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Ed Sheeran\u2019s seventh album is his second full-length release this year and the best of these songs sparkle with his familiar melodic sorcery.<\/p>\n
Ed says Autumn Variations was inspired by Elgar\u2019s Enigma Variations. Not musically \u2013 there\u2019s no Nimrod here \u2013 but in the sense that the songs are based on people he knows.<\/p>\n
Highs include the pretty, perky acoustic ballad American Town about living with an English girl in the States \u2013 wife Cherry in New York, perhaps.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ate Chinese food in small white boxes, live the life we saw in Friends,\u201d Ed sings.<\/p>\n
England is a folky ballad over restless guitar that feels stirring despite lyrics noting the country\u2019s sad decline. The seaside comes with warnings of \u201cbroken glass and train lines\u201d (What? No sewerage?) and \u201cthe pub with the flag that\u2019s workin\u2019 flexible hours\u201d.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Ed Sheeran pours pints for Ipswich fans and gatecrashes club’s TV channel<\/strong><\/p>\n Then Suffolk-raised Ed adds: \u201cI find this country of mine gets a bad reputation of being cold and grey\u201d, but on the coast, \u201cI find serenity I\u2019ve never felt, there\u2019s a peace and a quiet in this land of ours, that can\u2019t be mirrored by anywhere else\u201d.<\/p>\n This album is perhaps the last of Sheeran\u2019s musical collaborations with The National\u2019s Aaron Dessner, master of stripped-down production.<\/p>\n The 14 new songs include the uplifting electro-pop of Midnight, the folk-rap of That\u2019s On Me (with an unexpected F-bomb), and the simple synth-enhanced opening love song, Magical.<\/p>\n The Day I Was Born, about a sad chap whose pals swerve his birthday drinks, marries catchy 70s-style Americana with peevish lyrics. \u201cNobody cares,\u201d he moans. \u201cAnother birthday alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Ed is no poet but he has the ability to chronicle the everyday and imbue it with real feeling. As ever, he manages to make the mundane magical. His gift for singalong tunes is undiminished.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/35\/590x\/secondary\/4998444.jpg?r=1696608249540\")
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