Drive proves Sheeran is still on top of his game

Ed Sheeran has a new single out and it is not from an album titled with a mathematical sign. The song is Drive and it has guitar work by John Mayer, drums by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters with Justin Bieber producer Blake Slatkin helping out with the songwriting and production. Seems like a very special recording. And it is. Because Drive is a song from the “F1 the Album,” which is the soundtrack of the F1 movie.

“F1 the Movie” is a drama set in the world of the Formula One race, which is considered one of the greatest sports events in the world. It stars Brad Pitt as an aging driver who returns to race one more time to help his former teammate save his underdog team.  At the helm is Joseph Kosinski, who was behind “Top Gun: Maverick.” That should give you an idea of how exciting this is. No wonder “F1” made a killing at the box-office.

And it has a soundtrack to match. At a time when movie producers seem to have become neglectful of their soundtracks, that is aside from the over-rated “Wicked,” of course, it is nice to come across something like “F1 The Album” where the contents are well-chosen tunes that match the frenetic emotions and car moves associated with the racing sport.

Drive is the best cut in the album. It is the kind you imagine hearing at the race track and that lingers in your head during the drive home. Sheeran rocks harder with Drive than he ever did before. He is on top of his game and sounds like he is having a great time.

Time now to forget his lackluster album “Autumn Variations” from two years ago and to look forward with anticipation to his next one. It is playfully titled “Play” and it comes out later this year. The singles, Sapphire and Old Phone, are already available.

Still on Sheeran. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Apple Music came out with its list of the Top 500 Streamed Songs of the Past Decade and Sheeran’s Shape of You from 2017 came out on top.

Apple’s Top 10 songs are Shape of You by Ed Sheeran; Blinding Lights by The Weeknd; God’s Plan by Drake; Sun Flower by Post Malone; rockstar ft. 21 Savage also by Post Malone; One Dance by Drake with Wizkid and Kyla; SICKO MODE by Travis Scott; Perfect, again by Sheeran; No Guidance by Chris Brown with Drake; and bad guy by Billie Eilish.

Now back to “F1 the Album.” In much the same manner that Formula One holds its races in different places around the world, the F1 movie soundtrack is also a mixed bag of artists and sounds from various parts of the world. As a result, the songs in the soundtrack are as varied as the countries of the participating artists and as energetic, suspenseful, dangerous and at times, as triumphant as the race itself.

Take note of the line-up:

Here are some titles. From the US of A: Lose My Mind by rappers and singers Don Toliver and Doja Cat; Bad As I Used To Be by country music star Chris Stapleton; and Baja California by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Mike Towers. From Australia, No Room for a Saint by Dom Dolla featuring American Nathan Nicholson; from Canada, Just Keep Watching by Tate McRae; Messy by Rose of BLACKPINK from South Korea and New Zealand; Don’t Let Me Down by Burna Boy from Nigeria; OMG by Tiesto from Holland with US rapper Sexyy Red; and D.A.N.C.E. by Peggy Gou from South Korea. From the UK is Grandma Calls the Boy Bad News by Raye, with Attention by Mr. Eazi, Give Me Love by Darkoo and Gasoline by Obongjayar for the Nigerian representation. Sheeran is from the UK.