Recommendations of the Editorial team
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On the icing on the icing on his eighth studio album “Play”, Ed Sheeran explains his goals for the project in a written message. “My play means leaving the past behind. Play is colorful. Play is dancing. And Play is nostalgic.” Can an album leave the past behind and be nostalgic at the same time? In any case, Ed hopes.
The strongest moments on “Play”
In the opener, appropriately called “Opening”, the multi-platinum singer-songwriter draws a clear line. And leaves the emotional struggles of the ” – (subtract)” published in 2023. Instead, he turns to South and West Asian rhythms. And creates a merger of danceable, optimistic pop songs that reflect the cheerful mood of the title and cover. But as promised, “Play” is also greatly rooted in memories. Sheeran spends the majority of the album returning to the singer-songwriter ballads that have made him famous. For a project that supposedly wants to look ahead, this looks a bit contradictory.
The most exciting are the cross-cultural, experimental songs in which Sheeran hits a new pop wave. “Sapphire” lives from a brilliant, irresistible rhythm thanks to the Iranian-Swedish producer Ilya and support from the Indian megastar Arijit Singh. The seductive dance number “Symmetry” also has a pumping beat that makes everyone dance. Even if you don’t understand the Hindi refrain. But sheeran is mostly neither George Harrison nor Paul Simon on these world music excursions. Tracks such as “Azizam” and “Don’t Down” seem out of place. Simply because their bright sitar and flute sounds fight against the melancholy, acoustically shaped pieces of “Play”.
For the most part, Sheeran finds his ballad shape back. Apart from the rap part in “Opening”, which is reminiscent of early career moments such as “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” (2011), and the thoughtful piece of folk “Old Phone”, Sheeran travels back to 2017 at most. “Camera” is a kitschy hymn in the style of “Perfect” that should dominate future wedding playlists, while “The Vow” almost already sounds like a rascal flatts song with soulful jazz bonds and Hallmark texts (“I Thanks the broken road led me to you”). Not everything fails: In “in Other Words” and “Slowly” Sheeran once again shows his talent for detailed songwriting in gentle ballads.
Conclusion: much well -known one
The bottom line is that “Play” delivers the well-known, radio-compatible singer-songwriter program that has been shaping the Sheeran for 15 years despite small excursions into more global sounds. “Been a long time on top, but i ain’t complacent/ if i look down, i can see replacements,” he raps in “Opening”. Ironically, of all people, of all people, in today’s pop environment, in which numerous balladers in the fairway of Sheeran-like Alex Warren and Teddy Swims-are on the move that he himself does not find a way to really develop his music.