Harry Styles – Harry’s House

My first exposure to Harry Styles was on Saturday Night Live when he was promoting his first album in the spring of 2017. I was immediately impressed – he had that pop star magic that is hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. About a month later his first album was released and I was hooked. Eventually my wife and I saw him live and he is a performer – many great musicians are not performers and many performers are not really musicians. Styles appeared to be both.

Harry Styles appeals to my 80s R&B and classic rock ears. I hear Prince, Stevie Wonder, McCartney, Bowie, etc. In the age of hip hop, Styles dares to play pop without a trace of the dominant flavor in modern pop. Styles is not a pop original, but a brilliant craftsman. His music is pure ear candy.

This is his third solo album, and although there is nothing new here, there is the pure confidence of an artist who doesn’t feel the need to impress anyone but himself. I listened to a recent podcast from the New York Times that suggested that Styles’ music does not live up to his greatness as a pop star and celebrity. I get that. His music is derivative and unoriginal, but it is fun and engaging. That is good enough for me!