Zayne, "Mind of Mine"

Zayn

“MIND OF MINE”

RCA Records

A year after Zayn Malik quit One Direction (which likely led to the remaining four members hitting pause), this 23-year-old singer has become the first of the bunch to release a solo record.

A moody, deeply textured R&B album with vibe to spare, “Mind of Mine” sounds as if it was designed to showcase the effort and inspiration that went into it. Where 1D aimed to charm, Zayn wants to impress; instead of goofy puns, he’s dealing in intricately voiced piano chords. About half the time, he convinces you he’s made the right choice.

There’s more to Zayn’s new identity than legit musician. You need look only at the magazine covers he’s posed for lately to know that he’s getting in touch with his steamy, lover-man side, a quality he’d never have been able to explore in 1D, given the group’s tween-heavy fanbase. And like all former tween idols, he’s eager to be seen as a grown-up, which is one reason he drops so many F-bombs here.

There’s also the intriguing matter of his Muslim faith, a true rarity in Western pop that he seems to acknowledge in one track, “Flower,” with a lovely vocal melody sung in Urdu.

With 18 tracks on the deluxe edition, the album can wear you down with all its finely wrought sophistication, even when Zayn is singing about taking your clothes off. No One Direction record could ever be described as a slog, but that’s what “Mind of Mine” becomes by the trippy “Lucozade,” in which he recounts sipping an energy drink while “blazing on that newfound haze.”

Hearing those words, you might find yourself needing a smoke break yourself, even as you admire Zayn’s commitment to his work.

— Mikael Wood,

Los Angeles Times