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Ed Sheeran and The Roots rock Fourth of July Jam to a fine conclusion

After one more winning Roots jam featuring "The Seed 2.0" and a James Brown funk workout, the 4th of July Jam came to a close with Ed Sheeran, the wildly popular ginger singer-songwriter who hails from the country the United States declared independence from in Philadelphia 238 years ago.

After one more winning Roots jam featuring "The Seed 2.0" and a James Brown funk workout, the 4th of July Jam came to a close with Ed Sheeran, the wildly popular ginger singer-songwriter who hails from the country the United States declared independence from in Philadelphia 238 years ago.

Sheeran, whose new album X (which stands for multiply), usually plays solo, supported by his own foot-pedal-triggered loops. With The Roots behind him, the crafty songsmith and guitarist benefitted greatly, his sound filled out and muscled up, on songs of his own like "The Lego House," "Sing," and the singalong tear-jerker "The A Team," which inspired massive waves of smartphone waving, lighting up the sky in advance of the fireworks explosion to come.

The highlight of Sheeran's show, though, was a loosely funky version of Anthony Hamilton's "Comin' from Where I'm From." Not surprisingly, it proved to be right in the Roots' wheelhouse and, unexpectedly, also in Sheeran's.