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The post Review: Ed Sheeran\u2019s return to pop, Play, succeeds where you least expect<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n For the first time since his Equals album in 2021, Ed Sheeran<\/a> has returned to the pop genre with his latest project, Play<\/a>.<\/p>\n It feels like a long time coming.\u00a0Since Equals, Sheeran has released Subtract \u2014 perhaps his best showcase as a writer \u2014 and the underrated and\u00a0overlooked Autumn Variations<\/a> (which feels like a non-canon event in the Ed Sheeran lore until his next album, named after a season, comes out).\u00a0Both had their moments, but they were the most \u201cindie\u201d Sheeran got since he became a star.<\/p>\n Play is a return to the joyous pop bops that made Divide blow up way back in 2017. Singles like \u201cAzizam\u201d and \u201cSapphire\u201d proved he\u2019s still got the ability to write radio-friendly bops. Like Coldplay with Moon Music, he infuses other cultures into these songs. But it\u2019s the quieter ballads that are where he succeeds.<\/p>\n He typically has one or two love ballads per album. With all of the hype regarding this being a pop album, Play succeeds with its exceptional slower songs. \u201cCamera,\u201d \u201cThe Vow,\u201d and \u201cFor Always\u201d are up there with some of his best lyrics.<\/p>\n That makes Play Sheeran\u2019s most well-rounded project in years. It may not be as poignant as Subtract or hit-filled as Divide, but it is a return to form for him. If nothing else, Play proves Sheeran can return to the pop genre without missing a beat.<\/p>\nEd Sheeran\u2019s Play review<\/b><\/h2>\n