Liam Payne — LP1 review: Hip-hop meets Christmas crooning

Liam Payne's hip-hop heavy solo career has often seemed at odds with his nice guy One Direction persona but on LP1 he finds the perfect middle ground — with a little help from his friends.

The 17-track album (its length can perhaps be attributed to the fact that Payne has been in and out of the studio for the best part of three years) is filled with perfectly packaged hits that see him reaffirm his love for hip-hop, dabble with reggaeton and even croon a Christmas track.

It’s markedly different from 1D but never strays away from being radio-friendly, as he ropes in Mi Gente vocalist J Balvin to sing in Spanish on the Latin-tinged Familiar, while upbeat Polaroid sees Payne sing alongside Lennon Stella as EDM producer Jonas Blue adds dancier flourishes.

LP1 ends with a festive track. But while All I Want (for Christmas) shares a name with Mariah Carey’s iconic hit, that’s where the similarities end — Payne’s ballad favours a piano-led stripped-back approach and sombre vibe as he dissects a failing relationship.

Stack It Up sees him half-singing, half-rapping Ed Sheeran-style (the Shape of You star helped pen the track) and the actual rapping is wisely left to A Boogie wit da Hoodie.

Then there’s break-up anthem Remember, which is catchy and slick, with a crowd-pleasing chorus — which is true of most of this album’s songs.