Released: March 3, 2017

By: Ed Sheeran

As a musician, Ed Sheeran is like a fine wine. He just keeps getting better with age.

On his third studio album, Sheeran brings a ton of musical influences and infuses them into his strongest tracks yet. He goes from being club-ready (“Shape of You”) to arena-ready (“Castle on the Hill”) to pub-ready (“Nancy Mulligan”) and then will make you cry (the personal song about his grandma, “Supermarket Flowers”).

The Irish vibes on “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan” are enthralling, especially since it’s something rarely heard. On the former, Sheeran does what makes many of songs great: he raps. And while he doesn’t look like a conventional rapper, there’s no denying his talent.

Perhaps the best song is “What Do I Know?” Sheeran reminds that love, music and positivity can change the world.

Final album: The album that 2017 needed. ★★★★★