Ed Sheeran – X (multiply)

Ed Sheeran is not your normal pop star. His one-man band and acoustic guitar does not seem like the kind of act that would rise to the elite levels of stardom, yet that is exactly what he has managed to do.

In 2011, Sheeran released his album +. Now in 2014, he has followed this up with his second album, called X (as in multiply). From the name, you’d expect this album to be exponentially greater than the first one, and you might be right. Comparing the two albums, X seems to be a richer blend, a deeper performance, and a more seamless melding of the various characteristics that made his last album such a success. He brings a unique blend of pop feeling, hip hop energy, strong songwriting, and personal charisma to his music, and it all adds up to a winner.

Though he is still young, at 23 years of age, Sheeran has been practicing his art for a considerable time. He has been touring endlessly since he was a teenager. He has also become a star on the social networks. His Twitter followers and Facebook fans are treated to loads of personal details, and his introspective style of writing.

Many of Sheeran’s songs seem to have an autobiographical element to them, similar to Taylor Swift, with whom he has toured. When he sings about a childhood sweetheart, Nina, and broken hearts, you get the feeling that was a real person. In another song, called Don’t, he describes a romantic affair with another pop singer, and once again, you feel through the bluesy strains of the song that this really happened.

The songs on X vary in style, with quite a range of influences. Sheeran makes it all seem effortless, as he brings rock, hip hop, and soul into his songs. A couple of the tracks, Photograph and One, are deep ballads. Another song, The Man, brings his hip hop and poetic influences to the fore. Still others, such as Bloodstream and I’m a Mess have more of an edgy rock feel.

The number one hit on the album is Sing, which he recorded with today’s hot pop producer, Pharrell Williams. Sheeran said that he had written a couple of other songs with Pharrell that were more along his usual style, but that on Sing, Pharrell pushed him out of his box. Pharrell said he was hoping to shake up the world’s view of Ed Sheeran, and do something totally new.