He has now used all the basic mathematical symbols available. After +, x, ÷ and =, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran releases –an album where acoustic simplicity rhymes with production excellence.
You don’t hear any rhythm machines on this latest Ed Sheeran album (with one exception). We never lose the texture of the piano, of the acoustic guitar. Better still, this refined quality is highlighted throughout the disc by strings, sometimes discreet, sometimes abundant, but always present and relevant.
For this album, where he is more vulnerable than ever after having gone through hard personal trials, Ed Sheeran has teamed up with Aaron Dessner, producer, composer and musician extraordinaire as well as a member of The National. The two artists have succeeded in developing Sheeran’s work while encapsulating what has always been his strong point, namely an approach without too many artifices and burning with sincerity. Ed Sheeran speaks of death, grief, addiction and depression on wonderfully produced compositions.
A few downsides remain, here and there. Life Goes Onfrom its chorus, immediately recalls Thinking Out Loud, published in 2014. A little too much, in fact. Ed Sheeran can at least be reassured that he won’t be prosecuted for plagiarizing his own song. Remember that the Briton has just won his case in a plagiarism case. Marvin Gaye’s heirs accused him of copying the play Let’s Get It On to create success… Thinking Out Loud. The simple Eyes Closed, which announced the release of this new disc, was rather disappointing, clearly intended for the radio waves, but very unambitious. Fortunately, he is far from being a worthy representative of the work as a whole.
On Curtains, the assumed pop approach of Ed Sheeran, which had somewhat invaded some of his previous releases, is obvious. This time, perhaps thanks to the more modest songs with which it cohabits, this proposal works rather well. Just after her, for example, we come across the very beautiful Borderline, over which Sheeran skillfully sings about the intense emotions he struggles to control. This follows a piano line embellished by the strings, without any other instrumental artifice. This is where Ed Sheeran is the most touching, the most capable of captivating us. dustythe only one where you totally lose the acoustic leg, convinces us all the same by its slightly offbeat side. End of Youth allows him to return to a song that approaches rap, embellished with a catchy chorus.
If we had no doubt that the Briton, who won us over with his first record, +, in 2011, is brimming with talent, he had recently failed to convince us that this talent was being put to good use. His music seemed to lack soul. But now Ed Sheeran comes to remind us in the most beautiful way that he really knows how to compose sumptuous pop songs.
The superb The Hills of Aberfeldy will delight those who had loved the folkloric-tinged pieces that Ed Sheeran offered when he started out.
The latest installment in Ed Sheeran’s math series is a perfect conclusion. The culmination of years of work, after great musical achievements and a few misadventures which we do not hold too harshly to him. Here, Ed Sheeran is at the top of his game.
Pop
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Ed Sheeran
Atlantic Records