![]() ![]() ![]() That would represent a big challenge for any songwriter, with daunting implications of pretension and hubris. In his world conquering mathematical sequence of albums (+, x, ÷ and =), Sheeran’s end game was always Subtract (-), a work that would strip pop adornments away to focus on pure songcraft, a chance to measure himself against the artistic giants of his chosen field, in the profound realm of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell rather than the commercial zones of Elton John and Carole King. There has never been a troubadour like him, an acoustic guitar-strumming one-man band who has pushed the folky singer-songwriter genre to the hot centre of the 21st century pop mainstream armed with loop pedals, earworm hooks and a deep affinity for the rhythms of electronic dance music and cadences of hip hop. But his moving and surprising new album potently demonstrates why that would be a shameful loss to music.Īs should be clear from anyone who has followed his improbable rise from street busker to stadium superstar, Sheeran has always been a man with a plan. To which, no doubt, many curmudgeonly pop haters would have crowed good riddance. This week, Ed Sheeran suggested he may quit making music if he lost the plagiarism suit (over alleged similarities between his 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud and Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic Let’s Get It On) that he has now won. ![]()
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