After a year of silence, Ed Sheeran released his third full length album Divide on March 3. Singles “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill” set standards high, and Sheeran certainly met them. Divide is a perfect marriage of his last two albums, a sign that Sheeran has really begun to fine tune his style.

The album features Sheeran’s signature rap style that he
coined on Plus, as well as the acoustic-pop sound that dominated Multiply. But more than that, Divide invokes bluesy, soulful vocals and guitar into his ballads. Songs such as “Castle on the Hill” and “Dive” feature Sheeran’s throaty, emotional vocals, a trademark of the Blues. These songs, and in particular “Dive,” really get to the core of Sheeran’s artistic potential. It features meaningful yet catchy lyrics, entrancing vocal riffs and a killer guitar beat.

Sheeran has a knack for tugging at the heartstrings, but Divide does so on almost every track. Between “Happier,” “How Would You Feel (Pean),” “Supermarket Flowers” and “Save Myself,” there are plenty of opportunities to get overly-emotional. I’m not going to lie, “Supermarket Flowers,” a song dedicated to his grandmother who passed away during the recording process, made me cry like a baby when I first heard it in the school parking lot.

Though Divide saw some minor stylistic changes and enhancements, Sheeran’s personal, story-telling writing stayed consistent in songs like “Nancy Mulligan,” “What Do I Know,” “New Man” and “Galway Girl.” From how his grandparents met, to tales of a failed relationship, Sheeran’s story-telling has grown from basic to poetic and smart.

A few spots on the album begin to sound gimmicky, like the overtly Irish sounds in “Galway Girl” and the seemingly random Spanish words thrown into “Barcelona.” However, for a 16 song album, two minor annoyances don’t hinder its overall outstanding quality.

As someone who has been a fan of Ed Sheeran since Plus, I’m very pleased with his new album. Bringing back his raps on “Eraser” and “Galway Girl” was an excellent move. This perfect combination of styles, as well as a taste of something new is exactly what will keep him on top of the charts.

Favorite songs: “Dive,” “Eraser,” “Save Myself”

Least favorite song: “What Do I Know?”

Rating: 8/10