Ed Sheeran – ÷ (Divide) (2xLP, 45RPM, Deluxe edition)

Ed Sheeran’s ÷ arrived in 2017 as his third studio album, following the huge commercial run of + and x, and it was framed from the start as a deliberately wide-ranging record. The sessions took place across L.A., London, Suffolk, and even aboard the RMS Queen Mary 2, which suits an album built around movement between styles: acoustic songwriting, polished pop, folk touches, R&B shading, and a few hip-hop-inflected turns.

What makes ÷ stick is how clearly Sheeran splits those instincts without losing his voice. “Castle on the Hill” turns his Suffolk background into a full-scale, Springsteen-leaning singalong, while “Shape of You” became a record-breaking streaming hit, helping set Spotify’s Day 1 mark when the singles launched. Elsewhere, the album opens up through specific collaborators and textures rather than generic gloss: Benny Blanco executive-produced alongside Sheeran, with Johnny McDaid, Mike Elizondo, and Steve Mac all shaping different corners of the record.

There is real musical variety here if that is what you come to Sheeran for. “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan” bring in Irish players including Beoga members, “How Would You Feel (Paean)” features guitar from John Mayer, and the balance between chart-pop immediacy and more personal writing is a big part of why ÷ became such a defining mainstream pop album of its moment. Even the sleeve was personal: Sheeran conceived the artwork and painted the cover himself.

Genre: Pop & Rock