Ed Sheeran (Facebook)

Ed Sheeran releases the final installment of his ‘mathematics’ series with “-“ (Subtract) and with it finds solace in songs as he addresses a year of serious health threats, legal issues, and loss.

Ed Sheeran is undoubtedly one of the early ^{21st century’s biggest global music stars.} An individual who will probably get recognized wherever he goes. But his extraordinary stature hasn’t shielded him from pretty much the same issues that affect everybody else. So much so, that his world nearly came crashing around him when every possible thing that can go wrong did so at the same time: His wife is getting diagnosed with cancer and not being able to treat her as she is 6 months pregnant with their child, his legal battle coming to a head as he stands accused of stealing the music that drove his hits “Shape Of You” and “Thinking Out Loud,” and his best friend’s accidental death because of drug use.

The experience eventually ended up as the themes that drove him to write the songs for his sixth album (Subtract) “-.”

Subtract opens, as this is an Ed Sheeran record, with a stark acoustic guitar and just Sheeran’s voice on “Boat.”

It’s as if Ed is giving himself a pep talk as he props himself up for the challenge as his crystal-clear voice intones “I need to feel the elements to remind me / there’s beauty when it’s bleak.” And as he goes through the worst of it (“the more that I love the less I feel / the times I jumped never were real / they say that all scars will / but I know maybe I won’t”)  he reminds himself to be steadfast as minimalist strings swells around his voice as he sing “…but the waves won’t break my boat.”

'Subtract' official art album cover

Sheeran’s shares what it's like as he goes through his personal travails in his gloomy account in “Salt Water.” The mood lifts a bit on “Eyes Closed” but it's more to do with the chart-ready sonics of the track than its theme. The song is actually an account of what it was like for Sheeran back in February 2022 when the news of the loss of his friend Jamal Edwards hit him. Over a descending hook riff, Sheeran sings journal entry-like lyrics of “I picture year a little bit different when it hit February / I step in the bar it hit me so hard / how can it be this heavy? / Every song reminds me you’re gone and I feel the lump in my throat / ‘cause I’m here alone.”  Sad stuff for sure, but damn if it isn’t a really good song.

We imagine Sheeran with guitar in hand and eyes closed as he delivers “Life Goes On.” Another song about his friend Jamal Edwards, a young music entrepreneur, who Sheeran credits openly as the one who gave him his big break when the former featured the latter on his YouTube channel SBTV.

Other Subtract hot spots include pretty sounding “Dusty,” a song Sheeran writes about his life with the love of his life and wife Cherry Seaborn on easy days listening to classic singer Dusty Springfield (“start a discussion to pick a singer / this one you’ll love it / I had the bring her / just let the speakers take you away / and drop the needle on Dusty.”) There’s also the piano ballad “Colourblind,” and “Curtains.” The latter is where Sheeran sings about finally seeing the proverbial fog lift from his life.

As mentioned, Sheeran’s experience was a lot to process for sure, but here is where it pays to be Ed Sheeran. That the worst year of his life, eventually became songs he’s going to sing for people and perhaps help those deal with their own grief.

This week’s title is borrowed from Ed Sheeran’s miniseries documentary currently on Disney Plus.