Here is my track-by-track rundown of the new #LouisTomlinson album, #FaithInTheFuture:
1. The Greatest. Will be awesome live with the fans, but one of the weaker tracks on a strong album.
2. Written All Over Your Face. HEY BABE. Brilliant lyrics, music, performance. Love it excessively. Am hoping they do a video for this one that has a strong narrative and shows off his personality and humor.
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#FaithInTheFuture 3. Bigger Than Me. I have had this on heavy rotation since it came out. I admire the scale of it and how it shows off his vocal strength and combination of ambition and humility.
4. Lucky Again. Good album track, doesn’t stand out, but adds to the whole.
5. Face The Music. Solid bop. [Is this the much cooler, more mature, less skeevy cousin of Love You Goodbye? Perhaps.]
#FaithInTheFuture 6. Chicago. Keeps getting stuck in my head. Love how specific the lyrics get, even if a few moments feel forced (“always be grateful for that”).
7. All This Time. Thing song gets lost for me within the rest of the album because it is softer. If you listen to it by itself, it really shows off his songwriting growth, both emotionally and lyrically.
8. Out Of My System. If he went a tad slower towards disaster, perhaps he would stop breaking his arm? TOTAL BANGER. Risk paid off.
#FaithInTheFuture 9. Headline. Again, the lyrics show how much he has grown as a songwriter. Chorus is addictive. Quality pop rock.
10. Saturdays. Adds to the range of the album. I love the moment when the drums come in and the vulnerability in his voice at the end.
11. Silver Tongues. If there is any justice in the world, this will be a MASSIVE HIT, expand his audience, and get some award nods. Best in show, grand champion, knocked my socks off.
#FaithInTheFuture 12. She Is Beauty We Are World Class. Yet again, the lyric quality and production show that Louis is at the top of his game with this album. Takes risks (especially the “Surrounded by light” part) and it pays off.
13. Common People. Awwww. Love the topic for him. A bit hidden on the album, but would have been a standout on Walls.
14. Angels Fly. Vocals are excellent and shows off his storytelling ability.
#FaithInTheFuture 15. Holding On To Heartache. The vulnerability and interiority (is that a word?) is a perfect complement to the expansive earlier tracks.
16. That’s The Way Love Goes. I am a fan of the perspective shift, reminds me of Fearless. His voice on this one and the conversational tone brings a welcome intimacy.
Bonus. Change. Better live, but still damn good. Soaring vocals, brilliant bridge, and emotional nuance.
#FaithInTheFuture Bonus. Face The Music (acoustic demo). Shows the strength of the songwriting when it is a banger in two very different production styles.
Bonus. High In California. His vocals sound great but, much like hanging out with people who are high, it is a bit tedious.
As a whole: An excellent album- shows all his strengths and takes some risks that pay off big time. Can’t wait to hear it live.