When the maths adds up

When the maths adds up

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
When the maths adds up

British singer-songwriter delivers a well-rounded, simple album in an age of in-your-face pop and hyper electronic dance music

 Ed Sheeran/ X

At the time of writing, the top two spots on the US album charts are dominated by British artists Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, mirroring the same feat their fellow Brits Eric Clapton and Sting achieved more than two decades ago. As with Sam Smith, whose debut album we reviewed last week, Sheeran has successfully cracked the US in quite a big way. The Suffolk-born singer-songwriter rose to fame three years ago with the breakthrough single, The A Team, which brilliantly showcased his songwriting chops and keen observation skills. We don’t know about you, but anyone who can make a song about a heroine-addicted prostitute sound oddly endearing is alright in our book.

Sheeran’s multi-platinum debut album, +, has also proved that he’s not a one-trick pony who relies solely on his voice and acoustic guitar. By fusing various musical genres such as folk, rock, R&B, rap and hip hop, he refuses to be pigeonholed as one category. His follow-up, X (sensibly pronounced “multiply” after his debut “plus”), sees Sheeran continuing to advocate this sonic versatility with even more calculated panache while lyrically exploring more personal, darker themes.

As far as artistic flexibility goes, the album’s first single, Sing, marks a giant stylistic leap for the singer. Produced by Pharrell, the track is essentially a Justin Timberlake throwback (think Like I Love You). He then gets deeply confessional on One and I’m a Mess, singing about how he doesn’t want his lover to leave and how’s he “searching for a sweet surrender”. Those looking for Sheeran’s wistful guitars and soft crooning will still get their fix on a collection of tender balladry including One, Photograph, Tenerife Sea and Thinking Out Loud.

Don’t and Nina recall Jason Mraz in his early days with fun melodic rap verses while The Man finds Sheeran trying to up his rap game to another level by channelling the Streets’ Mike Skinner. Knowing that he didn’t quite succeed, he promptly justifies himself on Take It Back, singing: “I’m not a rapper, I’m a singer with the flow/I’ve got a habit for spitting quicker lyrics, you know.” Well played, Sheeran.

For the most part, X is a solid pop album with songs that are catchy, well-crafted, and sincere. Sheeran has proven yet again that he can comfortably slip in and out of any contemporary musical style, and deliver a record that still maintains his artistic essence and showcases his many talents. What’s more, the fact that certain tracks are reminiscent of Justin Timberlake, Jason Mraz and the Streets should make for a rather pleasant trip down memory lane especially for those who are feeling nostalgic about pop music from the late ’90s and early noughties.

THE PLAYLIST

Gym and Swim/ Octopussy

Up-and-coming indie-pop quartet Gym and Swim are actually made up of members from other bands — vocalist Chalerm, for example, also fronts Parinam Music’s Seal Pillow. With their first single, Octopussy, this band of moonlighters serves up some serious indie-pop lushness complete with jangly guitars, clonking cowbell and quirky lyrics about reuniting with an old friend called Octopussy: “Pack a bag, I’m ready to go/Time to meet my old friend/He lives under the sea, his name’s Octopussy.” We especially love the layered vocals and those swoon-worthy harmonies that make us want to pack our bags and head right to the beach.

Caribou/ Can’t Do Without You

After having dabbled in his Daphni project over the past few years, Canadian producer Dan Snaith is set to release new music under his most well-known alias, Caribou. Lifted from Caribou’s forthcoming sixth studio album Our Love, first single Can’t Do Without You is a soulful slice of electro-pop that gradually builds from its understated, humble beginning. Before you know it the track implodes within the warm wash of woozy synths and muted basslines while the vocal samples, repeating the laconic lyrics, add to the euphoric bliss of it all.

Ameriie/ What I Want

American R&B songstress Ameriie, formerly known as Amerie, has returned after a five-year hiatus with an uproarious new single, What I Want. Sampling Sugarhill Gang’s hip hop classic Apache (Jump On It), the track recalls Ameriie’s uber funky hit 1 Thing and its rumbustious go-go backbeat. “Let me be your morning only/That’s what I want!” the singer sings in the opening verse, riding on the addictive production that is obviously capitalising on the old-school soul revival sound that’s currently all the rage.

Imogen Heap/ Run-Time

Frou Frou’s Imogen Heap is busy gearing up for the release of her long-awaited fourth studio album, Sparks, and here we are treated to the album’s fantastic first taste dubbed Run-Time. The track, named after a collaborative jogging app from Intel and Reality Jockey, is classic Heap, blending shimmering synths with her incomparably airy vocals. But with all its innovative sound effects, the song comes off sounding distinctively (and pleasantly) vintage. It seems like the queen of avant-pop is aiming squarely at ’80s nostalgia and running back in time with this one.

Ella Eyre/ If I Go

You may recognise up-and-coming English vocalist Ella Eyre from her collaborations with fellow Brits like Rudimental and Tinie Tempah on Waiting All Night and Someday (Place in the Sun). Now the big-haired singer is stepping out of the shadow of other artists to give us her own original material from her debut album, Deeper. If I Go finds the 20-year-old star in the making singing: “If I go, will you love me?/Will you love me when I come back?” alongside the drum ‘n’ bass-influenced beat. Eyre’s deep, soulful vocals belie her years, recalling some of the best British female vocalists, such as Duffy and Joss Stone.

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