I like it. Lyrics seem to be fine at best- not really distracting so much as just a waste of opportunity. Which is fine, but the overall presentation and organization was thoughtful enough that I was hoping for better. The music was likewise fun and engaging, but not anything super special. There were occasional moments that were very compelling, that were put together so well they left me a little bit confused as to why there was so much stuff that he was making that was so mediocre. Second album is a good example of that. It’s a shame, because I’d be inclined to like it for the parts that are, again, compelling and put together— but then it’s way way too long, it loses me. It has a billion songs, and a sizable chunk of those are just not up to snuff, they should’ve been cut.
Altogether, I’m gonna give it a B+. There aren’t any real standout songs, and there are definitely still songs I don’t like, but on the whole I like the vibe. I previously described the 1D boys in terms of how much lateral and vertical distance they got away from 1D. The more of both, the better. The more they were able to be different, to make something their own, the better. The more they were able to be better, to make something more than what they did as a band, the better. I’d place ZAYN closest to Tomlinson by that metric. He’s definitely gone in a different direction than 1D, and I definitely think he’s progressed as an artist and musician in a easily visible way. There’s still stuff about his music that doesn’t always jive with me, but I like the vibe and I like the intentions I can see behind it. I think this is a pretty solid way to close out 1D, I’m happy with the B+
ZAYN complete, now listening to: Jon Batiste
tunafruitsandwitch 
First album, sure, fine. Second album, well, I approached that one with anger. Seriously. 29 songs? An hour and a half? Come on man! But halfway through my first listen through my music heart softened. I can’t even clearly explain why. I just started to dig it. I don’t know if I fully dug it, it’s not really my style, but there’s something going on there that made me want to hear more. 2nd time through the 2nd album I approached it more like an insider’s peak inside the creative growth of Zayn. I was actually happy he just kept every single song he came up with because it exposed a bit of his process to me, and I ALWAYS dig process.
3rd album – woah. Wasn’t expecting any of it. Often his vocals sounded like John Legend. What? He continued to expand in style, structure and instrumentation. I would love his lyrics to grow up as much as his musicality. But this man has some interesting musical ideas. I hope he keeps putting stuff out there. I will listen. B-
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