Mark Ronson – Version (2007) - DANIEL MUSISI

UK born, New York raised(based) DJ/Producer has been involved in the New York music scene since the early 90’s. Version, Ronson’s sophomore effort, immediately follows his Grammy Award winning work(contributions) on Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black. Both albums – unlike his first, Here Comes the Fuzz ¬– had solid, funk-inspired production. Back to Black had a very present Motown-esque, old soul R&B vibe, while Version’s funk is more based in horn arrangements reminiscent of the JB’s or Ray Baretto.

On this album of funktified cover tunes, Ronson puts an urban spin on classics old and new, making the songs relevant for an audience which likely hasn’t heard the original versions. The majority of the songs are British indie rock tunes transformed in to funk and R&B songs. Ronson has been quoted to say that his intention was not so much to make the songs better, but to make them “bounce,” and in large part he succeeds.

Surprisingly, Ronson’s most successful productions on the album are ones in which he strays from the original and injects his own unique flavor. Unfortunately, there are songs in which he reworked the instrumentation, but chose to stick with the original vocalist. These are the songs that are most lacking. Ronson’s cover of the upbeat, “Apply Some Pressure” originally performed by Maximo Park (2005), sounds almost too similar to the original and uses the same lead vocalist, Paul Smith. His cover of Kasabian’s L.S.F. - Lost Souls Forever – (2004), lists Kasabian as the featured guest and though it’s got more “bounce” than the original, seems like an unnecessary, or “too soon” cover tune.

There are some tracks that heavily stray from their originals and nearly outshine them in the process. Australian R&B artist, Daniel Merriweather sings a fresh rendition of the Smtihs’ “Stop Me If You Think that You’ve Heard This One Before”. The original bubble gum pop sound is replaced with a smoother and funkier R&B style version which is equally as memorable as the 80’s classic. Philadelphia born, Brooklyn based vocalist, Santogold sings Pretty Green, originally performed by the 70’s and 80’s rock band, The Jam. Ronson brings a more cohesive, heavier and more danceable energy to the song while maintaining its psych rock influenced feel. Santogold perfectly complements the song with a delivery that is upbeat, fun, and energetic only adding to the song’s unique texture. The biggest risk and furthest leap from the original is landed successfully with Ronson’s take on Britney Spears’ “Toxic”.
Tigger sings, Ol’ Dirty Bastard raps, and the vibe and instrumentation are smooth, funky and flawless. Ronson turns Britney’s fierce, high-energy, 143 BPM killer, into a smoothed out, almost bluesy, 104 BPM slow burner. It makes so much sense it could pass for an original, even to someone who knows the Britney tune.

The song the best captures what Ronson has done with Version is Radiohead’s “Just”, performed by Phantom Planet. This version has all the great elements of the original and more, adding Ronson’s signature funk-laden drum beats and brilliant horn arrangements, which add true bounce to the production and in one track, communicate the motivation behind the entire project – MORE BOUNCE.

Here's the set list with originals included:
Mark Ronson – Version & The Originals
01 Mark Ronson - God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (feat. The Daptone Horns) 3:12
01.original Coldplay - God Put a Smile Upon Your Face 4:57
02 Mark Ronson - Oh My God (feat. Lily Allen) 3:35
02.original Kaiser Chiefs - Oh My God 3:43
03 Mark Ronson - Stop Me (feat. Daniel Merriweather) 3:50
03.original The Smiths - Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before 3:34
04 Mark Ronson - Toxic (feat. Tiggers and Ol' Dirty Bastard) 4:05
04.original Britney Spears - Toxic 3:25
05 Mark Ronson - Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse) 3:39
05.original The Zutons - Valerie 3:56
06 Mark Ronson - Apply Some Pressure (feat. Paul Smith) 3:36
06.original Maxïmo Park - Apply Some Pressure 3:19
07 Mark Ronson - Inversion 1:47
08 Mark Ronson - Pretty Green (feat. Santo Gold) 3:14
08.original The Jam - Pretty Green 2:39
09 Mark Ronson - Just (feat. Phantom Planet) 5:22
09.original Radiohead - Just 3:54
10 Mark Ronson - Amy (feat. Kenna) 3:32
10.original Ryan Adams - AMY 3:46
11 Mark Ronson - The Only One I Know (feat. Robbie Williams) 3:59
11.original The Charlatans - The Only One I Know 3:58
12 Mark Ronson - Diversion 1:19
13 Mark Ronson - LSF (feat. Kasabian) 3:28
13.original Kasabian - L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) 3:22
14 Mark Ronson - Outversion 1:50