On his newest album, Collections From The Whiteout, folk singer Ben Howard proves that lyrical genius means very little when paired with overused vocals and backing instrumentals.

Howard’s first hit album, Every Kingdom, was released in 2014 and debuted his popular soft acoustic sound. However, seven years later, his newest release is almost indistinguishable from its predecessors.

Collections From The Whiteout has the feeling of an artist who found one specific sound that works for them, then never grew or expanded on it.

The album feels like a massive loss, since the lyrics themselves have great potential. Tracks like “The Strange Last Flight of Richard Russell” feature brilliantly symbolic language and poignant ideas, but the meaning is lost in the generic vocals and instrumentals.

Howard is clearly a talented singer and songwriter, but Collections From The Whiteout just fails to deliver his fullest potential.

If he continues to produce new music, he’ll have to evolve from his once-popular, but now dated initial sound.