As someone from the UK, it is incredibly hard to do a Mark Ronson album review without comparing it to his previous release, ‘Versions.’ That album dominated the radio back home for a good two years. Even now, Amy Winehouse’s version of ‘Valerie’ will be in numerous radio station playlists simply because it has possibly the perfect vocals and arrangement for a pop record. ‘Record Collection’ is a change from the successful formula that Ronson has most succesfully used – a new 80’s synth sound replace ‘Versions’ dominant brass section. Opening track and lead single ‘Bang Bang Bang’ is a clear indication of the new direction – not one trumpet but a dancey and electronic vibe that is more suited to dancefloors than coffee lounges. One constant between the two releases is the quality of the guest artists. Ronson calls upon timeless artists such as Boy George and Simon Le Bon alongside more recent singers, such as Kyle Falconer from The View and MNDR Stand out tracks ‘Somebody to Love Me’ and ‘You Gave Me Nothing’ provide a darker, atmospheric contrast to the radio friendly ‘The Bike Song’ which, in my opinion, should have been released earlier and adopted as the summer anthem of 2010. The major negative with the album is that it is a bit samey. If you don’t like one track, the chances are that you won’t like most of them. Ronson sticks to what he knows, which in my opinion works well, but the lack of variation could be seen as a bit repetive. Also, there are two instrumental tracks that don’t seem to add anything to the album, just small fillers that are forgettable. However, despite the fact it may not get the same commercial rewards that ‘Versions’ provided, it should nevertheless gain critical acclaim as an accessible electronic album that will probably provide a large portion of my winter playlist.
Watch the video to ‘Bang Bang Bang’ here