Unlike other creative evolutions, X’s fuller production and stabs at Top 40 rarely feel forced.
His sweetness isn't cloying, not even when the productions are aimed straight down the middle of the road, which they often are on X.
His heart is more into the time spent – at points in the company of Pharrell Williams – making rather good groove-oriented R&B pop which has a bit of earthiness to go along with the sleekness.
The lyrical references to heartbreak, drinking and smoking weed are undeniably cliched, and a few songs, such as Tenerife Sea, are simply dull. Still, the enjoyable injection of blue-eyed soul on Thinking Out Loud makes Sheeran's aptitude for melody difficult to dismiss.
It ... shows some artistic growth and a willingness to take creative risks, even if they are calculated not to scare off the adolescent girls and other sensitive souls that buy his tunes and flock to his gigs in their millions.
The appeal is easy to hear, but ultimately X undermines emotional rawness with slick production and lyrical goop that feels calculated and bland. It’s music about imperfection with no room for imperfection.
X is a vapid and overly confident album that feels more like regression than progression for Ed Sheeran's indie folk sound.
My greatest guilty pleasure album.
'X' is the only album I ever bought on iTunes. Whenever my car turned on, this album would automatically start playing, and often times I was just too lazy to change it. I've heard this album probably 100 times more than any other album, and I know every single word.
While I can understand the negativity (especially on his other albums), this album will always hold a special place in my brain. The cliche pop rap and the melodramatic songwriter ballads... ... read more
Going back to one of Ed's first projects, I was curious, since I never heard a full album from him, only the new one that he dropped today. And what can I say man, this isn't bad.
Nothing that blew my mind or anything, I mean a lot of these songs are just kind of generic and tasteless, but there are a few tracks here that I legitimately like, like One or Photograph for example. I'm not sure how I feel about when he goes into that swingy style at the bar with an acoustic guitar, but I do like ... read more
If I believed in the term "guilty pleasures" this would be the epitome of it.
This was one of my favourite albums growing up, (mainly because of my mum) so it's an album I can never truly dislike. I re-listened to it for the first time in years this morning and wow it hasn't aged well.
X still has some pretty decently fun highs with its more up-tempo tracks like "Don't" and "Sing" but it's slower tempo love songs do grind your ears after a while. "One" ... read more
I like when he sings but I don't like when he try to rap? I don't really know what he's doing but it's kinda rap like and I don't like it.
1 | One 4:12 | 66 |
2 | I'm a Mess 4:04 | 69 |
3 | Sing 3:55 | 73 |
4 | Don't 3:39 | 78 |
5 | Nina 3:45 | 63 |
6 | Photograph 4:18 | 75 |
7 | Bloodstream 5:00 | 77 |
8 | Tenerife Sea 4:01 | 68 |
9 | Runaway 3:25 | 65 |
10 | The Man 4:10 | 55 |
11 | Thinking Out Loud 4:41 | 77 |
12 | Afire Love 5:14 | 73 |
#1 | / | The Telegraph |
#5 | / | Billboard |
#5 | / | Digital Spy |
#25 | / | Q Magazine |
#28 | / | Vibe |