Warner Music recently invited us to the listening session of Ed Sheeran’s 2nd studio album “x” (Multiply) coming out on June 23rd. It follows his critically acclaimed and hugely successful 2011 debut +; an album that was certified 6 times platinum in the UK alone and has achieved worldwide sales of over 4 million copies to date. It also saw Ed as the recipient of various awards for the record, including 2 Brits, an Ivor Novello and multiple Grammy nominations. Ed is a man of not many words and he does love maths, which is evident in his album titles.
I didn’t know what to expect from the album because I didn’t really like the first single that was released but all things changed when we got an opportunity to exclusively listen to the full album. Pharrell Williams brought in the hip hop element by producing lead single ‘Sing’, hip hop doesn’t really suit Ed but music is about exploring and experience. Besides that, the album is still the Ed Sheeran that you know and loved from his debut album. The opening track “One” will make you want to fall in love, kind of sounds like “Small Bump” from his debut. According to internet sources “One” was the first song Sheeran wrote for the album, and is “particularly quiet”. Written on a guitar made out of a whiskey bottle in a hotel room whilst on tour in Perth in 2011, it is the last track he has written about his ex-girlfriend Alice, who was the subject of all the love songs from his previous album.
He still appears strong with his lyrics writing abilities. Fourth track “Don’t” will make you want to get down and move your hip a bit. The beautiful thing about music is to be able to tell a story as honest as you can and sing about the things that once made you sad or break your heart. It surely feels like the weight on your shoulders has been lifted off. The closing track Afire Love ends on a high note, just how it opened on a high note. You will still wish there’s a next track coming after the last one but 12 songs are enough for Ed to tell his story.
In summary X is about love, light and fun or joy. That’s the theme that comes out in the album
Pre-order it on iTunes here: http://bit.ly/1l7JXH3
