Ed Sheeran taps into his pain to produce something special on Subtract By Alex Green, PA
He also faced a copyright battle over his 2017 hit Shape Of You and although he won that he then found himself in court in the US over a similar case that was ultimately also unsuccessful. This is by no means a perfect album but Sheeran, assisted by Aaron Dessner of The National – who helped Taylor Swift produce her two lauded lockdown albums, manages to tap into something truly novel. Tracks like Dusty are inspired by his morning routine with his daughter Lyra, while Eyes Closed tackles his intense grief following the death of Edwards. Sheeran’s skill as a commercial songwriter tends to smooth out the sharper edges of such tracks, despite their inherent rawness.
Subtract is billed as the most personal album Ed Sheeran has ever released.
The singer may be best known for his ability to crank out chart-dominating love songs that feel universal.
But this, the final part of his album series inspired by the mathematical symbols, is deeply personal.
It was written against a backdrop of perhaps the most difficult year of his life, in which his pregnant wife was diagnosed with a tumour and his close friend, Jamal Edwards, died.
This is a shame, but Subtract remains by far Sheeran’s best album.
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