- Ed Sheeran’s 7th UK number-one album.
- Critics divided on “Autumn Variations.”
- High vinyl sales and fan engagement.
Ed Sheeran Secures Seventh Number-One Album
Ed Sheeran has achieved his seventh consecutive number-one album in the United Kingdom with the autumnally appropriate Autumn Variations. It indicates that every album released by the singer, starting from his début in 2011 and including his most recent collection, has descended to the top. However, he stated that his most recent accomplishment “means more to me than any other award I’ve ever received” due to the fact that it is his debut album released under his own label.
A collaboration with Aaron Dessner of The National, Autumn Variations is the second studio album of 2023 by the artist. Similar to its predecessor, (Subtract), it finds Sheeran in a reflective mood as he examines the personal turmoil and crises that his peers experienced in 2022. The 32-year-old stated that Edward Elgar’s 1899 Enigma Variations, which also included fourteen sketches of his wife, acquaintances, and colleagues, served as a loose inspiration for the album. Following the October motif, it was met with a combination of favourable and unfavourable reviews when it was released last week.
Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian awarded the album two stars, contrasting its “as flat and dull as a grey sky” description. “Plodding, genre-hopping songs all end up as unimaginative ballads, their dreary lyrics littered with gibberish – though Sheeran’s hooks remain strong,” according to her. Thomas Smith of NME concurred and rated “a pumpkin-spiced snoozer” two stars. “Four months after the soul-baring Subtract, Sheeran returns with a cloying, seasonal-themed endeavour,” according to him.
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Helen Brown of The Independent awarded the album three stars, stating, “Of course, there is no standout melody that can compare to Elgar’s Nimrod, but there is sufficient soupy seasonal sentimentality to fill the Royal Albert Hall.”
In contrast, Will Hodgkinson of The Times was more lenient, bestowing Sheeran with four stars and remarking that the artist “has a way of imbuing ordinary occurrences with genuine emotion within a memorable melody.” He continued: “For all his apparent normality, that really is a rare skill” .
Sheeran dismissed critics, stating to Rolling Stone that their viewpoints are superfluous in the age of streaming. “Why is it important to read a review?” Attend to it. “It is offered for free!” he exclaimed. “Form your own judgement. “I never would have the thought, ‘I’m not going to listen to that now,’ after reading an album review.”
Conversely, he remarked that reconnecting with his admirers over the summer had been “inspiring” and assured them of a follow-up album the following year. The celebrity even surprised Kari by entertaining her and a friend to the album’s lead hit American Town in her living room. Social media spread the stunt footage all week.
Additionally, during the previous week, Autumn Variations achieved the highest-selling vinyl figure of any album in the United Kingdom, displacing Kylie’s Tension from the top position and preventing Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts from climbing to second.
Falling or Flying, the second studio album by Jorja Smith, peaked at number three on the charts. The Highlights, a compilation of the weeknd’s most popular tracks, remained at number five. The 10th anniversary reissue of the debut album by American rock band Haim propelled it back into the top 20 for the first time since 2013.
On Friday, Drake released his long-awaited eighth studio album, For All The Dogs, which could boost his chart position the following week. Conversely, Doja Cat maintained the number one position on the singles chart for the fifth consecutive week with “Painter of the Town Red.” With more than five million plays, her rap track, which samples Dionne Warwick’s iconic Walk On By, was the most-streamed song of the week in the United Kingdom. Kenya Grace, however, followed closely behind with her infectious drum and bass breakthrough, Strangers. With his collaboration with Jack Harlow, 3D, BTS member Jung Kook also became the first K-pop solo artist to have two singles enter the top five in the United Kingdom.
