Love of My Life" is the album closer, and while the lyrics are stronger, I feel the music does not match up well and the dissonance bothers me.
Lyrics: 5/10 - It is not perfect, but feels a staunch improvement from Fine Line.
Music: 7/10 - For the most part the music itself is not bad. I wouldn't feel a need to skip most of the tracks. The album in places is too cohesive of a body.
Overall: 6/10 - This deserves more credit than Fine Line, but it is still not nearly as good as his debut. Matilda and Little Freak are the most noteworthy.
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