Hello my beautiful readers!I meant to get this to you yesterday, but the charger on my tablet broke, then we watched a movie, which probably deserves a review itself, but before I get off track, here is my review of Ed Sheeran's recent album "x" (pronounced "Multiply").
**NOTE**: I am reviewing the Deluxe Edition of this album, which features an extra 4 songs that, in my opinion, complete the album, as I don't consider 12 tracks a "full" album. **
Ed Sheeran is a bit of a new face in the music industry. With the success following his debut "+" in 2011, he's quickly become one of the biggest acts of the time. And no wonder, with his incredible songwriting and musical abilities, and that falsetto voice you can't help but fall in love with. Plus he has a pretty awesome accent. And now, three years later he releases his second major album, "Multiply".
From the very beginning of this album we see Ed's musical talents in the song One, a beautiful melody about love and devotion, quickly followed by another acoustic song, I'm a Mess, about personal failure in relationships and the desire to make it right ("And though I've only caused you pain/You know but all of my words will always be low/Although all the lies we spoke/When you're on my road/Walking me home/See the flames inside my eyes/It burns so bright/I wanna feel your love").
The album then takes a surprising turn with the hit single, Sing, an irresistibly catchy party song showing a bit of Ed's hip hop side with some rapping on the second verse. Don't is also a bit of a surprise with a bass synth and piano in the chorus, something we hadn't seen yet on this album. The song sings about a fellow singer whom Ed fell in love with, who later cheated on him. The chorus and bridge include a couple surprising use of profanity, cleverly censored with an inhale of breath to avoid an explicit label ("Don't *inhale* with my love").
Then back into the folk/pop ballads we go. In Nina, Ed describes the pain of having to end a possible future relationship because of his job and busy touring schedule, mourning what could have been. Photograph follows in this message as Ed sings about the joy and pain of love. Bloodstream is another song about mistakes ("I've been spinning now for time/Couple women by my side/I got sinning on my mind...How did I get so faded?"). Thinking out Loud and Tenerife Sea are beautiful love songs, the first about Ed's commitment to a life long relationship. The latter sings of a lover who Ed describes beautifully. Both are touching songs about love in it's purest form.
Runaway is about, well, a runaway, fleeing his dad's abuse. He sings in the chorus about his love for his dad, and later the hope that things could change and he could return. Then Afire Love is a song about love in the midst of tragedy.
As if right on Que, Ed decided to get away from the deep stuff for a few songs and goof off with a bit of hip hop, first on The Man which, despite the censored profanities is a pretty meaningful song, talking about, again, a breakup and the depression it brought in the midst of his busy career. Then comes Take it Back, a straight-forward rap song quite a bit like Sing, that is to say, without much meaning; just a song to enjoy.
The deluxe album concludes with Shirtsleeves, yet another heart touching breakup song, Even My Dad Does Sometimes, and closes with the epic I See Fire, a song from the soundtrack of The Hobbit: DoS about a band of dwarves determined to take their mountain back from the dragon Smaug.
This album oozes meaning, love and heartbreak. Ed is a top of the line musician who has definitely earned his popularity. As a matter of fact I'd go as far as to say he's one of the best overall musicians of our time. There are many positive things here to discuss. Nina compares how love should be alike to how God sees us ("And you don't even need to worry about your weight/'Cause We can all be loved the way that God made us"), on I'm a Mess and Bloodstream Ed is brutally honest about his mistakes, and his quest for life-long love on songs like One, Photograph, and Thinking Out Loud is definitely something to be praised.
However
Ed just doesn't seem devoted enough to following that quest, as is seen on songs like Sing. The several alcohol and marijuana references along with the profanity (even while being censored) might be a turn-off to many listeners, myself included. There is a lot of good to take from this album, but there is also a large amount of worldly klunk. If you plan on listening to this album, I recommend taking a bit of time out of your schedule and listening to the whole thing in one listening, so you get the big picture, as blurred as it may be.
Overall Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Runaway is about, well, a runaway, fleeing his dad's abuse. He sings in the chorus about his love for his dad, and later the hope that things could change and he could return. Then Afire Love is a song about love in the midst of tragedy.
As if right on Que, Ed decided to get away from the deep stuff for a few songs and goof off with a bit of hip hop, first on The Man which, despite the censored profanities is a pretty meaningful song, talking about, again, a breakup and the depression it brought in the midst of his busy career. Then comes Take it Back, a straight-forward rap song quite a bit like Sing, that is to say, without much meaning; just a song to enjoy.
The deluxe album concludes with Shirtsleeves, yet another heart touching breakup song, Even My Dad Does Sometimes, and closes with the epic I See Fire, a song from the soundtrack of The Hobbit: DoS about a band of dwarves determined to take their mountain back from the dragon Smaug.
This album oozes meaning, love and heartbreak. Ed is a top of the line musician who has definitely earned his popularity. As a matter of fact I'd go as far as to say he's one of the best overall musicians of our time. There are many positive things here to discuss. Nina compares how love should be alike to how God sees us ("And you don't even need to worry about your weight/'Cause We can all be loved the way that God made us"), on I'm a Mess and Bloodstream Ed is brutally honest about his mistakes, and his quest for life-long love on songs like One, Photograph, and Thinking Out Loud is definitely something to be praised.
However
Ed just doesn't seem devoted enough to following that quest, as is seen on songs like Sing. The several alcohol and marijuana references along with the profanity (even while being censored) might be a turn-off to many listeners, myself included. There is a lot of good to take from this album, but there is also a large amount of worldly klunk. If you plan on listening to this album, I recommend taking a bit of time out of your schedule and listening to the whole thing in one listening, so you get the big picture, as blurred as it may be.
Overall Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
