Divide by Ed Sheeran: Album Review

÷ out 3rd March. Pre-order will go live at midnight in your country x pic.twitter.com/V3mHxxCaOP

— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) January 12, 2017

Some say that Ed Sheeran saved 2017, releasing two new tracks from his third album Divide, on the 6^th of January, with the full album out on 3rd of March.

Since then, every commercial radio station under the sun has been playing the album seemingly non-stop, and I don’t blame them.

Divide is album that caters to every mood and every Ed Sheeran fan.

From his romantic ‘first dance at a wedding’ type songs such as ‘Happier‘ and ‘Dive‘, whose lyrics are embedded with feeling and emotion – to songs that demonstrate his experiments with sound like ‘Galway Girl‘ and ‘Nancy Mulligan‘ which possess a heavy Irish folk vibe.

For those who don’t know Sheeran’s recent history, the artist took a year off music and performing to spend time with his family. It’s clear that during this period, he took inspiration from the stories around him.

‘Nancy Mulligan’ for instance, was written about his grandparents love story, as reported in an article featured on Bustle. ‘Castle on the Hill’, one of the first singles released, is about his childhood and follows the nostalgic power of growing up and away from home.

While it was his second album, Multiply, that changed his genre from singer/song writer into simply just pop, Divide is an album that shows his diverse abilities within the genre.

The album carries every aspect we’ve learnt to expect and love from Sheeran. Fun and up beat songs that you need to jam to, gut wrenching sad stories told beautifully, a selection of rapping with a funky chorus, a song to fall in love to, and one or two that fall outside these areas.

What is evident when listening to Divide within the context of his previous albums, is that Sheeran is not an artist with a stagnant sound. With each album we see a new evolution. We hear new sounds, new ways of telling stories and new ways of melding beats together. The common factor is Sheeran’s sheer talent and ability to tell a story, completely capturing your attention.

Divide is album shows Sheeran at his peak, ready to continue conquering the music world with no signs of stopping anytime soon. If you are looking for a sign to give it a listen, this is it.