Mark Ronson – Version

I’ve been a fan of Mark Ronson since I heard “Oooh Wee” a few years ago. That was a hall-of-fame hip-pop song that surprisingly few people are familiar with. Based on that song, I cherry-picked his first album, Here Comes the Fuzz, on iTunes. Later, I discovered he’d produced songs for Nikka Costa and Robbie Williams.

Suddenly, this spring, his work was everywhere. He’s responsible for the amazing sound of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and for lots of Lily Allen’s Alright, Still. Also, a pre-release track from this album was floating around. So I was excited to get my hands on this one.

I am not remotely disappointed. The sound Ronson settled on is similar to what we heard on Back to Black, but with a stronger hip-hop feel (even though only one track has any rapping). The result is a sharply rhythmic funk, with lots of horns and guest artists.

A cover of Radiohead’s “Just” is a standout track, as is Amy Winehouse’s contribution, “Valerie.” My personal favorite is the cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”, which features a filthy verse from the late, great ODB. “Old Man Dirt get under your skirt, fuck the pussy ‘til it’s orange like Ernie & Bert.” Nuff said.