No. 6 Collaborations Project

by Ed Sheeran

Overview

No.6 Collaborations Project is a strangely utilitarian title, describing the contents lying within the confines of Ed Sheeran's fourth studio album. That's right -- fourth album. The "No.6" in No.6 Collaborations Project refers to what was originally intended to be his sixth EP, following a 2011 set that was also dedicated to collaborations. The line separating this full-length LP from the previous EPs is blurry: No.6 weighs in at 50 minutes, which is just 15 minutes longer than No.5. To complicate things further, Sheeran designates No.6 Collaborations Project as a compilation, which could be a roundabout way of lowering expectations after three blockbuster solo albums in a row. It also could be an admission that No.6 Collaborations Project plays not like an album but rather a digital play list, purportedly hopping from genre to genre but maintaining a low-key, amiable groove that can pass as pop, hip-hop, R&B, adult pop, mall music, a retro throwback -- whatever genre you'd like, really. It's a feature endemic to streaming services, where seemingly disparate artists are united by tempo and chill, but it's something of an innovation to replicate this aesthetic in album form. Not only could No.6 Collaborations Project substitute for a cannily constructed cross-genre play list, each of its tracks could be swapped into any mood-based play list -- something that's true not only of the chill hip-hop/folk hybrids but the blaring closer, "Blow," a churning rocker featuring both Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars. This pairing shows how savvy Sheeran is in his choice of collaborators: Stapleton brings him a country audience he heretofore ignored, while Bruno is one of the few pop stars as big as the ginger man himself. Throughout No.6 Collaborations Project, he slyly targets different demographics in this fashion: Camila Cabello and Cardi B show up on "South of the Border," "Cross Me" has Chance the Rapper and PnB Rock, Justin Bieber is on "I Don't Care," while the presence of Eminem and 50 Cent on "Remember the Name" makes it feel like a conscious throwback. The cast of characters suggests a wilder album than No.6 Collaborations Project is, but that's a deliberate choice on Sheeran's part. Its glassy, placid groove isn't a reflection of his blandness, but how Sheeran knows that this is the sound that defines global pop in 2019. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	07/12/2019
Label:	Atlantic
UPC:	0190295427887
Rank:	33429

Tracks

1. Beautiful People
2. South of the Border
3. Cross Me
4. Take Me Back to London
5. Best Part of Me
6. I Don't Care
7. Antisocial
8. Remember the Name
9. Feels
10. Put It All on Me
11. Nothing on You
12. I Don't Want Your Money
13. 1000 Nights
14. Way to Break My Heart
15. Blow

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ed Sheeran   Primary Artist,Bass,Guitar,Vocals
Bruno Mars   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Moog Synthesizer,Drums,Guitar,Vocals
Justin Bieber   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Chris Stapleton   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Travis Scott   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Khalid   Vocals,Featured Artist
Eminem   Vocals,Featured Artist
Pino Palladino   Bass
Max Martin   Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Thomas Bartlett   Keyboards
Steve Mac   Keyboards
Benny Blanco   Keyboards
50 Cent   Vocals,Featured Artist
Shellback   Guitar,Keyboards
J Hus   Featured Artist,Vocals
PnB Rock   Vocals,Featured Artist
Joe Reeves   Guitar
Jason Boyd   Vocals (Background),Vocals (Background)
Young Thug   Vocals,Featured Artist
Meek Mill   Vocals,Featured Artist
Sam Tsang   Drums,Synthesizer
Skrillex   Featured Artist
H.E.R.   Vocals,Featured Artist
Brody Brown   Bass
Kate Conklin   Vocals
Joe Rubel   Keyboards
Stormzy   Vocals,Featured Artist
Chance the Rapper   Vocals,Featured Artist
Nineteen85   Bass,Drums,Keyboards
Paul Jefferies   Bass,Drums,Keyboards
Fred Gibson   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Beatbox,Beat Box,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Marco Parisi   Synthesizer
Camila Cabello   Vocals,Featured Artist
Benjy Gibson   Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Parisi Giampaolo   Synthesizer
Cardi B   Vocals,Featured Artist
Ella Mai   Vocals,Featured Artist
A Boogie wit da Hoodie   Vocals,Featured Artist
Dave   Vocals,Featured Artist
YEBBA   Vocals,Featured Artist
Paulo Londra   Vocals,Featured Artist
Georgia Gibson   Saxophone

Technical Credits

Benjamin Levin   Composer
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Anthony Evans   Editing,Vocal Editing
Frank Rogers   Composer
Joseph Saddler   Composer
John Hanes   Engineer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing
Michael Ilbert   Engineer
Max Martin   Composer,Producer,Programming
Boi-1da   Producer
George Seara   Engineer
Chris Laws   Engineer,Programming
Anthony Cruz   Vocal Engineer,Engineer
Alex Gibson   Producer,Additional Production
Sonny Moore   Composer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
Jaycen Joshua   Mixing
Andre Benjamin   Composer
Steve Mac   Composer,Producer
Benny Blanco   Producer,Drum Programming
Michael Freeman   Mixing,Assistant
Inaam Haq   Assistant
Joe Strange   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Shellback   Composer,Producer,Programming
Chris Galland   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Daniel Pursey   Engineer
Josh Gudwin   Engineer,Producer,Recording
Bruno Mars   Composer,Producer
Tony Campana   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Rico Wade   Composer
Stuart Hawkes   Mastering
Tom Norris   Mixing
Joe Reeves   Composer
Charles Moniz   Engineer
Curtis Jackson   Composer
Patrick Brown   Composer
Chris Stapleton   Composer
Antwan Patton   Composer
Marshall Mathers   Composer
Tre Nagella   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Ky Miller   Engineer
J.T. Cure   Composer
Sam Tsang   Producer,Programming,Additional Production
Kid Culture   Programming
Justin Bieber   Composer
Robert Williams   Composer
Greg McKee   Composer
Liam Nolan   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Chris "Tek" O'Ryan   Vocal Engineer
Skrillex   Mixing,Producer
Brody Brown   Composer
Ed Howard   A&R
Matthew Samuels   Composer
Mike Strange   Mixing,Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Raymon Murray   Composer
Jahaan Sweet   Composer,Producer
Kenny Beats   Producer
Joe Rubel   Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming
Gabe Jaskowiak   Engineer,Recording
Bard McNamee   Composer
Ed Sheeran   Composer,Producer
Jacob Dennis   Assistant Engineer
Chris Sclafani   Engineer
Jaiden the Cure   Composer
Travis Scott   Engineer
Shaan Singh   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Jacques Webster   Composer
Nineteen85   Producer
Geoff Swan   Engineer
Cristian Salazar   Composer
Denis Kosiak   Engineer
Paul Jefferies   Composer
Angad Bains   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Chancelor Bennett   Composer
Ben Cook   A&R
Fred Gibson   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Michael Omari, Jr.   Composer
Jason Boyd   Composer
Marco Parisi   Sound Design
Camila Cabello   Composer
Gosha Usov   Engineer
Robin Florent   Mixing,Assistant,Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Paul Anthony Morrison   Engineer
Nic Minns   Photography
Jaime Estalella   Vocal Engineer
Momodou Jallow   Composer
Parisi Giampaolo   Sound Design
Alex Estevez   Engineer
Ella Mai   Composer
Rakim Allen   Composer
Belcalis Almanzar   Composer
Jeffery Williams   Composer
David Omoregie   Composer
Artist Dubose   Composer
Archie Carter   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Robert Sellens   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Khalid Robinson   Composer
Scott Desmarais   Mixing,Assistant,Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Evan LaRay Brunson   Engineer
Jordan Thorpe   Composer
Abbey Smith   Composer
Daniel Echavarria Oviedo   Composer,Vocal Engineer
Simone Torres   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Luke Farnell   Assistant Engineer
Paulo Londra   Composer
Ovy on the Drums   Engineer
Jacob Richards   Engineer,Assistant,Mixing Engineer
Emma Corby   Brass Arrangement
Matt Wolach   Mixing,Assistant
Mike Seaberg   Engineer,Assistant,Mixing Engineer
David Pizzimenti   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Tate McDowell   Assistant Engineer
DJ Riggins   Engineer,Assistant,Mixing Engineer