Styles ‘steps into light’ with great album

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25 years later, Carey’s Christmas original is No.1

Harry Styles, “Fine Line” (Columbia )

Arriving just in time to mess-up everyone’s best-of-the-year music lists is Harry Styles’ sophomore album, “Fine Line.” The former One Direction member richly deserves a spot on yours.

The 12-track album continues Styles’ tour through his musical influences – his salute to rock royalty – and yet also shows signs that he’s coming up with his own sound. “Shine, step into the light,” he sings. It is advice he is also taking.

The men of One Direction are each taking their own direction, but Styles’ proves the most ambitious (Take notes, Liam Payne). He’s co-written every song and also adds guitar, dulcimer and supplies backing vocals.

Styles has reunited with producers Jeff Bhasker, Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon, who helped mold his sound on his first album. And the singles released so far – the psychedelic foot-stomper “Watermelon Sugar,” the soaring, soulful “Lights Up” and the blissful poppy “Adore You” – are all different and great.

There’s also the Queen-ish “Treat People with Kindness,” which is a cheerful, funky slice of ’70s, with hand-claps, tambourine and Styles trading verses with a choir. (“All together now!” he asks.) The most challenging song is “She,” which has a Lennon-McCartney vibe, grinding guitar and crazy keys. Lyrically, its a cousin to “Eleanor Rigby.”

Sometimes, the album feels like a game of Guess the Influence. “Canyon Moon”? Bob Dylan. “Golden”? Beach Boys, right? “She”? A bit of Santana. But Styles’ references are lighter this time than on his debut. He’s less aping his heroes than just using some of their colors.

There are call-backs to his first album. That had the song “Kiwi” and the new one has more luscious fruits — strawberries, cherry and that watermelon. The song “Falling” once again finds Styles alone in bed with wandering hands, where he was unhappily on “From the Dining Table” from 2017.

Love – mostly its absence – is the lyrical bedrock, with Styles showing his lonely, brokenhearted side. “Don’t call me ‘baby’ again,” he asks an ex in one song. “Don’t call him ‘baby,’” he asks in another. “Cherry” seems to be about his French former flame. “I just miss your accent,” he sings, and the songs ends with a woman’s voice cooing in French. (The title may be a joke on “cherie.”) “I’m well aware I write too many songs about you,” he writes in the piano-driven ballad ”Falling.”

The moody, string-based “Fine Line” ends the album, another song about the push-pull of former flames and broken things. But it concludes with hope: “We’ll be alright.” If he keeps making music like this, we all will be.

Acquired

Meanwhile, Hipgnosis Songs Fund has acquired a music catalog from five-time Grammy-winning producer, songwriter and musician Jeff Bhasker. Terms of the deal were not announced, but Bhasker has worked extensively with such artists as Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars (on “Uptown Funk” and Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox” album), Kanye West (“808s & Heartbreak” and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” albums, among others), Fun (including the smash “We Are Young”), Ed Sheeran, Drake, Harry Styles, Pink, Eminem and many others.

According to the announcement, in coordination with Bhasker’s management company Crescent Drive Productions and its founder Neil Jacobson, Hipgnosis has acquired 100% of Jeff Bhasker’s interest in his catalog, which comprises 436 songs. The catalog will be allocated to the C Shares.

The announcement comes just one day after Bhasker was announced as part of a new $650 million fund from Warner Music and Providence Equity, although that deal was reported to be for his publishing, not his songwriting shares.

Merck Mercuriadis, Founder of The Family (Music) Limited and Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said: “You would be hard pressed to name a creator of the last 20 years that is more important than Jeff. He has been an essential part of amongst the most culturally important and commercially successful recordings of our time with Kanye West, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Mark Ronson, Drake, Jay Z, Beyonce, Harry Styles, Alicia Keys, The Rolling Stones, Pink, Eminem, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Ray and so many others he has rewritten the rule book on how art makes it to Number 1. I am ecstatic to welcome Jeff and Neil into the Hipgnosis family.”

Also:

NEW YORK:  Christmas has come early for Mariah Carey: the pop star’s original holiday classic, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” has reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart 25 years after its release.

Billboard announced that the song topped this week’s chart, giving Carey her 19th No. 1 of her career. She is only behind the Beatles, who have had 20 songs top the Hot 100 chart.

Each holiday season Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” begins to climb the Billboard charts as its popularity resurfaces. Last year the song hit a peak at No. 3 and set a new one-day streaming record on Spotify.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the first holiday to top the Hot 100 chart since “The Chipmunk Song” in 1958-59. (Agencies)

By Mark Kennedy

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