Tomlinson's voice is the weakest one of the boy-band bunch, and this is not news to most loyal One Direction fans such as myself.
But the vocals are not the problem here — this album mostly does Tomlinson's voice justice since he spends most tracks singing softly and gently, giving his voice a delicate, wind-chime-like feel.
The real problem with the album is the weak, often uninspired lyrics that tarnish over 3/4 of it.
Tomlinson has a song-writing credit for every track on the album, and it shows.
I don't think his songwriting skills have improved since his One Direction days — after all, he's still partially responsible for writing many of the worst 1D tracks ("What a Feeling," "Alive," "Little Black Dress," "No Control," "Steal My Girl," to name a few).
The songs on this album with the most heart are perhaps the singles "Don't Let It Break Your Heart" and "Two of Us" (a beautiful song about grieving over his mother's death in 2016). But two lovely singles with some powerful lines can't override an entire album weighed down by bland lyrics and dated riffs.
The album starts with "Kill My Mind," which sounds like it should be playing at the beginning of an early-aughts film, like "A Cinderella Story."
"We Made It" sounds like a rejected Green Day song from 2003 mixed with a ringtone. "Habit" repeats the same half-a--ed lyrics for nearly three minutes straight.
Tomlinson sounds angelic and regretful in "Too Young," but the elementary lyrics drag it down a few notches. "Walls" is also composed nicely and features his voice at its best — but the lyrics kind of suck. "Perfect Now" is a bargain-brand "Little Things."
If Tomlinson kept the heart and soul from his singles and distributed it throughout the rest of the album's lyrics, "Walls" would be higher on this list.
But as it stands, most of the songs fail to make me bop my head or even feel anything at all. Not even halfway through most of the tracks, I found my finger hovering over the skip button.
Fortunately, after about a decade, Tomlinson left Syco (the record label owned by Simon Cowell). Perhaps a new label will result in a stronger sophomore solo album.
But really, I think he needs to collaborate with and follow the lead of experienced songwriters who can deliver — maybe he should DM Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift, or Finneas O'Connell. — Paige DiFiore
Best songs: "Two of Us," "Too Young," "Don't Let It Break Your Heart," "Habit"
Worst songs: "Defenceless," "Always You"