Niall Horan - Flicker (Deluxe) (2017) [Hi-Res]

From one direction to five, it’s been fascinating to listen to what the members of One Direction have been doing on their hiatus. And hold your nose if you must but some of it is really good - including Niall Horan’s latest effort. While Harry Styles dabbles in ’70 rock, Louis Tomlinson gets into hard-core EDM, Liam Payne embraces in-the-club-R&B and Zayn Malik explores neo-soul, Flicker finds Horan on the folkier side of pop.

Horan’s solo CD isn’t look-at-me flashy, but his songs are built sturdily and his warm voice is unrushed and unpretentious. “I’ve got a young heart and it’s wild and free,” he sings in one song. Horan seems uninterested in the pyrotechnics of his 1D bandmates, preferring a John Mayer and Ed Sheeran guitar-driven sound. It’s a mature effort from an Irish former boy band boy, who had a hand in writing every song and plays guitar on several.

The 13-track CD opens with the infectious, dance-friendly On the Loose, but that’s not representative of the album. It’s like Horan just wants to show he can put out pure shimmering pop like anyone else and then move on.