Capitol Records

Release Date: June 9th 2023

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Niall Horan– The Show (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

1. Heaven
2. If You Leave Me
3. Meltdown
4. Never Grow Up
5. The Show
6. You Could Start A Cult
7. Save My Life
8. On A Night Like Tonight
9. Science
10. Must Be Love

One of the most prolific and respected bands out there- who are unfortunately (or fortunately!) not active anymore, is the boyband One Direction. It’s a band that isn’t my generation (I resonate more with Backstreet Boys, Westlife and Boyzone!), but we indeed as a site blogged about them and their influence in 2020. Since that time, the band have all gone their separate ways and have recorded music as solo artists. For a long time, I hesitated actually starting to listen to any of these guys’ solo careers- simply because they were a product of the boyband that seemed too pop-ish and to kid-ish- and it stands to reason that the solo career would sound just like the band career, am I right? While Harry Styles has since become a prolific singer/songwriter and actor who has shattered global records left right and centre (and I personally haven’t had the inkling to listen to his discography!); artists like Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan impress me more, and seem to be much more earnest, vulnerable, emotional, and authentic in their solo material. And while Jon is set to give his thoughts on Louis’s album Faith In The Future and the deluxe edition of that project in the near future; I guess there’s no time like the present to dive deep into Niall Horan’s 3^rd album The Show and to see what the fuss is about. The album is around 4 and a half months old, surely there’s a deep profound truth here, am I right?

If I’m sat still for even a minute, I’m always thinking of something to write. I write a lot of stories. I like to have an idea before I go anywhere near a studio or before I start to sit down and write something. There’s no heartbreak [on the album]. [instead], stillness was something that actually was more thought provoking than I thought it would be. Reflection. My outlook, and feelings and emotions that I hadn’t really cracked into — they were a big, big part of what this album’s about. My favorite thing about my career is being able to have an effect on people’s lives and create things for them to relate to. Hopefully we can just keep that going, and maybe gather some new people along the way.

Alas, as much as I respect Niall and his craft (as evident from the above interview he seems to be dedicated and hard working!), there sadly isn’t much going for this album in my honest opinion, because to me, The Show is just… there. Album opener “Heaven” is an electro-pop song that seems to have too many instruments layered and layered (it’s incredibly busy!), while the lyrical content is about Niall falling in love with someone- but it’s too vague and not specific enough, and I’m guessing that some people will relate to this song but others won’t- there will be this disconnect. Thankfully, “If You Ever Leave Me” is a groovy, alternative-rock Hanson meets Jonas Brothers type of track where Niall recounts how he would feel distraught and lost if his significant other would ever leave him, and though that sounds sweet, it kind of feels a tad… stalkerish and obsessive like “Every Breath You Take”? Like, you love this person and you’re telling them that they ought to stay in case you feel incomplete without them. Maybe it’s the delivery, but it doesn’t feel like a love song. “Meltdown”, a melody that tried too hard to be this preachy mental health type melody that proclaims that the persona will be there for the other person in times of trouble or need, is a song that is over before it begins (2 and a half minutes), and quite frankly “I’ll Be There” (both songs by Jess Glynne and the Jackson Five) and “Reach Out I’ll Be There” do a better job at highlighting awareness about mental health, as does Demi Lovato’s “It’s Ok Not To Be Ok”. “Never Grow Up” places the emphasis on Niall’s girlfriend and the fact that he longs for them to still be together in the many years to come, and still longs for their relationship to feel fresh and revitalising (and again, this song is solid but nothing really spectacular!); while the title track is in my opinion the crowning achievement on this record, with the melody being an introspective mid-tempo alternative rock song about appreciating what you have and knowing that the lows are needed in life in order to appreciate the highs, and that ‘…if everythin’ was easy, nothin’ ever broke, if everythin’ was simple, how would we know? How to fix your tears, how to fake a show, how to paint a smile, yeah, how would we know? How good we have it, though?…’.

The seemingly romantic “You Could Start A Cult” sounds to be a romantic love song, but this acoustic guitar driven melody could sound blatantly tone-deaf when considering how many people are enchanted and deceived by cults every single day; while the 80’s inspired synth driven and saxophone prominent “Save My Life” (yep, that’s a really ‘ingenious’ and ‘creative’ title!) is vague and ambiguous- in what way has this person saved the persona’s life and of what magnitude? Why is ‘it’ being referred to many times without any depth to the track? “On A Night Like Tonight”, a summery and laid back acoustic type anthem, has plenty of synth, but lyrically has little depth, with Niall specifically singing about pleasing his girlfriend in a physical way- although the music here is top notch. “Science”, a for KING & COUNTRY like track, rivals the title track in terms of effect and impact, with Niall encouraging us to never fear or doubt, because life will have it’s ups and downs and ‘it’s just science’, which is pretty much a superfluous and vague statement of encouragement, but nonetheless an encouragement all the same. The Show then ends with the introspective “Must Be Love”, with Niall relaying that even though he doesn’t understand the human mind sometimes, that he does know love because he can feel it and he can see the effects of love all around him.

I’ve been reviewing for more than 10 years. It’s been a joy to write about albums that have resonated with me and to voice my opinions about them. But the reality is that I am approaching my mid-thirties. Soon, I’ll have to write about the albums that have really resonated with me and not just ‘every album under the sun’. From next year onwards, I’ll stop listening to any new artist (Christian and mainstream!) unless there’s a significant buzz about them that I absolutely cannot ignore. As it is still this year, I decided to take the plunge and listen to Niall Horan’s new album. But The Show, save for a few tracks, isn’t much to be excited about, and 30 minutes is way too short for an album. It’s a shame that I felt just ‘ok’ by listening to this album, and to tell you the truth, it’s only slightly better than the nondescript and bland Spark Of Light from Michael Bolton. The Show isn’t really a show, and though it’s not a snoozefest, I prefer Niall’s debut Flicker any day of the week. Niall is incredibly talented. There’s no doubt about it. But there’s something missing in this project. Until I figure out what it is (because I can’t!), I’ll cherry pick songs, but here’s hoping Niall’s 2^nd album  Heartbreak Weather (which I haven’t listened to!) impresses upon me to a greater extent. Will I listen to Niall’s 4^th album, whenever that arises and whatever that may be? Probably, but as it stands, The Show might disappear from my apple music playlist quite soon.

3 songs to listen to: The Show, Science, Must Be Love

Score: 2.5/5

RIYL: Westlife, Backstreet Boys, One Direction, Harry Styles, Boyzone, Ronan Keating, Selena Gomez, Little Mix, Jonas Brothers, Hanson