shrk314
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Joined: September 2017
Posts: 237
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Post by shrk314 on Feb 9, 2018 11:27:29 GMT -5
Decided to start a thread where I'll post album reviews. First one should be up shortly.
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shrk314
New Member
Joined: September 2017
Posts: 237
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Post by shrk314 on Feb 9, 2018 12:15:38 GMT -5
Divide - Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran’s much anticipated 3rd album dropped about a year ago, to around 500K sales. Those are impressive numbers by themselves, but couple that with one of the largest singles of all time and two very successful follow-ups, and you cement yourself as one of the largest artists in the world. Ed Sheeran dominated 2017 commercially, but critics were, no pun intended, divided on his album. Let’s look at it.
Amount 2 months before the album, Ed Sheeran dropped both lead singles on the same day. The first was Shape of You, a track Ed Sheeran wrote to give away, but decided to keep. It’s a solid pop song by itself, very catchy and unique melodically, but on the album, it sticks out like a sore thumb, sounding like nothing else. The second, Castle on the hill, is a great song, nostalgically reflecting on Ed’s childhood. The U2 sequel arena rock sound is both timeless and well-fitting on the album. Its only weakness is the production, which overdoes the strings and doesn’t let Ed’s vocals and guitar work shine through.
This is probably the album as a wholes greatest weakness. Ed is at his best with a stripped back acoustic sound, but executive producer Benny Blanco overstuffs many of the albums ballads, particularly Happier, Hearts don’t break around here, Perfect, and How would you feel, with strings, drums, and keys, leaving Ed himself in the background. Happier and Perfect are still quite good songs, but they could have been much more.
Possibly the greatest strength here is Ends willingness to experiment. He raps on the excellent album opener Eraser, and the Irish flavored Galway Girl could be a massive hit if radio would give it a chance. He also recruits John Mayer and Eric Clapton for guitar solos in How Would You Feel and Dive, which elevates both songs considerably.
Unfortunately, the second half of the album is much weaker than the first. New Man is admittedly clever and funny, but the songs start to run into one-another after that. However, the stunning album closer, Supermarket Flowers, almost makes up for that. It’s a painful but powerful story of the passing of Ends Grandmother. It’s too bad that this and Castle on the Hill are the only songs that really shine lyrically. The Deluxe Edition tracks are quite good, so much so that they probably should have replaced some of the weaker tracks in the albums second-half. Nancy Mulligan and Save Myself are well worth a listen.
Overall this is a solid album, and I would even call the first half great. With some shuffling around of the track order and some better written lyrics the second half could have been much better though, and the production is hit-and-miss. Ed Sheeran’s Divide earns a 6 out of 10.
6/10
Must Listens Eraser, Castle on the Hill, Galway Girl, Supermarket Flowers, Save Myself Best Lyrics
“And I hope that I see the world as you did because I know
A life with love is a life that's been lived’- Supermarket Flowers “But I guess it's just my nature
My dad was wrong Cause I'm not like my mum Because she'd just smile and I'm complaining in a song”-Save Myself
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Au$tin
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Pop Culture Guru
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Post by Au$tin on Feb 10, 2018 11:15:08 GMT -5
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shrk314
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Joined: September 2017
Posts: 237
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Post by shrk314 on Feb 10, 2018 14:43:22 GMT -5
My bad. Im not sure how to move this post but Ill put all future ones there. Feel free to delete this review.
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