It’s hard to believe that One Direction is on their fourth album wonder. Since they bounded onto the pop scene with their double-platinum debut, Up All Night, in 2011, the members are making the best of their youth to bring out the best of themselves before the clock ticks off their boy band age. They are lucky in the sense that the album is the fourth album in three years. Named after their album discography rating, the British quintet that consists of Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn are on a high with an exciting album that once again relies lyrically on love. Their album inlay has lots of photos of the members having a blast.

The last album, Midnight Memories, saw the successful infiltration of power-chord guitars into their sound, and sharpened lyrical values as well. With the new album, they seem to have paved their way into the pop - rock arena with several songs making sounding rock.

The piano on the opening Steal my Girl gives a soft touch to the track moving to a big drum groove and guitar riffs. The lyrics are self explanatory coupled with vibrant vocals making this a good opener for the boys. There’s a reverberant guitar riff on Ready to Run a good rocker and well suited on their concert tours. Harry Styles' guitar work on the rocker Where Do Broken Hearts Go takes you back to the days of New Jersey boys Bon Jovi as far as the chorus of the track goes. Brit boy Ed Sheeran comes in to help his co patriots in 18 with some charming songwriting that talks about the time being eighteen.

Going back to their first album days, Girl Almighty is foot-stomping fun, taking their puppy love to new levels with words that would woo any girl "I'd get down on my knees for you". Elsewhere on the other parts of the album we have the very catchy Night Changes, a very emotional and great power ballad with its striking lyrics …… “her mother doesn't like that kind of dress; it reminds her of the innocence piece of innocence she lost… ‘.

Going by such songs, we gather that 1D are still not the growing up type and still command respect in getting you to your knees with such heart touching songs. But they do show us shades of what they can do, just like any rock band can. Tracks like Fool's Gold and the punky No Control showcase the boys in the pop - rock genre with equally attractive choruses that make you want to sing-along. Fireproof has a mid tempo jam to it and good instrumentation with a very poppish sound with words “…Cause nobody knows you baby, the way I do, and nobody loves you, baby the way I do…..”. Clouds that end the album has some good moments too.

One Direction have never gone away long enough for the world to move on without them, recording one new album a year for four straight years. Not every boy band had the chance or opportunity to churn out such a feat.

Though all 12 tracks don’t really make the mark, the highlights should give you another reason to pick this album up. Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne, whose songwriting contributions dominate the album, are perfectly in the saddle for bringing out a good album in the right direction.

Rating: ****

-  Reviewed by Verus Ferreira