Lian Bunny
Photo Editor
Ed Sheeran cruises through Croonersville while neatly avoiding Clichétown with his third studio album, Divide.
The English singer-songwriter finds the perfect symbiotic balance of poppy, hip-hop beats and smooth, sentimental ballots.
Tunes like “Shape of You” have catchy choruses to get up and dance to, while love songs like “Perfect” pluck at Sheeran fans’ heartstrings, giving them flashbacks to the first time they heard “Thinking Out Loud” from Sheeran’s last album, Multiply.
As a huge fan of Multiply and the song “Don’t,” I was thrilled to hear the familiar sound of Sheeran laying down some crazy rhythms in songs like “Eraser.”
“So blame it on the pain that blessed me with this life/Friends and family filled with envy, when they should be filled with pride,” Sheeran sings.
Throughout his music career, Sheeran has stayed true to his simple, street roots. He revisits past childhood memories in his song “Castle on the Hill.”
He always writes about what he knows and doesn’t gloss over the ugly truths. This remains true from a macro-level in songs such as “Save Myself” and “What Do I Know?” and from a micro-level in ballots such as “Happier” and “Dive,” where Sheeran reflects on more intimate, personal experiences.
“And all the ones that love me, they just left me on the shelf/No farewell/So before I save someone else, I’ve got to save myself,” Sheeran croons in “Save Myself.”
While writing songs about relationships is an overdone, common inspiration among singers, in “Save Myself” Sheeran is refusing to over-romanticize the cliché idea of hero saving victim.
A surprisingly catchy and welcomed addition to Sheeran’s latest album: an Irish folk feel. “Nancy Mulligan” heavily features a lively fiddle, mixed with a down-beat would make any Irish dancer feel right at home.
The Irish-themed song I hear fans discussing the most is by far “Galway Girl.” Sheeran harmoniously blends his smooth rapping with a fiddle-filled chorus. This tune has impressed listeners both during and after St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
Although I hesitate to even attempt at picking my favorite song off the new album, I could heavily argue for “Shape of You.” Generally, singles released from new albums are not the best ones. They are overplayed, over-edited and sometimes don’t really match the singers’ album theme.
However, “Shape of You” fits in perfectly with the rest of Sheeran’s album, and I can definitely see why it was released as a single.
For those who are just as obsessed as me, I recommend Conor Maynard’s sing off with The Vamps. I stumbled on this video by chance; I have no other experience with either singer. But each lead vocalist has an amazing voice.
The video features each artist singing back and forth, seeing how many songs they can lay over the music track of “Shape of You.” They sing parts of 16 songs in about two minutes, from The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” to Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars.” As my sister and roommates can probably attest, I can unashamedly sing the entire mashup.
The finale of the video features the two artists singing “Shape of You” together.
No matter how many times I hear the song on the radio or blaring through my laptop speakers, it never fails to make me sing along.
Sheeran fans who live locally can look forward to the red-headed genius’ North American tour coming to Buffalo in July.
bunnyla13@bonaventure.edu
