Mark Ronson & Katy B // Move To The Beat [Music Video]
When I found out that Mark Ronson and Katy B were teaming up for an Olympic song I was pretty ecstatic. They’re two of my favourite artists, so it was great to know they’d be cooking up a song together.
Now that I’ve heard “Move To The Beat” today, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. The production is great, with Mark incorporating the sounds of a number of athletes into the song as percussion, but I just feel like it doesn’t really go anywhere. I’ve listened to the song a few times, and I just couldn’t tell you what it sounds like. Katy’s a great vocalist, but I just don’t think that the song’s melody is that memorable.
There’s a little bit too much going on in the song as well, with too many layers coming across a bit confusing. I do like the song - but that’s it, I just like it. Hopefully the brilliantly clever (bar all the Coca-Cola plugs) music video will help it grow for me, but for now it’s fair to say that all the songs on “Katy On A Mission” are better than this.
Lily Allen // Smile Version Revisited (Mark Ronson Remix)
I’d never really liked Lily Allen much when I was younger. I’m not really sure why, I guess I just thought she was annoying. However, last year some of her material just clicked with me and I was able to appreciate ‘Smile’ for the ska-pop brilliance that it is.
With cheeky lyrics of vengeance and light reggae beats, ‘Smile’ is the perfect summer pop song. The Mark Ronson remix puts a twist on that, with extra horns and drums being added to give it his signature sound. There’s a jangly piano in there as well, which makes it it all sounds very doo-wop; a style which suits Lily’s soft vocal tone very well indeed.
It’s a funky track, which doesn’t lose the balance of carnival beats and cynical lyrics which made the original so good. The fact that Lily is singing about getting revenge on her cheating boyfriend, with a sense of irony and just a hint of vulnerability over a fun, uptempo jazz number is still genius to me.
Daniel Merriweather // Stop Me (Live Acoustic)
Daniel Merriweather would have to be one of my favourite vocalists. His voice has such a rich, soulful tone to it, and has just a little bit of roughness to it.
As a vocalist on Mark Ronson’s take on “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before”, Merriweather excels on giving us painful emotions on a version the song which is completely different to the original. Despite obvious differences, I felt that “Stop Me”was a refreshing take on The Smiths track, coming off as a different track in its own right.
This acoustic version allows Daniel’s vocals to take centre stage, on what yet again sounds like a different track. In stripped back mode, ”Stop Me” doesn’t sound quite as dark as the studio version. However Daniel’s vocal delivery adds a sense of hopelessness to the song, a quality which I really appreciate in a singer. Even when sampling The Supremes “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (which is the surprise highlight of this track) Daniel still manages to keep the desperate mood of the song alive, in what is a genius combination of tracks thanks to Mr Ronson.
Mark Ronson // A La Modeliste [Feat. Erykah Badu, Mos Def & Dap-Kings]
As part of Hyundai’s RE: GENERATION project, Mark Ronson was one of five producers chosen to take a specific genre and put a whole new spin on it with an array of collaborators.
Mark got Jazz, and teamed up with Erykah Badu, Mos Def and Dap-Kings for ‘A Da Modeliste’. Fusing Jazz with a little bit of Hip-Hop, the track has a very bluesy feel to it. You can tell they had a lot of fun making it as there’s a very free and relaxed atmosphere about the song, it just sounds so natural.
You should give this one a spin, it really has given jazz a real modern twist. Sadly we don’t hear much from Mos Def bar some backing vocals, but the amazing outro jam more than makes up for that.
Mark Ronson & The Business Intl - The Bike Song [Feat. Kyle Falconer & Spank Rock]
The Bike Song is the second single released from Mark Ronson’s third album (released under the Mark Ronson & The Business Intl moniker). The song combines funk with electronica at points while also having a very old school feel and bike bells ringing throughout. I’m not sure if I like it as much a Bang Bang, but this single featuring vocals from lead vocalist Kyle Falconer of indie rock band The View and rapper Spank Rock is definitely worth a listen.
