Global superstar Ed's return is Sheer class

ED HAS run out of mathematical symbols. That's a big plus. But more importantly he’s moved on from despondency.

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“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.