The first time I heard “The Weeknd” was his single “The Hills” released on May 27th, 2015. I was doing some hunting for new music on Spotify, and for the first time in my life, I felt compelled to share this song with anyone who would listen. I called my girlfriend at work, interrupting a busy day, and told her she had to check it out ASAP. To further gush, I listened to it continuously and even was moved by the direction of its music video adaptation. I found a new artist whose work I could look forward to, a rarity for me, as I tend be a casual music listener, sometimes hearing new bands several years after their release.

Disclaimer. While I am an avid listener of music, I am by no means a connoisseur. Like most people, I know what I like when I hear it. But, being a critical person, I do have a tendency to grade my own experience. So I have a few words about the newest album, “Starboy”.

Abel Tesfaye, the hair on the head of the man who comprises the coke stained face of “The Weeknd”, has obviously spent a lot of time hitting the feature circuit. I can’t recall anybody working it so hard in 2016. (Well, maybe Nicki Minaj, she also seems to be in everything.) But while performing in many other artists tracks, he still pulled together an 18 track album with “Starboy”. Featuring the huge robot heads of techno, Daft Punk, he dropped his single “Starboy” and proved that Daft Punk is awesome. Yes, he dropped some lyrics on top, but it didn’t seem as inspired as “The Hills” or “Often”, two tracks that pulled me into a completely different world.

His next single, “False Alarm”, stylistically comes from a completely different ballpark, possibly from a completely different time. It sounded like something Drake might have made if he was around in the 80’s. Ultimately for me, it was a warning sign of things to come out of this album. While I was bumping “Starboy”, I just didn’t have space in my heart for “False Alarm”. However, its “Hardcore Henry” inspired music video was amazing and completely unexpected. More powerful and delightful than the song, it hopefully will propel first-person filming into the mainstream.

When the album dropped Friday, I immediately queued it up and focused solely on listening to it. As a whole, it obviously is inspired by Michael Jackson, 80’s – 90’s pop, and a hint of 70’s funk. Well, it seems inspired by Jackson’s “Off The Wall”. It is predominantly what I hear while listening. Pulling in acts from Kendrick Lamar to Lana Del Rey, this album still has its own unique statement, but really, it sounds like he was trying to please too many people. The songs range from high energy pop to melodic ballads to funky techno. I was really hoping for more concentration on the Daft Punk sound or the Jackson inspired “I Can’t Feel My Face”, where he replaces girls with cocaine, prescription pills, and alcohol, which ironically Jackson actually did.

The day the album dropped a new compilation video premiered. “Mania” looks to be the final music video release for this album, pulling in 6 songs from the album, concentrated down to the refrain of each one.  This was by far the least inspired music video out of his collection. A series of color themed dance club shots without much dancing. A real waste of 6 of the stronger songs on the album, “All I Know”, “Sidewalks”, “Secrets”, “Die For You”, “Party Monster”, and “I Feel It Coming”.

Ultimately, this album has something for everyone within the genre, but it also lacks the unique sound and presence found in last year’s “Beauty Behind The Madness”. Tesfaye packed more power in his features with other artists than on this album. I will be playing “Starboy” for years to come, but probably not because of the Starboy himself. I love his inflated ego and Kanye-style slant without the edge, I just wish it came through a little stronger. “Starboy” is a solid listen, and while it didn’t meet my personal expectations, it is still a welcome addition to Tesfaye’s archive.