Lewis Capaldi's "Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent" Album Review: Hits, Grit, and Pallid Pop

Lewis Capaldi's sophomore album "Broken" is a torrential scale of emotional ballads that pulverizes some nice songwriting. Capaldi's ceaselessly wet, antiseptic piano proves entirely the wrong foil for a voice forever on the cusp of unraveling. The album's thematic anchor is a thwarted romantic relationship, but the defeated outlook could just as easily apply to Capaldi's fears over his career. The album lacks stylistic variation, but "Leave Me Slowly" is a delightful surprise near the end of the album.