Asylum Records UK / Atlantic Records UK
Release Date: December 3rd 2021
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Ed Sheeran– Merry Christmas (feat. Elton John) (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Merry Christmas
One of the most respected, popular, influential, powerful, encouraging, honest, vulnerable, and emotional artists I’ve heard in a long time… is British pop singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran. We blogged about Ed a few years ago way back in 2019 on our blog series which is on hiatus now (and will resume in early 2024!), and all of the positive things Jon had to say about Ed, his music and his song writing, still ring true today. Ed’s brand of pop isn’t like the pop you hear on the radio today; and though he is a mainstream artist, I find myself resonating with his music probably even more so than some of the CCM artists that I’ve been listening to for a longer time. Ed has a way with words and with the acoustic guitar and with the piano- when you listen to an Ed Sheeran song, you can’t help but feel emotive and inspired and encouraged and comforted; and his brilliant prowess as a singer and as a songwriter is probably as big as it has ever been right now, and as never more so on display I reckon, than in his 2021 album =. Pronounced ‘equals’, = was reviewed by Jon here… and again I agree with everything that he has said and mentioned about Ed and his songs. Songs like “Overpass Graffiti”, “Tides”, “The Joker And The Queen”, “Visiting Hours”, “Leave Your Life” and “Stop The Rain”, are all songs that are highlights and are songs which are impactful, compelling, and thought-provoking. While “Bad Habits” to me is still the lone ‘misstep’ of the album… so 13 good songs and 1 mediocre one isn’t that bad. Now fast forward this year, and Ed is back with a brand new album called… yep, you guess it. It’s called – (pronounced ‘subtract’), and with a whopping 18 tracks, and the album being inspired by the death of Ed’s best friend Jamal; can I say that though the subject matter of all of the songs is dark and depressing, that this album could be the album of the year come the end of 2023? Ed Sheeran has also been very busy and quick to move on from Subtract, as he’s now released the brand new album Autumn Variations. But before Jon reviews Ed’s latest album and second studio album of the year; let’s read about my thoughts about Subtract and analyse how Ed’s friend’s death made him feel and how it resonated with him.
Previously, Ed released “Celestial”- a track to promote the new Pokémon video game, and boy is this track an encourager and an uplifter if ever there was one. I recently reviewed Ed’s deluxe edition of =, which you can read here– standing tall at 23 tracks, Ed has added an additional 9 songs, and has enhanced his album to more stratospheric heights. I didn’t think that = could be improved upon… but it has. Now that you’ve read my thoughts on – though, and considering that it’s approaching Christmas 2023; let’s lightly touch upon “Merry Christmas”, the original Christmas single from Ed and Elton John which released in 2021. An inclusion on Ed’s deluxe edition of =, as well as Elton’s 2021 album The Lockdown Sessions, we are met with a melancholy yet hopeful and somewhat profound and sentimental and nostalgic message- Christmas may be sad for some and we can and often do lament the fact that the year may not have gone like we once envisioned at the start of it. Yet this song is hopeful because sometimes all you can do is to celebrate Christmas with your family and just turn the new page that represents the new year- and see the new year as a new beginning, with a new outlook, new challenges, new ways of succeeding, and sometimes a brand new mantra or set of values in order to enjoy and thrive in the upcoming year ahead. Sound too philosophical or deep? Maybe it’s not supposed to be. Regardless, “Merry Christmas” isn’t as ‘sad’ as the lyrics make it out to be, and both Ed and Elton powerfully sing this song to perfection!
Ed Sheeran’s song-writing and inspiring lyrics and heartfelt vocals ensure that he is a star at the moment and that his best work is this past released studio album (not including Autumn Variations which I haven’t heard yet!). Subtract, Apple Music Live: Ed Sheeran (as well as maybe Autumn Variations) confirms Ed’s greatness amongst other British artists like Phil Collins, Robbie Williams, Coldplay, The Beatles, David Bowie, Sting and George Michael to name a few; while this Christmas single also displays Ed’s versatility and determination to show us a different side of himself that maybe others weren’t aware of. And as of this moment, Ed can do no wrong. And so I must congratulate Ed- well done for setting the bar high once again! I can’t wait to hear what’s next! Perhaps a full-length Christmas album? Or a remix album?
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, Lewis Capaldi, Maroon 5, Adele