Allow me to preface this entire thing by saying that I’m definitely a Zayniac. I am part of the ZQUAD. I never really understood the appeal of One Direction (that is to say, five pleasant looking boys singing mediocre songs written for them), but I am 100% on the Zayn train. That being said, Mind Of Mine is very good, but not quite great, I’m afraid.
I was convinced Mind of Mine would be the best album of the year. I don’t know why I felt so strongly about this but, in my own mind of mine, Mind of Mine was going to change everything. Zayn would become our new overlord and “Pillowtalk” our new world anthem.
The deluxe edition of Mind of Mine consists of 18 perfectly enjoyable songs. Zayn sounds great and, for any other artist, these songs would prove to be an instant hit. But Zayn is Zayn. He spent a year creating and dodging scandals left and right. You’d think he would be able to come up with some other themes beside “I can definitely fuck”.
The record starts off with “Pillowtalk”, “It’s You”, and “BeFour”. Yes, three of his singles appear in chronological order at the start of the record--a totally normal thing to do. Thankully, “Like I Would” appears further down to mix things up. These first three are obviously the strongest of the record, and slip casually into the perfectly formulaic (but not unenjoyable) “She”.
“Intermission: flower” features Zayn singing in Urdu, one of the more interesting notes of the album. By the middle of Mind of Mine, it’s hard not to feel that the songs have started to blend together--with the exception of “Wrong” (featuring Kehlani), a standout.
Zayn seems to let himself down with tracks like, “Fool For You” and “Blue”. The emotional beats don’t quite hit in a genuine way because, to his own detriment, Zayn has spent most of the record talking about fucking.
“Bright” is another magical moment for Mind of Mine. It has Justin Timberlake b-side vibes, but definitely one of his better b-sides. The bridge is an absolute wonder and works nicely with that Frank Ocean-like breakdown near the end.
Mind of Mine is a good debut album. It’s a perfect example of how pop + r&b work very naturally together, especially under the multi-talented hands of Zayn (guys, did Zayn mention that he can definitely fuck?). Zayn has triumphant moments on this record but seems to be occasionally let down by production that just isn’t working hard enough for an artist like him. That being said, Zayn’s follow up will be spectacular. I fully expect him to link up with Max Martin and Shellback and which point Zayn will definitely ascend the throne as as our beautiful beautiful overlord.
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