By Jamil Oakford/ editor-in-chief
Former One Direction member Zayn Malik released Mind of Mine, his first solo album, and offers a slightly hazy view of what could be a successful solo career.
Shoving aside the song titles that seem like they were spelled by middle school girls on the Internet, the songs themselves aren’t bad.
The album starts with “MiNd of MiNdd (Intro),” a song laced with lyrics that are hard to make out without the help of an online lyrics site.
The first half of the album is slightly slow and not all that interesting with the main standout “BeFoUr” stealing the limelight. It boasts a catchy beat, some Miguel vibes and plenty of smooth vocal work.
But once track 14, “TiO,” hits, the album transforms into a more cohesive and interesting one.
Mind of Mine is a frustrating album because on some songs, Zayn has a clear vision and message.
The music works, the vocals are killer and the lyrics are good as illustrated in “TiO,” “BLUE” and “BRIGHT.”
Other songs on the album sound downright confused or directionless. For example, “fOoL fOr YoU” starts with a lot of promise. The piano ballad begins soft and vulnerable. Then, not even 30 seconds into the song, it turns into Zayn vocally riffing in his higher register. It just doesn’t match the emotion previously established.
“iT’s YoU” is another song that could have used a lot of direction as there isn’t enough dynamic or crescendo in any part of the song to keep it from being repetitive or uninteresting.
But when he does have vision and direction, the tracks are insanely good. The best example is “INTERMISSION: fLoWer.” The song is completely done in Urdu, a nice nod to his Pakistani background. It doesn’t take a native Urdu speaker to understand the message. This song becomes the most intimate, soul-bearing track on the album.
Album highlights include “LIKE I WOULD,” a track that sounds more like a voicemail an ex-boyfriend would leave after he learns his former girlfriend is now with someone else.
This isn’t a great album, nor is it a bad one. It’s the first look into Zayn’s solo career.
And with this first venture, he’s got plenty of room to grow and fine-tune his skills.
