Ed Sheeran NO. 5 COLLABORATIONS PROJECT

Hailing from the distinctly non-ghetto Suffolk, ginger-haired Van Morrison devotee Ed Sheeran may not be the most obvious affiliate of the U.K. grime scene, but ever since a spellbinding performance on YouTube channel SB.TV caught the attention of hip-pop act Example, he's amassed a growing fan base of established rappers just as keen to work with him as they are Kanye and Jay-Z. Making full use of this illustrious roll call, Sheeran's last independent release before signing to Atlantic Records, No. 5: Collaborations Project, boasts an impressive array of guest stars on eight tracks that effortlessly fuse harsh urban rhythms and quick-fire MC skills with gentle acoustic folk-pop and tender poetic lyrics. Other than the warped basslines and haunting beats of the dubstep-infused P-Money duet "Family" and the aggressive Dizzee-esque tones of Ghetts on the soft rock singalong "Drown Me Out," the menacing undertones of the grime sound have been largely eschewed in favor of a more accessible