Ed Sheeran – X

Pop music in the 21^st century has predominately taken the electronic route with auto tune, cheesy lyrics and something generic – easy to be forgotten in a short time in the minds of the listeners. That isn’t the case with Ed Sheeran, though. He is the real deal right now and this up and coming artist with his sophomore effort X just reassured us that pop isn’t just a massive conform-fest: it is diverse, vast and what music is supposed to sound like in this era.

Ed Sheeran has caught the attention of artists like Elton John, Pharrell, Taylor Swift and others – unsurprisingly, because he is an immensely talented solo artist writing and performing songs that are part of a very broad catalogue. It is the exact format that pop artists fail to utilize. X features tracks that are immensely poppy and groovy, and some are soft, soulful and meloncholy. The production is also stellar. The album features some electronic drums, a lot of acoustic guitar and fillers and samples of other instruments like keyboards, all providing clarity and atmosphere for each offering. Sheeran’s voice is absolutely outstanding – he combines rap, reggae and soul in all of his songs, as well as astonishing and haunting vocal harmonies that he does all on his own. It is hard to say which tracks on the album stand out, as each song has its own unique voice.

It is absolutely astonishing that Ed Sheeran is only 23. This is just the beginning for him, and it is believed that his true potential has yet to be reached. That is a scary thought, because with X being as good as it is, we can’t even begin to imagine what the artist’s next step will be. All is all Sheeran is the face of pop music today, and his success will be resonating throughout our souls and ears for a long, long time.

[verdict

Joe Hoffman

X was released on 23^rd June 2014. For further information or to order the album visit here.

Watch the video for Sing here: