Patrícia Nunes's Album Reviews
I’ve been following Ed Sheeran since 2012 and after listening to Divide, I must say that for me this is probably the best album that he has released so far.
Divide is a pleasant surprise from Ed, and the title says it all – a collection of songs from different genres, ranging from his trademark acoustic songs such as - Perfect, How Would You Feel (Paean) and Hearts Don’t Break Around Here - to the soulful, John Mayer-esque track Dive and the Irish folk songs Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan.
I’m glad that Ed Sheeran fought his label to include Galway Girl on the album, as this is definitely one of my favorites - when listening to it I found myself wanting to visit an Irish bar and learn how to play the fiddle, just as the girl described in the lyrics did.
Lyrically, I would say he is at his best on Divide – Supermarket Flowers is probably the most lyrically touching song in the album – I have to confess that I have never visualized so well a scenario on a song like I did with this one. It’s deeply sad and moving, as Sheeran narrates his grandmother’s passing from his mother’s perspective and it strongly reminds me of Afire Love on his predecessor album, X.
Eraser and Save Myself (the latter included on the deluxe version) are also lyrically introspective and reflective of the demons that have haunted him on the music industry – behind the mask of living the dream of being a successful musician, there is a dark place where Sheeran once found himself. And he is not afraid to tell us and warn us about it.
Sonically speaking I would say that Divide is the least safe and more diverse album that Ed has ever put out – he challenges the flat sound of contemporary pop music we are currently used to by experimenting with fiddles and blues on a few tracks.
I think no matter how critics poorly rate this album calling it a “calculated move”, Ed Sheeran is still one of the best pop musicians out there today. And like any musician, he is entitled to experiment and introduce us new sounds – after all, who really would like to listen to another soulless and auto-tuned pop album like so many released nowadays?
It’s a 4/5 for me.
Top tracks: Eraser, Dive, Galway Girl, Supermarket Flowers.
Divide is a pleasant surprise from Ed, and the title says it all – a collection of songs from different genres, ranging from his trademark acoustic songs such as - Perfect, How Would You Feel (Paean) and Hearts Don’t Break Around Here - to the soulful, John Mayer-esque track Dive and the Irish folk songs Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan.
I’m glad that Ed Sheeran fought his label to include Galway Girl on the album, as this is definitely one of my favorites - when listening to it I found myself wanting to visit an Irish bar and learn how to play the fiddle, just as the girl described in the lyrics did.
Lyrically, I would say he is at his best on Divide – Supermarket Flowers is probably the most lyrically touching song in the album – I have to confess that I have never visualized so well a scenario on a song like I did with this one. It’s deeply sad and moving, as Sheeran narrates his grandmother’s passing from his mother’s perspective and it strongly reminds me of Afire Love on his predecessor album, X.
Eraser and Save Myself (the latter included on the deluxe version) are also lyrically introspective and reflective of the demons that have haunted him on the music industry – behind the mask of living the dream of being a successful musician, there is a dark place where Sheeran once found himself. And he is not afraid to tell us and warn us about it.
Sonically speaking I would say that Divide is the least safe and more diverse album that Ed has ever put out – he challenges the flat sound of contemporary pop music we are currently used to by experimenting with fiddles and blues on a few tracks.
I think no matter how critics poorly rate this album calling it a “calculated move”, Ed Sheeran is still one of the best pop musicians out there today. And like any musician, he is entitled to experiment and introduce us new sounds – after all, who really would like to listen to another soulless and auto-tuned pop album like so many released nowadays?
It’s a 4/5 for me.
Top tracks: Eraser, Dive, Galway Girl, Supermarket Flowers.
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