Music Monday: Ed Sheeran-Divide Album Review

Story posted March 20, 2017 in CommRadio by Allison Wulfhorst

The long-awaited Ed Sheeran record was finally released Mar. 3, and his third record follows the same mathematical titles as his previous two: Plus and Multiply. This time it’s Divide, and the album has a variety of tracks from his usual heartbreak tunes and those about love. He adds fun, upbeat songs that sound like the same Ed with a new flare listeners haven’t heard on his previous works. The majority of these tracks use personal experiences, which is a popular tactic for Sheeran, and it still works just as well as it had in the past.

What makes this album so unique is the use of different cultural sounding songs. He takes inspiration from countries like Spain, Ireland, and Ghana. These add a whole new feel and take Sheeran’s talent to the next level.  

Divide opens up with the track, “Eraser” which starts with his spoken word tactic that makes an appearance on his previous albums along with his favorite instrument of choice, his acoustic guitar.

This record already begins with a personal experience about Sheeran’s career: “Age twelve telling me I've gotta chase those dreams/Now I'm playing for the people, dad, and they know me/With my small beaten guitar…” These lyrics demonstrate this perfectly and he even mentions his guitar, which he never fails to produce a song without.


“Castle On The Hill” is the second track and one of the singles released when this record was announced. It doesn’t have a stereotypical Sheeran feel to it, but that makes it even more unique. It’s a tribute to his childhood, teenage years, and close friends who he grew up with. He starts the story at age six, to 15 and finally 19. He describes what that time period was like for him and his friends. Even though they all went separate ways, he will never forget the times they shared and how they shaped who he is now: “And I’m on my way/I still remember these old country lanes/When we did not know the answers.”

“Perfect” and “How Would You Feel” are both love songs that sound as if they could be about the same girl. In “Perfect”, the instrumentals are dialed down to put an emphasis on the vocals. This is a different approach because in this song his vocals are strong, not soft like his other love songs. “How Would You Feel” is clearly about personal experiences as well because of the imagery he uses. He takes simple moments they’ve shared and turns them into a beautiful love story.

The tracks switch gears to heartbreak with “Happier” and “New Man.” “Happier” is about how this girl is happier with her new relationship and how Sheeran was happier with her. “New Man” is the opposite instrumentally, it’s upbeat and describes with the imagery and detail that Sheeran excels in the new man his ex is with.

There are four tracks that take a cultural influence to them, which diversifies this album even more. “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan” have Irish influences, “Bibia Be Ye Ye”: Ghana influences, and “Barcelona”: Spanish ones.

In “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan,” Sheeran shows off his upbeat side with of course the appearance of his famous acoustic guitar. “Galway Girl” doesn’t have too much of a personal feel to it, especially when compared to “Nancy Mulligan.” Since the latter is a story about his grandparents falling in love as told from the point of view of his grandfather. This style proves to be an effective tactic, since he even uses it on another track: “Supermarket Flowers.”

“Barcelona” is the Spanish style track that demonstrates Sheeran even can sing in Spanish. “Mamacita, rica, si tú, te adoro señorita.” Something as simple as this, combined with the instrumentals gives an authentic feel that the listener is in Spain.

Listening to this record from front to back is the most effective way to listening to it, because of the story Sheeran tells with each song. The songs fit together and create a well-written narrative, which is what to be expected by Sheeran’s songwriting skills. Divide is a must listen.

Rating: 9/10        

                                             

Allison Wulfhorst is a freshman majoring in journalism. To contact her, email her at akw5392@psu.edu.