Ed Sheeran ÷ (Divide) review: Singer’s latest album is nothing short of a masterpiece

The highly successful third album has broken chart records like never before.

After the resounding success of his first two albums, it was a no brainier that Ed Sheeran’s latest album ÷ (Divide) would be just as successful if not more. According to the official billboard charts, Ed Sheeran’s album “sold more copies on its first day (232,000) than any album has in a full week in 2016”.

Whilst Divide follows the same mathematical theme of Sheeran’s previous two albums + (Plus) and X (Multiply), it is vastly different from his previous sound. The exploration of both different cultures and genres such as rap/R&B really showcases Sheeran’s diversity and makes the album both compelling and soulful.

Admittedly, Sheeran isn't the best rapper in the world, however, the style and the way his first track 'Eraser' is written really emphasises his ability to experiment with several genres and still create something amazing. Whilst fans have never heard this side to Sheeran’s voice, the mixture of rap and singing effectively highlights his outstanding vocal diversity without leading fans too far away from his much-loved distinctive sound.

Culture is featured throughout Divide. Spanish themed 'Barcelona' and Ghanaian inspired 'Bibia Be Ye Ye' capture the essence of the countries excellently through Spanish lyrics, traditional Spanish melodies, and African tribal chants, weaved into the rapping and singing.

Irish dance anthem 'Galway Girl' is Based on Sheeran's friend Niamh Dunne and her Irish Trad band Beoga, the track encapsulates the Irish Heritage perfectly. The use of the fiddle throughout the song and in Sheeran’s bonus track 'Nancy Mulligan' enriches the Irish theme.

Of the sixteen tracks on the deluxe album, eight of the tracks are ballads. 'Dive', whilst still a ballad showcases Sheeran’s rockier tone and is possibly the best vocal performance on the entire album. However, although 'How Would You Feel (Paean)', ‘Hearts Don't Break Round Here' and 'Perfect' which simulates tones of 'Thinking out Loud' from Sheeran’s previous album X (Multiply), are well constructed, they don't add anything new or unique to the album.

One of the key themes in this album is honesty and 'Happier' covers this brilliantly. This fantastically written ballad talks about his previous break-up and how he feels he was to blame for it. This, in turn, connects fans to Sheeran as they can understand and relate to his situation.

Moreover, 'Supermarket flowers' which a heartfelt track based around the theme of death of Sheeran’s grandmother, 'Save Myself' which touches on his nature to put others before himself and 'Castle on the Hill' which is a personal ballad about Sheeran’s life growing up in his hometown Suffolk feature his honesty and outstanding ability to write in such an emotive way.

Upbeat tracks 'New Man' and 'What Do I Know' both explore the R&B/rap element of Sheeran’s album. Both tracks are excellently produced with falsettos and multifarious tempos scattered throughout, highlighting Sheeran’s impressive vocal range and production skills. In ‘What Do I Know’ Sheeran pokes fun at his own musical limitations which is fascinating as he has never spoken of this before. Moreover, it is better than listening to another ‘love’ song like ‘New Man’.

Sheeran’s chart-topping single ‘Shape of You’ is a unique surprise for fans. Whilst he maintains his much-loved traditional style of music, the addition of African/R&B tones alongside the provocative lyrics which are not nearly as outwardly explicit in his previous songs, adds an interesting new sound to the album.

Overall, despite some of the ballads being slightly mediocre, Divide is an outstanding album and showcases a new sound that hasn't been heard from Ed Sheeran before. The album was officially released on 3rd March 2017.

-Jade Kidd