Mark Ronson is the guy you’d love to hate but can’t. Born into a life of wealth and status that most can only dream of, he seems to have received success much too easily. Then, to top it off, he’s amazingly talented; it would be sickening if he weren’t so damn good.
Ronson made a name for himself as a DJ on the New York party scene and then moved on to become one of the music industry’s most sought-after producers. He’s responsible for some of my favorite tracks this year on both Amy Winehouse’s and Lily Allen’s respective albums.
His debut, “Here Comes the Fuzz,” was an eclectic mash-up that featured some of pop, rock and hip-hop’s elite. For his new album, “Version,” he’s decided to give the cover album a swift kick in the butt by taking a left-field approach to a diverse selection of rock and pop songs. He’s invited a host of his industry friends along for the ride, including Winehouse, Allen and Robbie Williams, among others.
“Stop Me” features Aussie soul-singer Daniel Merriweather on this reinterpretation of The Smiths’ “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” that merges into The Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ Me On.” Don’t ask me how he came up with the idea to put those two together, but it works. Ronson takes the brooding energy of the originals and places it in a psychedelic soul motif with hip-hop breakbeat. Merriweather’s vocals fall right in line with Ronson’s ambitious production.
Lily Allen takes on the Kaiser Chief’s “Oh My God” in a decidedly funkier take on the tune. The creeping bass line combined with the horn arrangement completely transforms the tune into something that sounds like blaxploitation theme music (think Superfly or Dolemite). The best part is that Allen manages to sing without getting lost in the production, allowing her to shine with equal luster.
Winehouse makes an equally great appearance on her cover of The Zutons’ “Valerie.” As demonstrated on her album, her brilliantly boozy vocals work perfectly with that whole 60s girl group sound. Ronson’s production perfectly suits her. Bottom line: if you dug “Back to Black,” you’ll like this song.
The most interesting track has to be his interpretation of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” featuring UK vocalist Tiggers and a posthumous appearance from Old Dirty Bastard. It sounds like a cross between an old soul record and an RZA-produced Wu-Tang track, replacing the swirling string sample with live horn and guitar arrangement. He definitely takes the song into a darker place, giving the breath of life to a song that Viacom and radio killed.
Ronson’s album also includes covers of songs originally performed by Coldplay, Radiohead and Maximo Parks. He proves himself to be a master at taking something existing and creating something completely different. I won’t say it’s the best, but it has to be among the most successfully ambitious cover albums ever made. Every single track is miles apart from its original, yet all fit together for a cohesive listening experience. It is simply brilliant.
The U.S. release date hasn’t been announced yet, but trust me, it’s totally worth the import price. So get that graduation loot together and cop this album.
