Uptown Special by Mark Ronson
Album: Uptown Special
Artist: Mark Ronson
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Label: Columbia
Genre: Funk/R&B/Pop
Uptown Special is producer Mark Ronson’s fourth studio album. Included on the track listing is the immensely popular “Uptown Funk,” a great track featuring Bruno Mars that’s been all over the radio.
I was a little upset to find out the rest of the album didn’t all sound like “Uptown Funk,” but that doesn’t mean the album wasn’t good. The strange thing was that a lot of the album is pretty mellow, as opposed to the impossibly catchy Bruno Mars-featured track. The album is filled with featured artists, most notably Kevin Parker and Andrew Wyatt. Kevin Parker’s first two tracks are low points on the album; while his airy, ethereal vocals may work well in his own band, Tame Impala, they don’t usually here, because they make for some pretty boring songs. “Daffodils” is very sleepy-sounding, with no real progression from beginning to end; the instrumentals are boring and repetitive from beginning to end. This is true, too, on “I Can’t Lose,” featuring Keyone Starr. While this track is more lively than “Daffodils,” it’s very repetitive and feels extremely dated, which is another problem facing the not as good tracks on this record (like “In Case of Fire”). I understand that there’s supposed to be a throwback sound, but it’s hit-or-miss on if it works right, and it certainly doesn’t on “I Can’t Lose.”
On to the good- Andrew Wyatt’s tracks are stand-outs, as well as the mega-hit “Uptown Funk,” and “Leaving Los Feliz,” Kevin Parker’s redemption track. At this album’s best, it becomes a Las Vegas soundscape for the mind (Las Vegas is mentioned on “Crack in the Pearl”). The most bizarre track has to be “Feel Right,” featuring Mystikal. The song is good, but it’s so unnecessary! It’s so explicit for a pop album with no other violent tracks. I’m not going to rate down a track for cursing, but damn, there’s a lot of it.
Great tracks: “Uptown Funk,” “Crack in the Pearl (Parts I & II),” “Leaving Los Feliz,” “Heavy and Rolling”
Not-so-great tracks: “I Can’t Lose,” “Daffodils”
FINAL RATING: 7/10
Tags: albums, columbia, funk, January, mark ronson, pop, R&B, uptown special