Ed Sheeran’s latest album has been described as an “buoyant” record that reinforces his reputation as a crowd-pleasing but often “cheesy” performer with a “tendency towards triteness”.
Play, his eighth album, was released on Friday, with four singles already familiar to fans: Azizam, Old Phone, Sapphire and A Little More.
His latest offering features Asian and Middle Eastern influences, with album credits to players of the sitar, the tabla, the Kashmiri santoor and the South Indian kanjira.
Awarding it three out of five stars, Maya Georgi of Rolling Stone magazine, said: “When it comes to globetrotting musical fusions Sheeran isn’t exactly George Harrison or Paul Simon.
“Overall, despite some of its nods to a more global sound, Play is a lot more of the same radio-tailored singer-songwriter music that has become Sheeran’s signature in his 15-year career.”
Alex Petridis of The Guardian also gave it three stars.
He said: “The tracks recorded in India feel less striking than two songs made closer to home.
“A collaboration with Fred Again, Don’t Look Down, fruitfully places Sheeran’s vocal amid luminous rave synths and, eventually, a pounding house beat.
“And highlight Symmetry opens with looped Indian percussion and vocals but quickly floats off in a different direction, involving spectral voices and heaving sub-bass.”
Petridis added that “a curiously dark emotional undercurrent keeps bubbling up throughout Play”.
“There are allusions to Sheeran’s circle of friends contracting, to ‘leeches’ and his heart being broken by ‘loved ones’.
Neil McCormick of The Telegraph said of Sheeran: “There is something cheesy at his core, a tendency towards triteness, easy rhymes, obvious chord progressions and cliched sentimentality.
“Many of his most popular songs combine saccharine sweetness with soft focus messaging, positioning Sheeran as the hallmark bard of modern pop, with a reassuring ditty for every occasion.”
Of Play, McCormick wrote: “Sheeran loses the grit and grain that gives texture to his most interesting work and disappears entirely into mushy fantasy.”
Jordan Bassett of NME, also awarding three stars, said: “There are an awful lot of those sickly ballads, some of which are better than others.
He added that it was “dispiriting” that the album’s opening track – “entitled, ingeniously, Opening – starts off as yet another introspective, finger-picked ballad”.
Thomas Smith of Billboard was more positive, describing Play as a “buoyant record that traverses moods and continents”.
“This is Ed back at his vibrant best, and the start of a bright, brilliant new era,” he added.
Sheeran fans took to social media to praise the new release.
On X, @sujoah wrote: “Ed Sheeran absolutely popped off with Play – it’s brilliant.”
@kylieswift31 wrote: “In other words’ is hands down my favourite song on Ed Sheeran’s new play album.
“I can’t wait to play this on repeat. The album as a whole also feels like the embodiment of cinematic nostalgia. Incredible!”
@humanheart___ said it was a “very hopeful and positive album that the world desperately needs right now. a few misses here and there but overall it’s still a solid album. a lot of indian influences throughout which was surprising. overall not his best but definitely not his worst!!”
Play is the first of Sheeran’s five planned symbol records, with Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind and Stop set to follow.
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