Konnakol

About

Emerging from his slightly twangy fourth album, <i>ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS</i>, ZAYN returns to bombastic electro-pop on his fifth solo full-length, <i>KONNAKOL</i>. (The title—referring to the South Indian practice of creating percussion sounds vocally—honors the heritage of the singer’s father.) For the sonically grand and charismatically brooding album, the former One Directioner re-enlisted the Grammy-winning producer Malay, who worked with ZAYN on his first two albums—and added Rihanna’s “Stay” partner Mikky Ekko to the mix. Now a decade into his solo career and ensconced in the maturity of fatherhood, the pop idol comfortably flexes his musicality—and sexuality— across an often erotic thrill ride filled with reflection, hope, and questionable relationship choice. The pulsating electronica of “Used to the Blues” issues an invitation to wallow, and “Sideways” spends time mourning the past. ZAYN’s slick falsetto cautiously pleads for long-term happiness on “Side Effect,” but he turns around and defends one-night stands in the bouncy “Met Tonight” and evokes a threatening lilt of interrogation on the thunderous “Die for Me.” .

via Apple Music

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