Post by fugees-online on May 4, 2007 23:14:44 GMT 1
My favourite CD at the moment - VERY funky CD! PLEASE pick this one up!!!
Mark Ronson
Version
Columbia; 2007
www.markronson.co.uk
Loose, funky, and soaked in soul, Version is not only Mark Ronson's best release yet, it is perhaps the best release of the year. Devoid of amusing adaptations and with tongue-in-cheek remixes nowhere in sight, Version is hardly Ronson getting his Weird Al on, but it's not a stuffy and serious selection of songs, either. It's just one of the world's best DJs getting busy - wiping the dust off, mixing things up, and reintroducing us to some old (and new) favorites.
Fortunately for fans, familiarity with the originals (or lack thereof) isn’t necessarily important in appreciating what Ronson and crew have in store. I’ve never heard “Valerie” before (a song originally by UK indie rockers the Zutons,) but Amy Winehouse turns their psychedlic ballad into an addictive modern Motown romp with her voluminous vocals set over a rolling bassline and big-band brass. I can’t say I grew up with The Smiths, either, but Ronson mates their classic “Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before” with The Supreme’s “You Just Keep Me Hangin’ On” and births what is easily Version’s Stax-styled magnum opus.
Not recognizing any of the names responsible for the OG tracks so far? No worries. Ronson has persons plugged into the top-40 in mind, too. He is a DJ, remember? He turns Coldplay’s “God Put a Smile On Your Face” upside down, ditching piano chords for an incredibly funky drummer and swapping Chris Martin’s soft side for The Daptone Horns’ blaring trumpets, and he reworks Britney Spears’ whirling middle-school dance anthem “Toxic” into a slinky, velvety, burlesque track complete with ODB interjections thrown in for comic relief and good measure.
Version is a wonderful example of Ronson’s production work, but in the end his inner-DJ is what shines through. His refunkdafied renditions of Radiohead’s “Just” and the Charlatan’s “The Only One I Know” are sure to catch veteran listeners’ ears, but they’re delightful and digestable enough for people thinking these songs are brand new, too. With Version, Ronson isn’t just playing a collection of other people’s songs, he’s making his own. And if a DJ by breed is a not just a record player, but a record creator, Ronson is best in breed.
- Mike Gadd
www.markronson.co.uk
Mark Ronson
Version
Columbia; 2007
www.markronson.co.uk
Loose, funky, and soaked in soul, Version is not only Mark Ronson's best release yet, it is perhaps the best release of the year. Devoid of amusing adaptations and with tongue-in-cheek remixes nowhere in sight, Version is hardly Ronson getting his Weird Al on, but it's not a stuffy and serious selection of songs, either. It's just one of the world's best DJs getting busy - wiping the dust off, mixing things up, and reintroducing us to some old (and new) favorites.
Fortunately for fans, familiarity with the originals (or lack thereof) isn’t necessarily important in appreciating what Ronson and crew have in store. I’ve never heard “Valerie” before (a song originally by UK indie rockers the Zutons,) but Amy Winehouse turns their psychedlic ballad into an addictive modern Motown romp with her voluminous vocals set over a rolling bassline and big-band brass. I can’t say I grew up with The Smiths, either, but Ronson mates their classic “Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before” with The Supreme’s “You Just Keep Me Hangin’ On” and births what is easily Version’s Stax-styled magnum opus.
Not recognizing any of the names responsible for the OG tracks so far? No worries. Ronson has persons plugged into the top-40 in mind, too. He is a DJ, remember? He turns Coldplay’s “God Put a Smile On Your Face” upside down, ditching piano chords for an incredibly funky drummer and swapping Chris Martin’s soft side for The Daptone Horns’ blaring trumpets, and he reworks Britney Spears’ whirling middle-school dance anthem “Toxic” into a slinky, velvety, burlesque track complete with ODB interjections thrown in for comic relief and good measure.
Version is a wonderful example of Ronson’s production work, but in the end his inner-DJ is what shines through. His refunkdafied renditions of Radiohead’s “Just” and the Charlatan’s “The Only One I Know” are sure to catch veteran listeners’ ears, but they’re delightful and digestable enough for people thinking these songs are brand new, too. With Version, Ronson isn’t just playing a collection of other people’s songs, he’s making his own. And if a DJ by breed is a not just a record player, but a record creator, Ronson is best in breed.
- Mike Gadd
www.markronson.co.uk
