Sheeran wears heritage on sleeve

Ed Sheeran pushes pop boundaries.

By Colleen Taylor

You’ve no doubt been privy to the Ed Sheeran Irish buzz. Sheeran—a household celebrity name at this stage—has been inducted as honorary Irishman, despite his English accent. The Grammy winner has got the genes and the passion to warrant his Hibernian title: Sheeran’s paternal grandparents hail from Wexford, and he has often discussed his fond memories of Dublin as a child. What’s more, Sheeran has named Dublin’s hub of local music talent, Whelan’s Pub, as a favorite, proving his good taste. He’s even been known to sport GAA jerseys onstage.

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When he’s not playing arena-sized concerts, Sheeran dabbles in an Irish tune or two. His debut album “+” contained a bonus track of his rendition of “The Parting Glass.” More significantly, Sheeran sang and recorded an Irish language version of his biggest hit to date, “Thinking Out Loud,” or “Ag Smaoineamh Os Ard” in 2015. Sheeran demonstrated some impressive Gaeilge acumen, and the translation energized Irish language advocates, who took life force from the global publicity of the language.

In the next stage of Sheeran’s career, however, Ireland seems to play even more of starring role, including a title track on his next studio album. Sheeran’s new and much-anticipated third record, of which he’s slowly been releasing teasers, features a song entitled “Galway Girl.” It remains to be seen whether this is an original or a cover of the Steve Earle and Mundy classic, but fans are chomping at the bit to find out. Irish dancers have a particular vested interest, as Sheeran has put out a call for ceili dancers for one of his music videos, leading to numerous YouTube and Facebook auditions for the role. So what are Sheeran’s latest installments really like?

I confess that when everyone was shouting Sheeran praise, I secretly found him a little overrated. Maybe it’s because I’m such a folkie fan, but frankly, I felt like I’d heard better from less famous contemporaries. His two newly released singles from the much-awaited third album—the first in almost three years—however, have me rethinking things. Sheeran no doubt must be feeling the stress: the wait has been so long for his third album, that he must be compelled to produce something of very high quality, and I think I that so far, he has.

“Castle on the Hill” is a dramatic, emotive quasi-country rock ballad. There’s no denying it’s catchy, energetic, and engaging, even for someone predisposed to find it overrated. But it’s his other new single, “Shape of You,” that really has me captivated. It’s a mix of folk, acoustic, and pop—signature Sheeran genre fusion. What’s different this time is how Sheeran has transformed a typical call-and-response seduction song. He sings both call and response himself, effecting the two personas of the song—the woman and the man dancing with her. It’s a fresh take on the run-of-the-mill pop song you hear on every top 40 radio station, and it’s impressive. The rhythms are international in sound, flawless and seamless—not overbearing but gripping all the same. It’s an excellent song, and it might restore your opinion of popular music today.

It’s funny, I think what I’m liking about Sheeran this time round is that his songs sound like they might otherwise belong to a female pop star. There’s something feminized about his melodies and his sentimentalism, but it gives him an edge. Sheeran is not only crossing national boundaries with his new album, he’s crossing stereotypical gendered ones too. I applaud him for pushing the pop music boundaries.

Perhaps the ultimate test of my Sheeran decision will rest on this mysterious “Galway Girl.” If it’s anything like his Irish language version of “Talking Out Loud,” it’s bound to be an important moment for the celebration of Irish culture.

 

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