The promotion for this album has been smart and extensive...a radio premiere of the first single 'Sing', entire days of promotion in cities worldwide, festivals, releasing songs at midnight every night leading up to the release of the album, a 90-minute special on MTV. It has all been highly calculated and with the looks of the iTunes charts at the moment, extremely successful. With the curse of the sophomore album looming over, all eyes are on Ed. He's climbing higher and higher and higher with his career and hopefully this album will fit nicely on that path straight up to the top.
I have been plugging my ears this past month, trying to keep a lot of the songs on this album a surprise. I'm a big fan of that "first-listen"...when you sit down, put headphones on, and just submerge into a new album. Being a massive fan of Ed Sheeran, this album deserves my full attention, and I want to experience the album not just a song here and there. With this review, I thought I would do a sort-of initial reaction to the songs, one at a time, and then a more comprehensive review after.
Disclaimer: This is a review done by a fan. There are plenty of reviews done by professional music-type journalist-type professional-type people...all of which I am not...so don't expect anything too extraordinary. And, sidenote, I will definitely keep all my opinions completely unbiased. I may be a fan of Ed, but that doesn't mean I'm going to build a shrine for everything that he puts out.
Overly Detailed Track-By-Track Review:
(scroll to the bottom for an overall reaction/review)
The star ranking is out of 5 possible stars.
1. One
(*****)
The perfect song to open the album with. I mean, besides the fact that it's named "One" and it's track one. Good one, One. ...I'll stop. That raw guitar plucking as the first couple notes of this album is completely necessary. What do we think of when we think of Ed? Guitar. That's him. He's opening this album with something beautiful and heartwarming and quintessentially him. This is the perfect bridge between '+' and 'X'. In terms of the actual song, it's lovely. It starts completely acoustic...just a guitar and a voice, and it builds beautifully without too many extra things (just a little beat and some violin), then fades back to barebones acoustic. It's wonderful. Wonderfully produced and wonderfully written...just...amazing.
2. I'm a Mess
(*****)
I really like this song. This is one of those songs you can listen to in your car with the windows rolled down, wind in the hair, and just drive. It's energetic and basically acoustic for the majority. There is some beat and bass in there but it's minimal and adds to the epic-ness of the song. His voice goes from normal to falsetto to raspy and aggressive within a couple minutes. Huge range of vocal ability here, and also I think a couple guitar strings might be broken when this is performed live. Mark my words, this is going to be insanely good with a loop pedal.
Sidenote: I read some things talking about how they didn't like the autotune used in this song...I didn't hear any autotune. There's some vocal layering and a bit of reverb, but no autotune.
3. Sing
(**)
I listened to this song during the radio release back in April....my initial reaction still stands. I didn't like it when I first heard it, and I still don't particularly like it. All I hear is Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" and Britney Spears' "Me Against the Music"...which are great songs, but it just doesn't work for this. It sounds like Pharrell vomited all over it. The heavy breathing in the background and the bongos (?) are what kill it for me. With that being said, seeing it live is totally different. It's a really good song for a concert with a lot of audience interaction and a fun dance-y vibe. So I give it two stars for the recorded version, but maybe 3.5 stars for a live version. Also, I understand completely why he released it for his first single and I thought that was super smart. It got people talking and radios really loved playing it. Kudos for that.
4. Don't
(****)
This is the second song I heard from this album, and it made me so happy. After having a general feeling of disappointment from 'Sing' I heard this and was like "YESSSSSS. THISSSS." (actual quote) This is an amazing song. Rhythmic. Soulful. Bass-y. Lots of wordplay. This is the hip-hop influenced Ed that I was waiting for. So, why four stars instead of five? Editing. Apparently, because of a suggestion from a cab driver and his daughter not being able to listen to it, Ed took out all the explicit lyrics from his album. It doesn't bug me that much, but it sort of does at the same time. I like hearing things the way they were originally intended to be heard. He did a clever thing by adding an inhaling noise as a "fuck" replacement" but still. Can I still be mad about this? I'm still mad about this. I'll get over it...eventually? Maybe.
Also, I'm adding a whole extra bit to this review about the way he sings the lyric "god knows I'm singing" at 2:50 of the song is utter perfection and the best part of the whole song. Ok. That just needed to be said.
5. Nina
(***)
I have a feeling this is going to be one of those songs that I'm going to like live better than I like the recorded version. Another song that will sound incredible with a loop pedal and some audience interaction. Again, I still really like it but there's just something about it that isn't complete. High points: love the piano and the round at the end. It's like a very lightweight hiphop song and it's nice to finally hear some insight into his relationship which people speculated about for years.
6. Photograph
(***)
Photograph sounds like a classic love song. It's very lovely, light and pretty. All of those good things. It sounds quite Snow Patrol-y...which makes sense since Johnny McDaid is the producer and co-writer. Piano, rhythmic drumming, catchy melody. It's all there. So, I suppose it's a great song but maybe I was a bit underwhelmed. It sounds like it should be part of the soundtrack to some epic love story film. You know, at the point when the two protagonists are running towards each other in the rain and finally kiss after years of being separated by war or something. Is it all a bit cliche? I really do like the song, and it's already stuck in my head, but maybe it's just not what I was expecting. Hmm. This one might take a couple more listens.
7. Bloodstream
(*****)
Hooked from the first beat. Yep. Rick Rubin, I hear you here. Slightly overproduced but not enough so it bugs me. God, this is fantastic. Is it weird that I picture Ed singing this song while in the 1800's Wild West? Like on horseback? Maybe.
With wild west imagery aside, this is a catchy-ass song with great rhythm and movement. Damn.
OH SHIT IT JUST HIT THAT DRIVING BEAT AT 3:46. Yep. Ok. This is great. Nothing else to say.
8. Tenerife Sea
(**** or *****)
So, this was probably the first song I heard from X. I was lucky enough to go to one of his concerts at Madison Square Garden and a really small gig at Mercury Lounge where he performed this. It's honestly one of my favorite songs that he's ever done. The recorded version is...um...a bit worse than the live version. There's something about adding that drum kit in there that just doesn't do it for me. Honestly it could be because I heard it live first, but that's just my opinion. It's still a really incredible track and I love the bit of classical guitar-type plucking throughout.
9. Runaway
(*****)
LET ME GUESS PHARRELL AGAIN? Yep. You can hear that influence from the first second. This one is better than Sing though. Definitely. By about 10,000 percent give or take a percent. I'm really digging this song. It's Ed mixed with a hint of Pharrell, not Pharrell with a hint of Ed. This would be a good concert opener song.
For Ed fans: You know that part of "We Are" that's like "They're never going to change me. They're never going to change us. We'll always be the same." Those lyrics could fit perfectly in this song during the chorus. Just a random thought. There's a lot of melodic similarity there.
10. The Man
(****)
"Oh. OH. Oh my. Yes. Wait. EDITING FUCK." - My brain
So, this song. I love it. I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with The Streets/Mike Skinner but there is some serious inspiration coming from them in this song. The way the lyrics are put together is so incredibly Mike Skinner it's uncanny. I heard a lot of "Eminem inspiration" buzz on the twittersphere but no. I'm not getting that at all. This is The Streets all the way. It's a mix between spoken word, hip-hop and soul. Really amazing lyrics. It's raw and minimal and amazing. How many times can I use the word amazing? So why the four stars instead of 5? Again, editing. In this song, the censoring actually stood out at me and I went "oh...no". I really hope an explicit version of this song comes out because if any song on the album should be raw and contain it's original emotion, it's this one.
11. Thinking Out Loud
(*****)
Ummmmmmmm hello James Taylor. Is it 1970? Are we at the Troubadour? This is AMAZING. Ok, so there's some serious soul power going on with this song. Otis Redding mixed with James Taylor mixed with (surprise) Ed Sheeran. Ed's vocal ability is massive here. I mean, wow. Can you tell I'm typing this as I'm listening? Hah. I'm so eloquent. I don't know if there's any more I can say about this song. It's just great. That bit of piano in there makes it sound totally retro but the lyrics are totally modern and it's a great fusion of a lot of different styles.
12. Afire Love
(*****)
Yet another type of song. I swear, the variety on this album is out of control. So it's like rap mixed with pop mixed with electronic mixed with soul mixed with gospel? Alright then. I can dig it. The story behind this song is touching and can hit home with a lot of people. It's touching and beautiful. Honestly, I can't find a single thing wrong with this song. It's something new I haven't really heard before and still sounds very Sheeran.
(Deluxe Edition)
13. Take It Back
(*****)
I (sort-of) got to hear this song at Mercury Lounge. Part of it at least. I've been memorizing the lyrics for months. It's literally brilliant and this is the reason you always buy the deluxe edition of any album. There's no production here. This is Ed, raw and unedited. This is what you hear when it's just Ed singing in front of you without any extra bullshit or added elements. Damn. This is talent exemplified in a song. AND THE WORDPLAY. Damn. Damn. DAMN. Really take a look and listen to the lyrics and you'll laugh and then be like "Damn."
14. Shirtsleeves
(****)
This one reminds me a lot of + for some reason. Lyrically, I think it's really similar to a lot of his old stuff but then he added a bit more production and elements like on the rest of X. Good combination of the two albums. It's one of those songs that Ed does so well where it's sad and happy all at the same time and you sit back and go "wait, what am I feeling right now?"
15. Even My Dad Does Sometimes
(***)
So, I think we can conclude that piano is a new part to this album that hasn't really existed in Ed's music before. I think it's a welcome addition. This is a very ballad-esque song that's really giving a lot of life advice in a heartfelt and soft-spoken way. It starts with a piano, plain and simple, then builds really nicely up until the end and becomes a full-blown ballad with a big sound. It's nice, and I'm glad it's included but not my favorite on the album.
16. I See Fire
(****)
The song from the Hobbit soundtrack. I love this song. I think it fits perfectly in the movie and it was really well written with complete inspiration drawn from the plot. There was quite a bit of backlash from the LOTR community. I mean, understandably so, since you're adding some so-called pop musician to your movie. But hey, it was only in the credits, and it worked beautifully. So, boohoo to them. It's great.
17. All of the Stars
(***)
This song is alright. It's a very classic sappy love song that worked really well for The Fault in Our Stars. I'm not sure how much I will listen to it since it seems sort of uninspired, but I don't think it's a bad song by any means and it's perfectly lovely and *cute*. You know? Like one of of those songs where you just go AWWwwwAwawwwW. Like that.
Synopsis:
Alright, so with all that being said I'm giving this album a 10/10. "How does that make sense since you didn't give all the songs a perfect rating?" Hush. The album is great. There are definite high points but there aren't really that many low points. Even with any "low" points...they are all relative. After listening I can definitely conclude that this is one of the most varied albums I have ever listened to. There is a song on here that everyone will like. If you're not usually a fan of singer-songwriter-type music, there is more hip-hop-type music for you and vise-versa. Ed Sheeran gains influence from so many genres that it only makes sense that he uses that influence in different ways on this album. He's showcasing everything that he does well, but doesn't try to do it all at once.
You can tell that this album was carefully constructed and each song was thought of as it's own piece of the puzzle. Each one tells a different story, each one has a different meaning, each one encompasses a unique emotion. All together, they make something complex and thoughtful. A gem of an album. Sophomore album curse be gone.
Written by: Carmen Bernu
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