While ZAYN has some great ideas and some respectable moments on his new single, “Sour Diesel,” the overall execution and finesse are definitely suspect.

“Like sour diesel (she burn, she burn she burn) / I can’t stop the feelin’ (she burn, she burn, she burn).” So, ZAYN is comparing a woman to a strain of marijuana? Interesting.  Cutting straight to the chase, it’s kind of hard to know what direction the former One Direction singer is going in for his forthcoming sophomore album.  Why? The singles he’s released post-Mind of Mine have all been quite different from one another.  His best single from 2018 has arguably been the sexy “Let Me”, however, the single didn’t catch on. The thing is, I have serious doubts that his third single of 2018, “Sour Diesel” will catch on either, weed references or not.

“Sour Diesel” is completely different from anything the urban-pop singer has released.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  The experimentation is actually a pro – I like the fact that he’s adventurous.  The lyrics are sexually-charged without being explicit, so that’s not far-fetched, but the sound of the record is. “Sour Diesel” commences with a rhythmic bass line, establishes a minor key, and also suggests this is not “PILLOWTALK” or “iT’s YoU”.  ZAYN enters the picture with low-key vocals that are incredibly mysterious, fitting as he paints this woman as, well a badass for lack of a better word. He’s more assertive on the chorus, though still a bit restrained.  Part of this is due to the limiting nature of the vocal production, even though we still hear some signature ZAYN runs and other ad-libs.

Final Thoughts

“Sour Diesel” sounds like a mix of 80s R&B, pop, and rock – maybe even a bit of New Jack Swing thrown in as well (a 90s movement). Michael Jackson and Prince come to mind as influences, so I see the vision.  The addition of the clavinet is reminiscent of 70s Stevie Wonder, while the rhythm guitar certainly intensifies the groove.  The problem with “Sour Diesel” is, the execution feels off.  I question the vocal production, as well as the production in general, which sounds flawed.  Feeling the vibes, but this is imperfect and could use some tweaking.

ZAYN • Sour Diesel – Single • RCA • Release: 7.20.18

Photo Credit: RCA