"Uptown Special" is Mark Ronson's fourth studio album and is a tribute to eighties funk/soul/jazz, featuring lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon on half the songs. It could have ended up sounding more than a little pretentious but thankfully turns out awesome, which is a pleasant surprise.
The album opens with the brief intro "Uptown's First Finale" with Stevie Wonder on the harmonica, followed by the dreamy jazz-esque ballad "Summer Breaking" featuring Tame Impala's Kevin Parker. The frantic horn-sprinkled "Feel Right" sounds like James Brown made a cameo in the studio and features rapping by No Limit's very own Mystikal. Remember him? "Uptown Funk" has done extraordinarily well on both the US and UK charts, a pseudo Prince-meets-Michael Jackson affair with Bruno Mars on vocals and a Nile Rodgers-style scratchy guitar.
The restless funk "I Can't Lose" features a raspy Keyone Starr [the lone female lead vocalist -- GIRL POWER!!!] and gives me all the Kashif mid eighties tease.The "Daffodils" features Kevin Parker, who has the dreamiest falsetto BTW, and a muddled guitar break, while the short lived yet nostalgic ballad "Crack In The Pearl" features the vocals of Andrew Wyatt (from Swedish trio Miike Snow) and the opening lines "In the Backroom of the El Mago Casino, under a portrait of Doris day/you and I, and a pair of C-notes" - is indicative of Chabon, hard at work. "In Case Of Fire" is a Prince (yet again) and Stevie Wonder love child with the vocals of Jeff Bhasker and a hallucinatory conclusion.
"Leaving Los Feliz" is sleek pop/funk with Kevin Parker, "Heavy And Rolling" is a superb and grandeur groove featuring Andrew Wyatt and a jazz inspired ending, while the ending number "Crack In The Pearl Pt. II" starts off sounding like a Ray Parker Jr. jam with a Stevie Wonder cameo again on harmonica and Jeff Bhasker on vocals as the song saunters through different musical moments.
My only gripe is that the album was over so fast! I honestly wanted more! After producing hits for the late great Amy Winehouse and Adele, it's nice to see Ronson relish in his moment in the spotlight. Don't believe him? Just watch. Or better yet, just listen to the stream below:
Natasha Marie
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