÷

Pitchfork 2.8/10 The lack of honesty doesn’t really matter—nobody’s going to Sheeran for gritty soul-searching. But the lack of imagination does.

The Needle Drop 4/10 Ed Sheeran: The motivational poster of singer-songwriters.

NME 4/5 His latest album is as likeable as he seems in interviews: assured but unassuming and sometimes hard to fathom. There’s probably a mathematical formula to Ed Sheeran’s success, but he’s the only one who can crunch the numbers.

Evening Standard 3/5 Ultimately, ÷ will sell a great deal, but it is not a truly great album.

Rolling Stone 4/5 Sheeran's musical history lesson is both well-timed and rip-roaringly fun, another example of his still-evolving craft.

The Independent 4/5 Divide is astonishing for its sheer ambition alone; this is a polished, well-executed effort from one of the hardest-working men in music.

All Music 3.5/5 Throughout the record, Sheeran seems assured in his smooth schtick, and that cheesy confidence, combined with the hints of new style, help make Divide his easiest album to enjoy.

Clash 7/10 It’s packed full of tunes that have an undeniable quality and mark the point where Ed Sheeran goes truly stratospheric. It’s less ‘÷’, more conquer.

Pop Matters 5/10 At best, we have a middling collection of songs that are going to sound great in a packed arena. At worst, it’s a pretty significant step back from X, and once the initial novelty of its release wears off, it’s unlikely to enjoy the popular acclaim or the longevity of its predecessor.

The Guardian 2/5 This is a slick, potent album – one that reeks of nostalgia and comfort, campfires, scented candles, spilt pints of Guinness and, for those not enthralled by his algorithmic songcraft, the sharp stench of a salesman’s cheap cologne.

The Telegraph 4/5 Division is by far Sheeran’s smoothest collection.

The Irish Times 1/5 Sheeran's new album ÷ (Divide) plays up to his Irishness but it's about as authentically Irish as chicken wings and 'we see through you Ed'.