by Mansoor Syed
Zayn was always my favorite of the ‘Direction boys — well, he was the one I disliked the least. Then I grew to like him more and more until finally I was enamoured.
I’ve set aside all of my bias writing the following review:
This is not the One Direction sound.
This is an album you listen to and think, “wow, those other boys were really holding this one back!”
If the intro didn’t blow your mind, I don’t know if it’s capable of blowing. Entering Zayn’s “mind” through this album was a chilling, haunting experience that I can’t — and won’t — unwitness.
Every track on this gorgeous new R&B album evokes an internal carnal catharsis. PILLOWTALK turns mystery into sexy — iT’s YoU introduces a hint of sensuality and romanticism to the ambience — BeFoUr brings you animation — sHe keeps the party going — dRuNk reminds us to be appreciative of life and the blessings it fetches — fLoWer is a wet dream come true for Hindi-speaking listeners (myself included) — and just when you think the beautific musical party is all over, Zayn turns the clock back with rEaR vIeW.
The patently funky song titles threw me off guard, but now they’ve become iconic of the album in that they show how individualistic Malik is — how willing he is to experiment with and create new sounds.
Needless to say, he’s done it, and he’s done a damn fine job.
Buy the album here:
