UNQUESTIONABLY the most anticipated album since Adele’s 25, ÷ (pronounced Divide) easily lives up to expectations.

The statistics speak for themselves. Incredibly, on its release last Friday, Sheeran’s music was streamed an astonishing 68.7 million times in a day! Not bad at all for the Hebden Bridge-born troubadour.

Of course, there are countless dozen other boys with guitars on the go, some of them rather successful. So what makes Sheeran so special? He is certainly no oil painting. Yet musically Sheeran is a magician. Like Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and John Lennon before him, Sheeran has the uncanny ability to write about everyday small-town life, striking a universal chord. Indeed, while writing this review a colleague enthused how beloved Sheeran’s songbook was to her and her new husband, and how she walked down the aisle to Sheeran’s Tenerife Sea.

So, not only does Ed Sheeran carry the burden of financial and career responsibilities, but those of a generation with an emotional investment in his work. Certainly, for the time being, Sheeran is on top form. Shape Of You and Castle on the Hill are perfectly crafted pop songs, forever to be synonymous with the year 2017.

However, the stand-out track is the gorgeous Perfect, which is also likely destined to become a favourite at future nuptial occasions. Not that there is a duff track in the 15-song Deluxe Edition. Eraser, Dive, Galway Girl and Supermarket Flowers are quite rightly going to become cherished, loved songs the world over. And come the award season next spring, ÷ will probably be the front runner as Album of the Year.