4.8/10
Favorite Track: "Antisocial (feat. Travis Scott)"
Least Favorite Track: "Feels (Feat. Young Thug & J Hus)"
Very few pop artists rival the industry influence, recognition, and power that 28 year old Ed Sheeran currently possess. With that being said, it’s a little easier to not bat an eye at the impressive star power all over his new collaborative project ; No.6 Collaborations Project. The follow up to his 2011 EP, sees appearances from gigantic names like Travis Scott and Khalid. However, when I look at the feature list on this project none of these names seem like they would mesh with Edd’s style particularly well. Do they? That is kind of a tough question. I don’t think No.6 Collaborations Project is as bad as some people are making it out to be. Oldheads love to tear apart easy to listen to pop but a lot of what Ed gives us here isn’t that bad. Much of it has absolutely no teeth or flavor but it really isn’t unlistenable. In fact, there are a few cuts that run pretty decently. Usually the keepers here are the ones that actually have something to say opposed to some of the soulless radio-ready garbage that surrounds it. The insecurity expression ballad that Ed throws at us with YEBBA is sweet, genuine, and feels like it comes from the right place. Moments like this and the surprisingly good “Antisocial” with Travis Scott are what keep this album from standing completely in the trash can but the lack of song ideas are what truly keeps one leg in it. Sometimes when he has nothing left to say he just replaces substance with cringe like on track #9 ; “Feels” with Young Thug and J Hus. Lyrically this has to be one of the worst and cringiest songs I have heard all year. I don’t think this new Ed Sheeran project is anything near as bad as people are making it out to be. It just seems like it was made exclusively for the radio and inclusively for absolutely everyone which in turn, makes it extremely teethless, bland, and forces the lack of concepts and ideas that end up being this albums eventual downfall. This thing will chart high with its radio-friendly sound, but overall it doesn’t seem like Ed really had anything to say.