When you hear the name One Direction, what comes to mind? Could it be the legion of screaming girls that follow them or, maybe, it is their perfectly coiffed hair or the sound of their dreamy accents? If you haven’t heard of these five teen heartthrobs, then you’re lying. Don’t act like you haven’t sung along to “What Makes You Beautiful” at least once while you were driving and it started playing on the radio. Nevertheless, this boy band from the UK has exploded onto the music scene within the course of one year and their sophomore album, “Take Me Home,” does not disappoint.
The band is made up of five members: Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik. After being grouped together as a band on the “The X-Factor,” by none other than former “American Idol” judge, Simon Cowell, their career was kick-started when Cowell signed them to his label, SyCo.
One large difference between “Take Me Home” and the debut album “Up All Night” is the amount of solos each member received. On their debut album; Payne, Malik and Styles were in the spotlight, leaving Horan and Tomlinson to sing harmonies in the background, with the occasional line here and there. In their new album, Tomlinson and Horan both have reoccurring solos, in songs such as “Change My Mind” and “They Don’t Know About Us,”
Although their first hit single “What Makes You Beautiful” is a hard song to outdo, they surpassed expectations with their latest single, “Live While We’re Young.” This song is the first track on the album and provides up-tempo beats and what some might deem “racy” lyrics. Like “tonight let’s get some/ and live while we’re young.” Lyrics like this prove to their audience that they have matured since the production and release of their debut album, “Up All Night.” This track’s infectious chorus catches the attention of its listeners and immediately sticks out in their heads. It is followed by “Kiss You,” which has the same upbeat and exciting rhythm.
Not only does “Take Me Home” provide energetic tracks, One Direction adds some slower songs into the mix. Songs such as “They Don’t Know About Us” and “Summer Love,” change the tone of the album, giving the listener an earful of soft harmonies and an acoustic guitar. The swoon-worthy acoustic ballad “Little Things,” written by popular British recording artist, Ed Sheeran, accentuates the idea of loving the “little things” about someone else. For example, in one part of the song, the lyrics are “You never want to know how much you weigh / You still have to squeeze into your jeans / But you’re perfect to me.” It’s highly likely that teenage girls everywhere immediately fell even more in love with these five young men after listening to this song.
The majority of these tracks were written by those who wrote for One Direction’s previous album, with the help of the members of the band. There are several popular guest writers on this album, as well. The members of pop-rock group, McFly, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Tom Fletcher, penned the track “I Would”. Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran not only wrote “Little Things,” but he also lent the boys of One Direction a hand by co-writing the soft ballad “Over Again.”
“Take Me Home” has a balanced mix of slow ballads that will make your heart ache and catchy mainstream pop songs that will make you want to get out of your seat and dance and sing along. One Direction, or “1D” as their fans call them, truly delivered with this album
