2017 has been a big year for music so far with some incredible full-length releases out already and more to come in the next few months, but none of the new releases is as big for me as this. Ed Sheeran’s long awaited follow up to 2014’s “X” is finally here. It’s called “DIVIDE”, it’s out, and it’s everything I wanted it to be and more.

I was first exposed to Ed back in 2012 when Kurt Hugo Schneider put up a cover of “The A Team” on YouTube. From there, I listened to his debut major label release “+” and was immediately hooked by Ed’s impeccable guitar work, aided by a loop peddle that allows him to do everything himself. With songs like “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”, “Lego House” and “Give Me Love”, Ed showed maturity, determination and God-given talent far beyond his young years. Inspired by the ever-elusive Damien Rice at a young age, Ed earned his success the hard way. He’d spend years on the grind playing the streets of the UK before ultimately getting his break in the early 2010’s, catching the attention of the legendary Elton John among others.

In 2014, he released “X”, earning him his first #1 record as well as his first Grammy wins for the smash hit “Thinking Out Loud”. Working with music gurus such as Pharrell and Rick Rubin, the album took a more commercial turn, but with songs like “Afire Love”, “One”, “Take It Back”, etc., Ed still stuck his own type of artistry.

After taking a year off, Ed returned in January with two smash singles “Shape Of You” and “Castle On The Hill”, proving that he was back and better then ever. “DIVIDE” is on track to be Sheeran’s 2nd #1 album, as it should be.

DIVIDE

Track #1- Eraser

“I was born inside a small town, I lost that state of mind. Learned to sing inside the Lord’s house but stopped the age of nine.” Sheeran raps over a steady guitar riff to open the record. There’s nothing incredibly complex here, but he draws you in closer with every word as he gives a laundry list with his own dark thoughts concerning the industry and his own personal fame. In the chorus, he sings “I find comfort in my pain, eraser.” Eraser, is of course, a more PG replacement for cocaine and immediately you think “Yep, he’s back.” It’s jammy, it’s quick, and there’s almost an explosion of sound right after the bridge when you think it’s over. Very nice way to start..

Track #2- Castle On The Hill

The far superior track of the two singles released in January, and without a doubt the best song on the record, but one that’s been shafted and sent on a downward spiral to ungodly territory on the Billboard Hot 100. But then again, the general consensus is that the listener either hates it or thinks it’s the most incredible thing they’ve ever heard, and I fall into the latter category.

A trip-down-memory-lane type ode to Sheeran’s hometown set to the U2 “Where The Streets Have No Name” formula of one continuous note played throughout the song before splitting off into an arena-rock explosion style chorus. It’s so easy but so effective to the point where it’s cruel. “One left to sell clothes. One works down by the coast. One has two kids but lives alone. Ones brother overdosed.” he sings with a subtle hint of yearning for those he left behind. Even though everyone has moved on with life, Sheeran still knows where he came from; “These people raised me and I can’t wait to go home.” His vocal on the chorus, like Bono has done for decades, is gritty and emotional, reaching for notes out of his normal comfort zone. “Castle…” is a ready-made arena anthem meant to close a show in the same sense that Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors” and Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” is, but Sheeran has stated it’ll be used to open the show instead. Insanity.

Track 3- Dive

We go from arena rock to a simple yet heart-wrenching ballad, complete with a guitar solo from Eric Clapton, who you can tell isn’t even trying. The intro sounds reminiscent of Beyoncé’s “All Night”, but then Sheeran comes in and you forget all about that. One of the more simpler songs on the record lyrically, but the grittiest vocally. “Don’t call me baby, unless you mean it.” he wails on the chorus, each time growing with more intensity. He reaches a breaking point the 3rd and final time, as his voice, and your heart, breaks. At that point, you know you’re crying and if you’re not then what the hell is wrong with you? A surefire radio hit down the line.

Track 4- Shape Of You

This song has been #1 for a good six weeks now, and it’s well-deserved. Unfortunately, this has gotten some negative criticism recently for apparently sounding “too much like ‘Cheap Thrills’ by Sia” which I think is absolutely ridiculous. Yes, they both have this bouncy-carefree pop sound to them but Shape Of You is so much more artistic. When I first listened to “This Is Acting” I heard Cheap Thrills and I was like “Wow, this is shit. That kids choir is so grading and they only sing one line”, then I heard the remix with Sean Paul and I was like “Wow, this is still shit.” No comparison. Both brilliant artists, one just made a much better song.

Anyway, “Shape Of You”, moreso the radio version then the live version, is such a different sound for Ed and it works wonderfully. “Sing”, the lead single of “X” was TOO different from what we’d heard before and it was a failed attempt to pander to radio. “Shape Of You” is easy on him vocally, and even with the somewhat corny lyrics in the verses; “You and me are thrifty, so go all you can eat. Fill up your bag and I fill up a plate.”, you can’t help but enjoy this new attitude from him. Even “Last night you were in my room, and now the bedsheets smell like you.” is a little questionable, but the fact that he’s in love with the “shape” of this person makes up for the other offenses. I find it to be a classier way of saying “Your body is rockin”. It’s a radio hit. What do you want? A masterpiece?

Track 5- Perfect

You knewwww that after Thinking Out Loud became the new must-use wedding song that he was going to try and recreate that in some way. “Perfect” is a nice little ditty…a cute little ballad with a gorgeous string section (hopefully he’ll solo when he does it live) that you can dance to around the living room to. I really like that the verses take up a lot of time…especially the second one. Usually the second verse is a line or two less then the first one which wasn’t that long to begin with, but Ed really takes his time and it honestly does sound really pretty. As much as he wants to believe that this is better then Thinking Out Loud, it’s not. It’s cute, but not that cute.

Track 6- Galway Girl

Ed takes us to Ireland multiple times on this record, this song being the first. He’s said that THIS was the song he had to fight for but “Bibia Be Ye Ye”, which is WAY less commercial sounding, got in easy. That’s so quirky. The instrumentation alone makes you feel carefree and is so lively and energetic…I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard a song like this on a commercial album. It’s so great to see Ed bringing different influences and sharing them with us…it makes you anticipate each song that much more cause you never know what you’re going to hear.

He sings and raps on this, storytelling on point of course. He tells the story of this girl and you can literally picture her right in front of you…”As last orders were called she stood on the stool after dancing to ceilidh singing to trad tunes. I’ve never heard Carrickfergus ever sung so sweet, acapella in the bar using her feet for a beat.” like HOLY CRAP you hear that and think “Yep, I know a girl who is like that.” or “Damn, I want to meet that girl.” You can tell how much fun he’s having in the chorus every time he sings “My pretty little….”, and you know you’re gonna get hit with that sweet sound of the fiddle again. Such a great track.

Track 7- Happier

We go from the insurmountable fun of Galway Girl to a gorgeous yet heartbreaking piano ballad in “Happier”. We all have that person who got away, and when we see them with someone else you think “I still love you, but you look better off with them.” It’s a terrible realization, and Ed portrays that feeling with both tender and gut-wrenching emotion. He knows he messed up, but realizes just how much he wants this girl around. He lets out both a cry for help and a sense of understanding when he sings “Nursing an empty bottle and telling myself ‘you’re happier. aren’t you?” and it’s there that “Perfect” is completely out of mind. Those cute “I love you and everything is great” ballads can be looked down upon, but this can’t. Especially during the final lines when he sings “Baby you look happier, you do. I knew one day you’d fall for someone knew. But if he breaks your heart like lovers do, just know that I’ll be waiting here for you.” The lilt in his voice, the piano, the break on “lovers”…gorgeous.

Track 8- New Man

How he comes up with this stuff I’ll never know. The story of this guy that’s currently involved with an old flame of Ed’s is so far-fetched and so witty that it’s almost hard to believe that he made it up. But he did, and he’s a freakin genius.  “He’s got his eyebrows plucked and his asshole bleached, owns every single Ministry CD. Tribal tattoos and he don’t know what it means, but I heard he makes you happy so that’s fine by me.” Clearly, this girl doesn’t mean as much to him as the girl from “Happier”, and he just seems to be hanging out on the side laughing along with it.

We’ve got a nice midtempo guitar line here that keeps steady tempo throughout the whole thing. I think the audience will be able to zone in on what he’s saying when he plays it live, especially if he’s just hitting the guitar to keep beat during the verses. I had to replay the “You wouldn’t be calling me up trying to fuck” line a few times thinking to myself “Why did he cut himself off?”, before remembering that “fuck” is omitted because of his promise to a cab driver to censor himself, but yet he has no problem singing about coke. Catchy tune.

Track 9: Hearts Don’t Break Around Here

Easily my least favorite song on the record, but certainly not a bad one. After “Galway Girl” and “New Man” this is just a little dull, though the message is cute. Usually, the feminine partner is the one to admit that the other makes them feel safe and secure, but this time the roles are reversed and it’s Ed who has no problem talking about how great his girl is. It really is sweet….the light strumming of the guitar, the well-placed backing vocals singing “ooh” in the background in the chorus. I’d pick this for my wedding day over “Perfect” any day. Hmm, maybe this isn’t my least favorite….

Track 10= How Would You Feel (Paean)

A gorgeous ballad that Ed wrote in the car within 10 minutes as he was saying goodbye to his girlfriend after some time together. The cuteness is real. And it helps that this is one of my favorites on the album….at almost five minutes and assisted by a “surprise” guitar solo by John Mayer (my king by the way), the song has all the components that I like. It’s in the same realm as “One” from “X” but more believable and a simpler, sweeter lyric. “How would you feel if I told you I loved you? It’s just something that I want to do. I’ll be taking my time, spending my life falling deeper in love with you. So tell me that you love me to.” The piano version of this he put up is just as stunning, but in the studio the guitar hums along with his restrained yet soulful vocals and sometimes it’s like it’s not there at all. Makes you smile a bit.

Track 11- What Do I Know?

This is as political as you are ever going to hear Ed Sheeran get. It’s barely even political at all, it’s just a nice throwback to the songs of peace and love of old. Someone could have played this at Woodstock and it would have fit right in with that time period.

Nothing out of the ordinary with this, just a nice, easy-going little English boy singing about how music can heal the world. While everyone is out there being all superficial and whatnot Ed sings “I’ll be sitting here with a song that I wrote” almost without a care in the world. You can kind of sway back and forth and listen to this around a campfire or something, clapping along to the easy guitar  beats. It’s so simple and so “I’m not getting involved, I’m just here for the music” that’s it’s just endearing as shit.

Track 12- Supermarket Flowers

Damn is this a hard listen. I don’t care if it’s the first time your hearing it or the hundredth, it’s got to make you feel for him. A simple piano accompanies Ed and he sings about his grandmothers death from his mom’s point of view, and for anyone who has suffered a loss, you know what it’s like. Seeing this persons belongings, reading the cards….everything, and Ed wrote it down and put it on a record. Like in “Happier” you can hear the emotion, but this is so much more subdued, which is why it’s so real. He so easily gives off that feeling of floating and not knowing how to move on, but knowing you have to….we’ve all been there. It’s very real story that makes you feel like you’re being intrusive into these people’s lives. Don’t know what else I can say about it. If he plays it on tour, people are going to be melting.

Track 13- Barcelona

So you go from Supermarket Flowers and the wave of emotion that brings, to a swell of happiness and culture with “Barcelona”. Easily in my top 3 favorite songs of the record, Ed gives such a sense of what it feels like to be engulfed in the nightlife of the great city. The people are free, they love music, they love each other….it all comes out in this. From the guitar to the drums to the breathy, rhythmic intro to the flute (I think that’s what that is) in the chorus. Vocally, this is one of my favorites as well. The grit and hugeness of “Dance like they do in the Mediterranean, spin you around me again and again. You’re like something that God has sent me, I want you baby solamente.” to the liveliness and pure melodic laughter that comes out of him when he sings in Spanish; “Drinking sangria, mi nina te amo mi carino. Mamacita, rica. Mi tu, se adoro senorita.” That boys travels did him well.

Track 14- Bibia Be Ye Ye

From Barcelona to Africa we go. Ed uses the dialect of Twi, used in Ghana for this track and it’s so infectious. Ed sings about not being able to find his way and things that weigh him down but that “bibia be ye ye” or “all will be well”. It’s got this tribal, beachy/summer vibe to it, complete with handclaps, a repetitive, plucky guitar line that makes you move, and a chorus of African chants. It sounds incredibly authentic, coming from two Brits in Ed and producer Fuse ODG.

It’s got a great message really. “I lost my shoes last night, I don’t know where I put my keys.” he admits to open the track. “In the pocket of my jeans are only coins and broken dreams. My heart is breaking….” but through all the hard times, “Say you’re with me. Tomorrow’s a brand new day.” Always look ahead and don’t stress about the little things.

Track 15- Nancy Mulligan

While “Galway Girl” is the more commercial of the Irish-influenced tracks on the album, “Nancy Mulligan” is a pure traditional Irish song. Set to the tale of his grandparents’, Nancy Mulligan and William Sheeran, rendezvous-type love story, Ed takes us right into a loud, raucous Irish pub. This is nothing but pure, unadulterated fun and there’s such a freedom to it that it is a standout on the record. In Supermarket Flowers we’re taken through his grandmother’s death, but here we’re taken back in time through her life when she and Ed’s grandfather had nothing to lose but each other, running off to make a new life for themselves. The celebration of love and happiness that comes out of this track is just beautiful.

There’s a lot of instrumental space here, in which you can practically hear the feet stamping and glasses clanging in the background. What you can hear is the harmonious cheers of irish-pride set to a fast paced rhythm of jam-band instruments. What a sound.

Track 16- Save Myself

One last piano ballad, but one that is hard to take in after the three culture songs before it. Not many artists know how to close an album right….the Weeknd did it with “Angel” and “I Feel It Coming” for both Beauty Behind The Madness and Starboy, and Ariana Grande did it with “Thinking Bout You” for Dangerous Women, but Ed did it differently. Instead of bombastic, anthemic tracks that make you feel some sort of closure for a relationship gone bad, Ed sends an important message about taking care of yourself first. We often try and hide our own sadness by trying to take away the pain of others; “I’m here again between the devil and the danger. I guess that’s just my nature.” but at the end of the day helping ourselves is more important then anything; “So before I save someone else, I’ve got to save myself.” Even with all his fame, money and everything, he’s human, and he feels the same things we do, the cracks and lilts in his voice throughout the track saying just as much. He ends on a prolific note however, summing up the overall message in just a few lines. “Before I blame someone else, I’ve got to save myself. Before I love someone else, I’ve got to love myself.” As the piano fades out and you realize there’s nothing left to listen to after this, it hits you. What a fantastic way to end it.

Grade: 9 out of 10.

Favorite Songs: Eraser, Castle On The Hill, Dive, Happier, Supermarket Flowers, Barcelona and Save Myself