The One Direction singer has released his debut solo album, here is what critics have said so far about the record…
(c) Harry Styles, YouTube
Spin.com: “If Harry Styles does indeed become a rock star, Harry Styles has ample retrospective evidence to see it coming. And if not, at least he couldn’t have tried harder.”
The Guardian: *** “this album was born as a song cycle about relationships. On that count, Harry Styles doesn’t disappoint – even if, overall, you wish this album rocked its innovations harder.”
The Atlantic: “Styles, meanwhile, has ensured his respectability by staying dutiful in his homages, and plenty of people will be pleased by that. But actual classic status will continue to elude him until he learns the most important lesson from the pathbreakers he so loves and stops playing safe.”
NME: *** “Taking inspiration from the best seems to have paid dividends, but it doesn’t half make you wonder what the real Harry Styles sounds like.”
Rolling Stone: **** “Through it all, he manages to steer clear of all the traps that ordinarily sabotage a boy-band star’s solo move. But as the whole album proves, there’s not a thing ordinary about this guy.”
Variety: “Styles has made a bold and brave statement of intent that completely reinvents him as an artist — and leaves a wide-open road for whatever he might want to do next.”
Telegraph: *** “Styles’s curveball is more eccentric but more appealing, with an endearing quality of relish in its musical adventures.”
Evening Standard: *** “This album won’t change your life — but it might change your opinion of Styles.”
The Independent: *** “he’s created an immersive, well-produced collection of songs that isn’t trying to prove anything in particular to anyone.”
MusicOMH: *** (1/2) “He’s not the new Bowie, or anywhere near it, but as the latest step in rebranding Styles for a brand new audience, it will do just fine.”
Drowned in Sound: “In trying to be all things to all fans, all critics, all expectations, all click-bait corners, Harry Styles has failed to make a defining statement.”
The debut album from Harry Styles is available to buy and download through Amazon now.