Mark Ronson, English Grammy-nominated producer (Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Robbie Williams), cover-artist, DJ and co-founder of Allido Records, releases his second album, Version.
Ronson returns to his British roots, calling in some big-name English artists; Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Robbie Williams and Kasabian, focusing on the British music scene and remixing classics by among others Radiohead, Kaiser Chiefs and Coldplay. Not exclusively sticking to British artists, he gives a new spin to Britney Spears “Toxic” with the Tiggers and ODB (formerly Wu-Tang Clan) spitting rap on an almost unrecognisable, but not necessarily bad, cover of the song.
Unlike his first attempt which focussed more on Hip-Hop, Version has garnered major success on the charts, debuting on the UK Album Chart at number 2. The album has also been certified Double Platinum in the UK as well as being nominated for a Brit Award (Best Album).
Version’s general sound is rich in horns, mixed with a funky dance rhythm, producing an album with 14 feel-good swing foot-tappers.
One of the most talked about songs on the album is the cover of The Smiths’ “Stop Me (If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before)” with its serious Motown vibe. The song has even received approving nods from Smiths fans. The re-composed version features vocals by Daniel Merriweather, who recently signed to Ronson’s record label, and additional lyrics from The Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”.
Another chart topper, Valerie is the third single and features the soulful vocals of critically-acclaimed Amy Winehouse, whose equally successful Back to Black album was produced by Ronson. The song is a sunny-Motown rendition of the Zutons original and has already received heavy air play on radio stations, including Jacaranda 94.2.
The light ska version of rockers, Maxïmo Park’s, “Apply Some Pressure” is absolutely my favourite, with the vocals performed by Paul Smith from Maxïmo Park. The rocking original is given a larger-than-life theatrical makeover with a funk beat.
Although probably better known as a producer, Mark Ronson whips out some turn-tabalism and remixes 14 contemporary classics, turning them on their head to create some visionary music performed by an all-star selection of musicians.
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