Music Review: Uptown Special

Album: Uptown Special
Composer: Mark Ronson
Music: Sony
Ratings: ***
Pop/Rap: Mark Ronson is a DJ, producer and singer and this, his fourth album, seems to be a concentrated effort on his part to capitalise on the success he achieved after the release of his second album Version. Keeping things varied, you’ll find elements of funk, soul and jazz. He’s stepped aside from lyrical duties in about half the songs though, leaving that job in the capable hands of one Michael Chabon, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist.The only issue with this is that the songs and the music by itself really sound a bit disparate at rare times – like the work of two distinct identities rather than the cohesive work of a single artiste. But thankfully, this feeling is only there on a few tracks.
You get to hear Stevie Wonder on harmonica on the opener, Uptown’s First Finale after which comes the gentler Summer Breaking. Feel Right is brisk, with a brass session and an attempted Motown feel. I Can’t Lose has a funky feel, while Daffodils, with a falsetto style vocal is more mellow. Crack In The Pearl is another ballad while Leaving Los Feliz is smooth pop and Heavy And Rolling’s best part is its jazzy coda. The best track though, is its UK chart-topping Uptown Funk, with Bruno Mars. Hip sounds indeed if you’re looking to spice up your contemporary music playlist. This album is definitely a step in the right musical direction for Ronson.
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WATCH: Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars