Ed Sheeran - Divide | Album Review

Ed Sheeran's third studio album "÷" (Divide) was released this past Friday and is by far the best album we've gotten thus far in 2017. After literally leaving the internet for a year Sheeran returned with hit singles Shape of You and Castle on the Hill, at the end of 2016 and followed that with his best work yet.

Divide is very different, as far as lyrical style, than the rest of his albums, and it made his amazing music so much better. It is is well worth the hour runtime of the deluxe version. With the amazing opening Eraser, which brings back the sound we're used to, however this song has probably the least lyrical depth of any song on this album. Castle on the Hill, for some reason is liked less than Shape of You, and in my opinion it is far better, and one of the my favorites from the album. Dive is definitely one if my favorites from this album, and one of my favorites he has ever done, it seems to me to be the follow up to Thinking Out Loud, about falling in love. Shape of You jumps right back into the amazing dance song Ed does very well. Perfect slows the speed of the album and jumps right back into themes Ed hasn't really talked about in quite some time, break ups.

Galway Girl is by far my favorite song from "Divide", and I would be shocked if it wasn't a single, Galway Girl has an Irish feel, as do the lyrics and it's something a little different than the rest of the album. Happier definitely has made me cry a time or two, and is a stand out song on the album, in which you can truly feel his emotion, in way we haven't before and it makes it so much sadder than it already is. That being said, after a quick sound change New Man is pretty much the screw you to the person Happier is about. Picking up the tempo, Ed reminds us all what jealous exes are like. This is also another stand out song that I wouldn't be surprised to see be a single, in fact I would expect this to be the next single. Hearts Don't Break Around Here is one of the most nostalgic feeling songs off this album, although it is a very reoccurring theme throughout. This isn't my favorite song but it's certainly a good one!

What Do I Know? continues the nostalgic feel, and breaks away from the lyrical concepts of the rest of the album, taking on the topic of changing of world, with love and music. This is another one of my favorites, as I love borderline political music, and this is exactly what this is. How Would it Feel (Paean) is one of the strongest vocal moments of the album, and lyrically returns to familiar concepts, this song also acts as the opposite of Dive, and adds to the almost storybook feel of this album. Supermarket Flowers is definitely most emotional song from the album and by far the saddest. In a beautiful tribute to his grandmother, Ed tackles the very hard subject of death, and touched us all while doing it. Supermarket Flowers is by far the best song on this album, and probably his best ever. I really hope this song becomes a single, it's such a beautiful and moving song. After making us all cry for days, Ed brings us to Spain, with the amazing dance pop song Barcelona. This song, as the title implies, adds some Spanish sounding influence. Now on to what is quite possibly his most interesting song title Bibia Be Ye Ye, Ed brings back the serious nostalgia and reminds us to always say what's on our minds, and manages to put that title into the lyrics and it not sound abnormal. Nancy Mulligan is another one I wouldn't be surprised to see as a single, despite it being a deluxe track. It has major Irish influences and it sounds to be the second song written from the perspective of one his parents. Save Myself is also a contender to be a single, pretty much everything on this album is single worthy, this song is one of my favorites and it reminds us all to always put yourself first. I think this song was a perfect way to end this album.

"Divide" is out everywhere Worldwide! I seriously recommend this album to anyone, it's a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but a beautiful one. "Divide" is available at all major music distributors, on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify, Ed's YouTube Channel, and on edsheeran.com.

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