'x' (pronounced 'multiply') is the second album by British superstar singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.
It's been a long road to the top for the man who released hit album '+' back in 2011. It's been a slow gradual rise to fame not only in the UK, but across the pond in the US. Nonetheless, Ed Sheeran has captured the world with his acoustic-based melodies that melt the hearts of many of his (largely female) fans. Now, he's back with a new album and while the sales records that he has produced with the album have been expected, people are held with bated breath as to if it will be anywhere near as good as his debut effort.
Ed Sheeran kicks off the album with 'One', a typical acoustic guitar ballad, the last about his ex-girlfriend who was the subject of most of the love songs on his previous album. In a way, he starts a new era by putting an end to the last one. It is one of only a handful of songs that sound anything like his previous material. The songs on the album that do play directly to his strengths however ('I'm a Mess', 'Photograph', 'Tenerife Sea') are nothing short of excellent and satisfies the wait of many anxious fans waiting for new music from the Suffolk crooner.
For the rest of the album though, Sheeran thinks outside the box, using advice from legendary American producers such as Rick Rubin and Pharrell Williams to create tracks like 'Sing', 'Don't' and 'Thinking Out Loud' that nobody would've seen Sheeran singing, but which work incredibly well. They capture the same emotions that Sheeran's trying to express whilst taking Ed Sheeran a step out of his comfort zone to see what else works, a bold move but one the pays off.
In all, 'x' has something for everybody. The die-hard fans will be able to get their fix of Sheeran's acoustic ballads while giving those that doubted his sound from the first album new perspective on the singer. Everybody should hear at least 3 tracks on the album before writing it off, and in doing so, they will find that Sheeran is not a one trick pony, nor is he catering to the masses. He is expanding his potential horizons with this album musically, commercially and personally with great success and who knows where he can go from here.
9.5/10
Click here to watch the video for the album's lead hit single 'Sing'
