He was part of one of the biggest boy bands in history. He has sung some of the most artificial pop songs to come through a speaker. But as of May 12th, everything has changed. Harry Styles has channeled his inner David Bowie, Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger, mixed it with his own one-of-a-kind personality and music style to produce something so rare in today’s day and age that you can’t help but be mesmerized. Styles’ debut album, Harry Styles, takes us back in time to the era of 70’s rock while launching us into the future, showing us only a preview of what’s to come.
Carolina, as a whole, brings to mind Styles’ Saturday Night Live Mick Jagger impersonation. This song makes you wonder if the skit was just an act, or if it was more of a reality than we may realize. Styles channels The Stones on this tune, with a heavy bass line, resulting in a thick southern-rock influence, very reminiscent of “Honky Tonk Women.”
Meet Me In the Hallway is haunting, soft rock bliss, with Styles’ overlapping vocals, and low tone evoking goosebumps all over your body. The passion Styles conveys is clear when he sings “Gotta get better.” That’s one thing that is consistent throughout this whole album: passion.
The first note of Ever Since New York gives off a Free Falling/Tom Petty vibe that directly correlates to the guitar in this song. This vibe continues through the song, as we hear Styles repeatedly croon “Tell me something I don’t already know,”. In my opinion, this is the most underwhelming song on the album, at no fault to Styles. You see, the first time the world heard this song was on Saturday Night Live, and Styles’ live performance greatly outweighs the studio version, as it should. But because of this, the song leaves the listener wanting more.
As per the words of my brother, Sweet Creature is a hidden gem because it reminds him of Blackbird by The Beatles. If silk had a sound, the result would be Sweet Creature. A soft and delicate song, Sweet Creature was the second single off Styles’ album, and deserves much more recognition than it received.
In all honesty, Kiwi is my favorite song on the album. When the track list was first released, I eagerly read through the song titles, trying to imagine what each one could be about and what it would sound like. When I came across Kiwi, without even hearing it, something deep inside of me just knew it would be my favorite, and my gut instinct was correct. Back to back with Only Angel, the two songs pack the punch this album needed, and they do it well. Kiwi is the rockier of the two, with Styles shouting, “I’m having your baby, it’s none of your business,” throughout the song, overtop of soaring, roaring electric guitar riffs. My favorite lyrics in the song are the opening lyrics, “She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes / Hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect / And all the boys, they were sayin’ they were into it / Such a pretty face on a pretty neck.” Like I mentioned earlier, this song really does pack the punch.
Only Angel has an intro that sounds extremely similar to the outro of Sign of the Times, but, like the true rock prince Styles has proved himself to be, the two songs couldn’t be any more different. After roughly 50 seconds, the intro ends and the song launches into rock euphoria. Heavy guitars paired with shouting vocals, the song is one of two of Styles’ heavier rock songs, giving him his crown. With lyrics like, “Couldn’t take you home to mother in a skirt that short, but I think that’s what I like about it,” and “Well it turns out she’s a devil in between the sheets and there’s nothing she can do about it,” this song has playful, suggestive, coy lyrics, very much like that of later One Direction songs.
Speaking of One Direction, one of the songs farthest from their sound is From the Dining Table. Arguably the most mature song on the album, lyrically, this song’s opening lines are “Woke up alone in this hotel room / Played with myself, where were you? / Fell back to sleep, I got drunk by noon / I’ve never felt less cool.” This is the last song on the album, which leaves the album on a very promising note.
In my sister’s words, “this album will be talked about for years and years to come, that’s how good it is.” Styles has managed to hold his ground as the new rock prince, while maintaining his sunshine persona. The combination makes for one killer artist. Also, by channeling himself and his own music tastes, he has found a way to stand out against his bandmates as they all venture into their solo careers. While Styles has obviously taken the rock route, Niall Horan has taken a more acoustic, singer/songwriter approach, Louis Tomlinson has been collaborating with DJ’s and EDM artists, and Liam Payne has taken the R&B road, with his first single coming out May 19th. The beauty of it is that each boy is now doing what they want to do instead of what they’re forced to do. And Harry Styles is doing it beautifully.
