Release date: 3 March, 2017
His hiatus left fans hanging after the release of his last album in 2014, but the surprise release of Divide has everyone back on Ed Sheeran's bandwagon. In his usual fashion, the album follows the trend of being named after a mathematical operation just like his Freshman and Sophomore albums, Plus and Multiply. Divide isn't shy of remnants of these albums either, with Shape of You drawing vibes from Multiply's Don't and Sheeran's familiar scat rap is evident in several of his new songs. While people claim the new album is a commercial ploy, Sheeran has publically stated that this album is very much for him and that it elicits many personal emotions. This is clear from the premise behind Supermarket Flowers, a song that is said to have been written from the point of view of Sheeran's mother, who was grieving the death of her own mother. It's quite melancholy, and that sentiment is later continued in the album's final song, Save Myself. Most tracks seem to follow a similar musical structure, with built up choruses and drawn back hooks and bridges, and there's been a bit of controversy surrounding this, in regards to whether or not it's time for Sheeran to move on from what's familiar and onto something less expected. Still, Sheeran knows what works for him and from the overwhelming response he's received from all of his three albums, why change something that's doing just fine the way it is? That being said, Divide encompasses a lot of calypso and Irish vibes in the majority of its songs; something that could've been lessened to allow more differentiation between the tracks. The best songs on the album are the most simplistic. They omit the grand instrumental backings and let Sheeran's clever lyrics do all the talking, especially in tracks such as Perfect, Hearts Don't Break Around Here and Dive. Despite the criticisms of Divide, there has been a lot of praise for Sheeran's ability to genre-bend, a term used to describe the defiance of a single genre's defining features by crossing over into another. It's obvious that Divide blurs the lines between several genres, namely RnB, folk, country and his usual singer-songwriter pop elements that fans know and love. I have to take my hat off to Ed Sheeran. He is yet to fall short of anything but musical genius - between his heart wrenching lyrics and incredible arrangements - and for that, fans thank him.
TRACKS
Eraser ★★★
Castle on a Hill ★★★★
Dive ★★★★★
Shape of You ★★★
Perfect ★★★★
Galway Girl ★★★★
Happier ★★
New Man ★★★
Hearts Don't Break Around Here ★★★★
What Do I Know? ★★★★★
How Would You Feel? ★★★★
Supermarket Flowers ★★★
Barcelona ★★
Bibia Be Ye Ye ★★
Nancy Mulligan ★★★
Save Myself ★★★★