Ed Sheeran - X Review: Versatile Yet Nothing Special

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Everyone's favourite, loveable red head, Ed Sheeran is back with his debut album 'X' a.k.a 'Multiply'.

Ed Sheeran: 'X'

Since the album's release on the 23rd June 2014, Sheeran has been dominating the charts, nabbing the number one spot in over 65 countries on iTunes. He also made TV history yesterday (26 June) doing the first interactive TV advert during The Big Bang Theory on E4. Viewers got to vote via Twitter for which song they would like Ed to perform during the advert. The advert received thousands of votes with 'I'm a Mess' resulting as the most voted.

So it's time for the big question, is the album worthy of its positive reception its had so far?

I'll be honest, after the release of his new annoying, yet catchy single 'Sing' I wasn't expecting much from the singer-songwriter's debut album. The single is very repetitive with annoying noises and yells of "sing" or "love" chucked in. It seems as though he didn't put as much effort into that song compared to his previous hit tracks.


Multiply is simply a mixed bag, featuring some great songs and others not even worth mentioning. This album truly shows how Ed Sheeran has developed throughout his rise to fame, slowly losing his reputation as the great singer-songwriter with a guitar. The majority of his tracks now rely on a backing track.
It happens with the majority of stars nowadays, once they became a known name they merge in with the rest of them and lose their uniqueness. But who can blame Sheeran? It should come as no surprise that Writing songs for the likes of One Direction is going to have a negative effect.

However, the singer-songwriter does deserve a huge round of applause for his efforts in experimenting with various genres. Showcasing his versatility, Ed proves he is capable of penning a song for any genre. 'Multiply' features his usual acoustic style songs such as 'I'm a Mess', hip-hop/rap tracks like 'The Man' and many pop hits. Plus let's not forget his movie soundtrack written for the huge box office hit 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug', 'I See Fire.' Sheeran is certainly a multi-talented star.

For those who like to delve into different genres, this album is perfect for you! Just ensure you don't judge on first impressions as this album does take a few listens before any songs grab you.

Overall, fans of his early work will be disappointed to learn that Ed has steered away from his usual style, he is not the one-man band with just his guitar any more. The majority of the songs feature rapping and poppy backing tracks.

He is loved and known as the singer-songwriter with a guitar, performing acoustic songs without the need of a backing track or other instruments behind him. One can only hope he realises that is his strength and by the time of his next album he converts back to his old ways.

Best Tracks: 'One', 'I'm A Mess', 'Don't', 'Afire Love' and 'I See Fire.'