Well a very enjoyable hour listening to Ed Sheeran’s new album if I’m honest.  An eclectic music collection of tracks that includes rap, Hip Hop, guitar solos and ‘Ed Sheeran’ style tracks.   The key that Sheeran has is unbounded talent, a sense of ‘now’ (to the extent he took off for a year or so) and lyrically, he is genius. Cheesy, possibly, but serious and brilliant. There’s a formula too, write a track about an Irish Girl, play Irish pipes in the background, Barcelona, back with acoustic guitars, track called ‘Bibia Be Ye Ye’, African ‘Graceland’ beats.

We have all heard Radio 2s ‘Castle on the Hill’ and Radio 1s ‘Shape of You’ but many other tracks are similarly stand out.  I particularly love ‘Dive’, it is electrified, like Dylan’s Highway 61 (a stretch I will admit), with a ripping electric guitar solo in it and a heavy beat.  Also ‘Galway Girl’ has wonderful, cliched, lyrics. ‘New Man’ is also a really retro ‘Ed Sheeran’ track, ‘Supermarket Flowers’ & ‘Perfect’ the same.  And so it goes on: great stuff from Ed (like I know him!).

1. Eraser ***
2. Castle On The Hill ****
3. Dive *****
4. Shape Of You *****
5. Perfect ***
6. Galway Girl  ****
7. Happier ***
8. New Man ****
9. Hearts Don’t Break Around Here  ***
10. What Do I Know?  ***
11. How Would You Feel (Paean)  *****
12. Supermarket Flowers  *****
Deluxe version includes also.
13. Barcelona ***
14. Bibia Be Ye Ye ***
15. Nancy Mulligan ***
16. Save Myself ****

___________________________________

Album – ÷ (divide)

Artist – Ed Sheeran

Download These At Least – Dive,  How Would you Feel, Galway Girl, Supermarket Flowers

Source – Tidal
Player – Naim NAC-N 272
Amplification/Output – NAP 250/KEF R700
Album Released – 3rd March 2017
16 Tracks, deluxe version,  59’27”