Neither song sounds like something he's done before (and had success with before) so it can't be anything but risky.
I could understand the "safe" comments if he'd just rehashed Thinking Out Loud like Bruno rehashed Uptown Funk with 24K Magic, but Ed continued to explore new styles. That's a risk.
But of course ATRL hates him because he's a) a man and b) not a tanned, thique brunette with a new shirtless photoshoot every other Wednesday.
Edit: I love Shape of You but tbh it's like all the other songs on the radio there's nothing wrong with that it's a good song enjoy it and don't be so annoying
Shape of You uses a trendy tropical sound so it's safe, but then again, he's known more for releasing acoustic music and never used these kinda sounds before.
Castle on the Hill is kinda safe in the sense that it's a typical Ed Sheeran song, but that's a good thing.
