One Direction: Take Me Home
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Pros:
More Top 40-friendly uptempos, plus the bonus content actually feels like rewardsCons:
A bit long of a prom night adventure; ballads seem pale around the edges1D improves on Up All Night by a hair
1D improves on Up All Night by a hair
It almost seems as if One Direction is some brainwashed gimmick to fall out from the playbook of High School Musical. Their adolescent pop isn’t quite the collegiate type, evidenced on their debut disc, 2011’s Up All Night. One year later and with millions of fans wrapped around their model-esque waists, the Brit boy version of 98 Degrees are moving into better material, while trying to serve up more of their non-alcoholic pop and safe sex. “Live While We’re Young,” the album’s opener, walks the tightrope of The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” while also injecting more of “What Makes You Beautiful.” Apparent clones are scattered throughout the set, like “Heart Attack,” “C’mon C’mon” and bonus track “Nobody Compares.” But the album leans heavily on balladic downtime, with 1D doing a lot of smooching and smooth operating. “Last First Kiss” is well orchestrated, with smart teen prom imagery and cutesy “oo-wee oo” phrases. Jake Gosling’s production on “Over Again” mirrors the romance of pop rock, while trying to turn the boy band into overnight Valentine’s Day cupids: “If you’re pretending from the start like this/With a tight grip, then my kiss/Can mend your broken heart.” But the ballads are a bit too synthetic around the edges and hardly sound trusty on the young bunch. It’s as if their heart isn’t it, especially when things march into Nashville acoustics (“Summer Love,” “Little Things”). Eventually, the album suffers for bearing way too much filler, especially when the overly repetitive, fast-food rhymes on “Back for You” echo through the speakers. Thanks to the bonus content, the Katy Perry-ish power pop of “Loved You First” and the rollicking ABBA-tipsy “Still the One” help gives the album an extra boost of international credibility and a second chance at redemption.
