User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
- Summary: The latest full-length release from British pop singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was recorded partly in India.
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Record Label: Atlantic
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 1 out of 6
-
Mixed: 5 out of 6
-
Negative: 0 out of 6
-
Sep 18, 2025Sheeran knows how to please his fans and Play doesn't veer far from his usual formula, shaking things up just enough with the invigorating addition of a couple internationally spiced highlights.
-
Sep 11, 2025It’s not a radical reinvention, but you sense an artist pushing softly at boundaries.
-
Sep 11, 2025Sheeran hasn’t committed as wholeheartedly to the genre-hopping bit as he did on ‘÷’. There are an awful lot of those sickly ballads, some of which are better than others: ‘Old Phone’, inspired by seeing an old text from Edwards, is genuinely moving.
-
Sep 11, 2025Overall, despite some of its nods to a more global sound, Play is a lot more of the same radio-tailored singer-songwriter music that has become Sheeran’s signature in his 15-year career.
-
Sep 11, 2025There is evident ambition on Play, but not a holistic or thorough one. Probing attempts to broaden Sheeran’s sound are offset by melodic and lyrical choices that are too safe.
-
Sep 16, 2025You can hear that weariness all throughout Play, which often finds him going back to his two favourite wells—wedding songs and “global” bangers—without much of the energy or good humor that made him so popular to begin with.