Mark Ronson - Version

Genre rock Publisher SonyBMG/Red Ink External Links Official Mark Ronson Website Official Mark Ronson MySpace Page

This album, in my humble opinion, exceeds my expectations by far and effortlessly erases any inhibitions I may have had about the talent that is Mark Ronson, the man who's helped propel both Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse (both featured on this outing) to global success. Kicking off proceedings with a rollicking version of Coldplay's "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face," a really lively affair with plenty of horns and drumming, this album proves to be a musical masterstroke for the stepson of Foreigner's guitarist Mick Jones. My favorite songs on this collection are his soulful cover (thanks in great part to the vocal talents of Australian Daniel Merriweather) of The Smiths' classic "Stop Me," the aforementioned "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face," "LSF" (which is basically a remix of Kasabian's original) and an excellent rendition of The Zutons' "Valerie," ably helped by the versatile Amy Winehouse. Even instrumental interludes like "Inversion," "Diversion" and "Outversion" are well constructed. The only bum note, in my book, was the cover of The Jam's "Pretty Green"... it's actually not a bad version by itself, coming across as The Belle Stars on crack, but pales in comparison to Paul Weller's classic original. Also a wee bit (just a little) of a disappointment is the interpretation offered on "The Only One I Know" (originally by The Charlatans): Robbie Williams is a fine singer, but on this occasion it seems like he's not trying hard enough and, as a result, his usually reliable voice comes across as very bland and unremarkable. However, these are just mere ripples on an otherwise beautiful ocean of sounds. Go out and buy... NOW!