Ed Sheeran released a new tune, called “SING”. It features Pharrell Williams, whose “Happy” I still refuse to listen to, but I decided to give the song a chance. I usually like what Sheeran does, because he’s a really talented artist. I didn’t know what to expect because I hadn’t listened to anything he’d done in a while, but figured it would be similar to “A Team”, a slow ballad to make his fangirls all melty. Instead, I was surprised with a hard hitter, a fast and diverse pop jam that is probably the best thing the man’s done so far.
I love when Sheeran raps, and though he doesn’t quite get there in this tune, but gets really close. I love it. It has a definite Justin Timberlake-vibe, dancey and upbeat but complex and funky. He hits the nail on the head with his falsetto notes, giving the song a real range of sounds. I could really here Timberlake covering this, imagining how he’d put his spin on it and dance. It’s such a universal sounding tune, and pretty much everyone could get down to it. There’s so much going on in it, between the backing vocals, the different layers of beats and everything that’s tracked on it is so crisp and sounds incredibly well-produced. Though he’s going in a far more commercial direction, it’s not necessarily a bad thing because this song is seriously a masterpiece. It’s a radio hit, it belongs in movie soundtracks and commercials. The guy knows exactly how to make a fantastic song, get it to sell, and stay true to himself. You’ve done it again, Ed. Well done.
