Ed Sheeran "A+"

How many artists can not only cause a stir with the tweenage, teenage, and young adult crowd while also earning respect, and performing with Sir Elton John? Not many! Ed Sheeran is one of those artists, and for his proper debut he earns an A+ for effort, and the quality is not that far behind.  “The A Team” really helped gain him recognition for this tragic tale of a prostitute struggling with heroin addiction accompanied by delicate acoustic melodies; reaffirmation of the fragile state she is in. Whether he was “Drunk” or not when composing this song, he was well aware of the hip-hop percussion will hold your attention while he dabbles in self-pity, yet not tripping over these occasionally complex phonetic phrases; like on “UNI.”                                                                                                                                                                                All those changes that occur in puberty can cause more than confusion, but you don’t have to currently be in “Grade 8” to feel like “My mind is a warrior/ My heart is a foreigner,” or that my feelings are being played with like an acoustic guitar from the band of Jesse McCartney.                                                                                    It has been said that he ends up writing faceless acoustic tunes lost amidst the other thousands of artists who do so, and this trio of tracks does not “Wake Me Up” to that fact, but convinces me as to why they would think so. “Small Bump” is my favorite of the three, lyrically and conceptually, as it is dedicated to his unborn child, while “This” is undeniably “…the start of something beautiful.” I doubt that you’ll think of me whenever you see or hear this “Lego House,” but that’s not my intent. If you need a song in tune with your aching heart, then “Kiss Me,” or “Give Me Love” shall do the trick. The latter features a breakdown guilty of breaking the girl, with some added doobie vocalizing, and a hidden treasure. The album didn’t need to hand in extra credit, but chose to do so anyways; the best  ones were “Little Bird” and the bump-strum of “Gold Rush”; “I was told to put my job in front of you/But it won't hold me like you do.” Favorites: The A Team, Grade 8, Small Bump, This, The City, You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, Give Me Love, Little Bird and Gold Rush.