Ed Sheeran has seemingly become unstoppable in the past year or so, smashing his way into the UK top 10 with both ‘The A Team’ and ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’. However, this is anything but an overnight sensation. At the humble age of 20, Ed has already put tireless years into his music career with a rigorous gig calendar, self-recording various EP’s and even sofa surfing. All in the name of following one’s dream. Dreams in the music industry only really come true when your debut album is on the shelves of HMV’s all over the country, and for Ed Sheeran this is exactly the feat he has achieved.
Simplicity truly is genius and from the offset Ed has apparently got this spot on. The orange album cover that depicts his face (and embraces his ginger pride) with an extremely subtle ‘+’ tucked away in the corner is about as basic it gets, but for one man and his guitar this is all he needs. After all, (cliché alert!) he lets his music do the talking.
The album brilliantly opens with one of the most poetic songs to be heard on mainstream radio for a long very time – the critically acclaimed ‘The A Team’. Admittedly, as soon as Radio 1, Capital and various other stations got hold of it, they played it until the speakers blew. But this does not discredit a song, which has the ability to turn listeners into wishful stars singing their little hearts out. The lyrics maybe slightly sinister and dark, mainly the cheery subject of a teenage girl forced into drugs and prostitution, yet they are beautifully sung in a soft, calm and gripping nature. The other song that has had previous success is ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’. Ed has seemingly spent many hours conjuring up this instantly recognisable track, with this being the fourth version I have come across, after it first became a massive YouTube sensation for SBTV, with over 4 million views. For a relatively acoustic based artist, Ed Sheeran managed to turn the London Scala into a raving venue, accompanied by this song, at his headline show back in July.
Although these songs have been heard before, as well as ‘U.N.I’ (which was first introduced on his ‘One Take’' EP) and ‘The City’, the album does boast various brand new tracks.
The albums second song ‘Drunk’ is filled with hooks that will ensure that after a few listens the words will be embedded into your brain. ‘Drunk’, and fourth song on the list ‘Grade 8’, are both very similar in their style, slick vocals accompanied by on the beat drum rhythms. In many senses they are very nearly the most upbeat track on the album, which is slightly disappointing, as Ed Sheeran has also been known for his renditions with grime artists such as Devlin so perhaps this aspect of his music could have been more prominent.
From the wish of more upbeat tracks to the ultimate Ballard’s, this album truly capitalizes Ed’s ability as a singer-songwriter and his lyrical mastermind comes into its own during ‘Wake Me Up’ and ‘Small Bump’. Delicately sung, ‘Wake Me Up’ will inevitably the first choice of song for modern day lads to serenade their girlfriends with lines such as “You see I can do without a tan, on my left hand, where my forefinger meets my knuckle”. Ed’s superior lyrics also are evident when depicting the sad story of a miscarriage during ‘Small Bump’. The three remanding songs ‘Lego House’, ‘Kiss Me’ and ‘Give Me Love’ are all fine examples of Sheeran’s potential, as catchy hooks, thoughtful lyrics, perfected drum patterns and formidable acoustic guitars characterize the tracks, and indeed the album.
The only negative note about the album, as stated before, is that, apart from ‘You Need Me’, there is a distinct lack of upbeat tracks. Ed Sheeran does however have an amazing ability to switch and adapt to a variety of genres but ‘+’ mainly focuses on Ed’s mellow and calmer side, which actually sounds perfect. Overall, the album is exceedingly good and it truly showcases his natural talent and ability, any new release from here on will be greatly appreciated.
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Simplicity truly is genius and from the offset Ed has apparently got this spot on. The orange album cover that depicts his face (and embraces his ginger pride) with an extremely subtle ‘+’ tucked away in the corner is about as basic it gets, but for one man and his guitar this is all he needs. After all, (cliché alert!) he lets his music do the talking.
