For nine glorious months last year, it looked as if Ed Sheeran’s bubble had burst. His latest and weakest album, Autumn Variations, had left the top 100 after only eight weeks, whereas three of its predecessors managed eight years. Empires fall, eventually. Sheeran’s imperial phase was ending not with a banger, but a whimper.
He cherishes his chart positions, so naturally he fought back. His next album was a greatest-hits set, confusingly named +-=÷x (Tour Collection). As it included Shape Of You, the second most streamed song ever, it couldn’t fail. Released last September, it has yet to leave the top 12.
Now Sheeran has a new album, Play. First, the good news: it’s better than Autumn Variations. It’s brisk and buoyant, which is impressive as he calls it ‘a direct response to the darkest period of my life’.
His wife Cherry had been diagnosed with cancer while pregnant with their second child. His friend and mentor Jamal Edwards MBE died suddenly. Sheeran himself faced two court cases over alleged plagiarism. Cherry, happily, is now doing well, and so is that child, Jupiter, a sister for Lyra.
The album even features some artistic development. Sheeran’s signature sound – cuddly folk-pop – now comes with an Indian twist. He sings in Hindi and Punjabi, showing an open mind at a time when it’s sorely needed.
Has Ed Sheeran been using Chat GPT to write his cheesy lyrics? TIM DE LISLE gives a limp 2 stars to new album Play
Empires fall, eventually. Sheeran’s imperial phase was ending not with a banger, but a whimper
The bad news is that his music remains a mixture of the good, the bad and the grumpy. He’s still apt to rap, unconvincingly. He’s still inclined to gloat (‘I won both cases’), and to act as his own defence counsel. ‘I built my own bricks through constant playing,’ he claims, apparently unaware that bricks are laid, not built.
When he writes a love song, his way with words gets even worse. ‘We’re alone,’ he sings on Symmetry, ‘two silhouettes just touching skin.’ There may be three of them in this marriage: Ed, Cherry and ChatGPT.
The sweetest track is For Always, a dad’s ode to his daughters. The least sweet is A Little More, which discusses a friendship turned sour. Seeing how much mileage Taylor Swift gets out of her ex-lovers, Ed attempts something similar with his ex-friends.
The most uplifting track is Sapphire, which is anthemic, if rather too reminiscent of early Sheeran. Maybe he’s decided that the safest move is to plagiarise himself.
The bad news is that his music remains a mixture of the good, the bad and the grumpy. He’s still apt to rap, unconvincingly
