Ed Sheeran. Play. Ed has run out of mathematical symbols. Well, that’s a big plus. But more importantly he’s moved on from despondency. “I spent weeks inside the darkest cage, but now the day bursts wild and open,’ he sings on the deceptively gentle verses of Opening. Deceptive because the song soon rockets into a confessional rap. The humble Yorkshire-born, Suffolk-raised singer-songwriter has conquered the world with his very English sound but, in another sea-change, Sheeran’s 8th album finds him embracing global music. Sapphire, an upbeat collaboration with India’s Arijit Singh, explodes into joyful life after a semi-acapella start, merging Punjabi rhythms with rap – including a few lines in Hindi. Azizam – Farsi for My Dear One – is faster and catchier; carefree dance-pop with a Middle Eastern vibe. Equally hypnotic rhythms power the addictive Symmetry. Ed turns to slow blues on The Vow, and there’s a bluesy influence on the sardonic mid-tempo pop of A Little More. Old Phone, a beautifully haunting, bittersweet number, comes with stripped-back acoustic guitar and lyrics inspired by finding the titular mobile and discovery a host of memories. ‘Conversations with my dead friends, messages from all my exes,’ he sings, wisely adding ‘Nothing good will come of regretting’. Fans of Ed’s unmistakeable, sweet-as-syrup falsetto will not be disappointed. He sounds in turn emotional and carefree, vulnerable and assured. Best of all he sounds happy. We should be proud of Ed Sheeran, a kid with a guitar who turned himself into a superstar powered by talent alone. It hasn’t gone to his head either. ‘Been a long time up top but I ain’t complacent, if I look down I can see replacements,’ he notes. Play suggests they have a long way to climb. But what title comes next? Pause? Rewind? Fast-forward? Who cares as long as he doesn’t press Stop.
Baxter Dury. Allbarone. A turn to electro hasn’t dulled his acerbic wit. Baxter’s snapshots of modern life are, in turn, dark and dreamy. Sinister dance tracks are vehicles for cynicism and blunt honesty. His bitter, spoken vocals on the mesmerizingly infectious Return Of The Sharp Heads scorn “charity shop haircuts” and “fat Olympic Ozempic hips”. Dad Ian would have loved it.
Matteo Bocelli. Falling In Love. Tuscany’s newest international sensation plays to all of his classical crossover strengths on his 2nd album. Beautiful, spine-tingling ballads are interspersed with soulful duets like Mi Historia. From epic opener To Get To Love You to the insidiously catchy For You, these 11 timeless, cinematic tracks are sauteed in romance and classy pop sensibility.
Spandau Ballet. Everything Is Now – Vol 1: 1978-1982. This huge 9-disc box-set charts the stylish north London lads’ growth from post-punk to New Romantic pioneers. Early hits like Muscle Bound and To Cut A Long Story Short rub well-tailored shoulders with demos including Eyes, from their pre-Spandau Gentry days, which is closer to Joy Division than Marvin Gaye. The box set includes their first two LPs and a treasure trove of extras.
