Will Hodgkinson

Harry Styles ' hotly-anticipated new album Harry's House has been praised by music critics for its " abundant charm" with " really well-crafted pop songs" and " moments of absolute beauty".

The Next step in the former One Direction star's " frankly remarkable reinvention".

It is " a masterclass in becoming a credible artist without alienating the hordes of formerly teenage fans who made you a pop sensation in The First place" Will Hodgkinson wrote - But said its lyrics are its weakest point.

" Where Styles does fall down, In Comparison to The Rock and pop greats, is in the lyrics, " he wrote.

the lyrics as " canny - though perhaps not especially deep".

However, That did not stop him declaring in a four-star review That " every song feels like a single".

It is " a mature third album" That " majors in sounds evocative of the mid-80s" Petridis wrote, naming Prince and Steely Dan as comparisons on some tracks.

Elsewhere, Styles as " a Mick Jagger for our more enlightened age".

Writer Jon Dolan said: " He's pulled off the neat trick of making his music at once elegant and more refined But also warmer and more intimate. "

That Harry's House has the " potential to reaffirm Styles' place at The Top of the hit-making pile, primed for summer dominance in all its funked-out swagger".

It is " in The Most part, a compelling release" Jochan Embley wrote in a four-star review. He also described it as " The Most unconventional collection of music he's released so far".

The opening track Music for A Sushi Restaurant " could have been taken straight from an Eighties J-Pop record" he wrote, But added That there were " hooks aplenty" on some tracks and " quieter, acoustic moments" on others.

Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake as comparisons on new Styles tracks, writing: " It's almost a relief to hear him settle into himself, to try sounds and ideas That go beyond a teen's Record Collection in The 70S . "

However, Kate Solomon 's three-star review added: " A casual listener might find their attention Slipping Away on all those smooth, rounded edges. "

It is " a clever and enjoyable record" But she concluded That , on a deeper level, it has " very little bite".

was sufficiently enchanted to award another Four Stars , with critic David Bennun writing: " Were this album any more charming, you might dissolve in its presence".

He wrote: " Harry and key accomplice Kid Harpoon have refined their winning approach of reliving the soft-rock and adult pop Seventies in the anything-goes 21St Century . "

Bennun added: " Harry's House never drags, never wheedles. It has just The Right amount of air in it. Its gentle tread puts not so much as a pinky toe wrong. If its predecessor, Fine Line, was a nicely confected cream puff, this is an artful soufflé. "

Harry's House, which takes its name from a track on Joni Mitchell 's 1975 album The Hissing of Summer Lawns, will be released on Friday.

Meanwhile, Styles has become the latest star to sign up to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story . He will read Jess Hitchman's In Every House, On Every Street, which is illustrated by Lili la Baleine.

Source of news: bbc.com