The One Direction lads have had an insane 18 months, storming their home countries and cracking America, all on the back of one 13-track album and five cute faces. Their second album would've gone platinum if they'd recorded 42 minutes of burping; more enjoyably, Take Me Home is an album of mainly upbeat tunes that will make you want to imitate the boys' crazy antics (check out One Thing on YouTube), and obligatory ballads.
Despite the speed at which this album was pushed out (less than year since the international release of Up All Night), there's some quality music here.
As if to prove themselves as "real" musicians, they pay tribute to classic rockers The Clash in the irresistibly catchy lead single Live While We're Young, and Queen in Rock Me. Happily for fans, though, they don't abandon their pop sound - though they won't convert true rock fans of their appeal.
Fans of 90s boy bands will enjoy Last First Kiss, a Backstreet Boys-like number, They Don't Know About Us, which Westlife might happily have covered, and Change My Mind, which assures listeners of the singers' devotion.
Fellow Brit Ed Sheeran contributed to Little Things and Over Again, and his touch is obvious: the way clever lyrics ("Running over thoughts that make my feet hurt") fit the pared-down acoustic guitar and keys, and the reedy vocals, instantly remind you of his The A Team. The slow tempos allow the quintet to prove their vocal abilities, something often drowned by pop notes and beats.
While One Direction have never been the sort of band to dance while performing, this album will get you up and shaking your groove thang. It's just a pity it closes on a slow note - I could've kept dancing for another track or three.
YP Rating: 4/5