Global superstar Ed's return is Sheer class

Ed has run out of mathematical symbols. Well, that's a big plus. But more importantly he's moved on from despondency.

- Ed Sheeran

“I spent weeks inside the darkest cage, but now the day bursts wild and open," he sings on the deceptively gentle verses of Opening. Deceptive because the song soon rockets into a confessional rap.

The humble Yorkshire-born, Suffolk-raised singer-songwriter has conquered the world with his very English sound but, in another sea change, Sheeran's eighth album finds him embracing global music.