Khalid - Free Spirit

The Guardian 60

(Columbia)

Khalid’s 2017 debut, American Teen, was a pop-R&B album that reverberated with a polished, 80s-inspired haze that felt a little inaccessible to those of us no longer in adolescence – which, admittedly, was probably the point. Free Spirit, the 21-year-old Texas singer’s follow-up, is more universally resonant. Full of Robin Schulz-esque sweet guitar licks, warm synths and exquisite, powerful vocals, it sits somewhere between early Frank Ocean, Miguel and even the better parts of Zayn Malik’s recent work.

Khalid’s concerns are still youthful (on lithe bop My Bad, he’s apologising for not replying to a text), but Free Spirit makes for an engaging listen, if perhaps not as exuberant as the title suggests. The standouts come when he digs deeper: the self-indulgent romance in lines such as “I’ve been focusing on putting me first, so can never see you with somebody else”; the gloriously squelchy funk infusion of Paradise; the epic, gospel-tinged Heaven. At 17 tracks, the album feels long, but at its best, Free Spirit finds Khalid soaring closer to becoming pop’s next big star.

Pitchfork 47

The second album from the historically inoffensive singer is another genreless collection of safe choices for a pop star in the making.

The Guardian 0

(RCA)
After a meteoric social-media rise, the Gen-Z singer’s second effort is less original in spite of the big-name producers onboard

Like that of his sometime collaborator Billie Eilish, Khalid’s is a very Generation Z kind of success. It’s been powered by social media rather than traditional methods of promotion – it wasn’t until celebrities including Kendall and Kylie Jenner shared Snapchats of themselves listening to his music that his career really took off. Now it exists in a realm where success isn’t necessarily reflected in anything as last-century as chart placings: Khalid’s debut album, American Teen, stalled outside the UK Top 40, none of his solo singles have ever cracked the Top 10, and yet he still sold out two nights at London’s 5,000-capacity Hammersmith Apollo. It’s easy to see why teens took to him. Eighteen when his first single, Location, was released, Khalid’s songs seemed to offer an authentic voice, both literally – his default vocal setting is a nonchalant mumble, as if singing while checking his Instagram feed – and figuratively. His lyrics deftly picked at the tribulations of adolescent life, from subtweeting to faking drunkenness at parties to the perils of trying to pursue adulthood while still living with your parents.

Related: Sign up for the Sleeve Notes email: music news, bold reviews and unexpected extras