People are already saying that Ed Sheeran has saved 2017 with the release of his new album ÷ (Divide). Personally, I think it’s too soon to tell for sure, but his album is definitely a hit, with many new songs to love.

I am coming to the Ed Sheeran fan club a little late, as this is the first time I’ve really ever listened to his music. But I happen to love this album and am glad it is my first time experiencing his music.

Divide has a vast variety of musical styles. Sheeran’s previous music cannot really be described in one word and neither can this album. It is dominated by a mix of pop songs and personal ballads. ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Castle on the Hill’, which were released earlier this year, were immediate hits. I think these two may be closely followed by the success of pop songs ‘Dive’ and ‘Eraser’. ‘Eraser’ has a “talk singing” style that is becoming more popular. ‘What Do I Know?’ has a foot tapping back beat, emphasized by guitar and bass, with encouraging lyrics discussing how Sheeran hopes to make the world better with his music.

A lot of his songs seem to have a more personal feel, and give insight into Sheeran’s private life and relationships. ‘Perfect’ and ‘Hearts Don’t Break Around Here’ are both love songs, with the slow plucking of a guitar setting the romantic atmosphere. These songs depict attraction and the love shared between him and his girl. Any girl would love these sweet songs sung to her by her boyfriend. On the other end of the spectrum, ‘Happier’ is about the lose of  a girl and having to watch her be happier with another. This ballad also utilizes the steady plucking of the guitar strings, with the addition of the piano, to soulfully tell the story of how he still loves her, but is going to let her go.

‘Supermarket Flowers’ and ‘Save Myself’ fit into the ballad category, but stand out to me because they are both very personal. ‘Supermarket Flowers’ discusses the death of Sheeran’s grandmother and, combined with the soft piano playing, may even bring tears to some eyes. ‘Save Myself’ is a ballad to those Sheeran has helped, telling them he is now putting himself first, he is going to save himself this time.

However, there are a couple songs that just don’t fall into either of the pop or ballad categories. A fair few of the songs from Sheeran’s new album have been impacted by other cultures. ‘Galway Girl’ and ‘Nancy Mulligan’ have a heavy Irish influence, using a fiddle to create the flowing melody that just screams Irish. Nancy Mulligan mixes rap and Celtic styles, even using clapping, which draws an image of an Irish jig to mind.

‘Barcelona’ and ‘Bibia Be Ye Ye’ also have influences from other cultures, Spanish and African respectively. Both songs include lyrics from another language, finely crafted together with the English lyrics. ‘Barcelona’ makes you want to move your hip in Spanish fashion. ‘Bibia Be Ye Ye’ is like a pop song mixed with the heavy drumming we would associate with African music.

 
All together this album is exciting and has music to suit almost anyone. Ed Sheeran’s raw voice, beautiful melodies, and lyrics from the heart combine to create a stunning album that will certainly stand out in 2017’s year of music.