"this album has a problem with overusing those orchestral strings, especially when it's used on the hooks. i can't even remember most of the songs in the middle of the album because they use the string instruments almost identically.
and yeah, you can definitely tell toward the later half of the album, he makes the sound of the strings real subtle and takes more risks with the tracks. one thing that made me giggle was on the last track he says "people make me want to scream and shout" and then he actually screams immediately right after"