Record Collection

Mark Ronson renamed his project

Mark Ronson decided to continue his solo career under a lightly different moniker. Now, he is supported by a band called The Business Int’l. In fact, these words denote the whole gathering of people who help him make new studio records. There is no secret that Mark is not only a proficient producer and musicians, but a wonderful manager, the one who knows how to get everybody interested in ideas he has. His 2007 record, Version, is a result of a gigantic team work coordinated by Mark Ronson. Since then, he has not changed this approach to creative activity and still relies on the assistance of other performers when it comes down to creating new albums. Meanwhile, he has denied the making of covers, although this was exactly what promoted Version and thus it was difficult to resist a temptation to do something like that again. Mark Ronson’s latest album, Record Collection, is a set of completely new songs.

Record Collection blows the mind with a variety of voices

On the one hand, it is quite good for Record Collection to be opened by the single Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang because that is a very bright songs that sets the mood for the whole record. On the other hand, it could be better if that song were not in the very beginning because you can hardly find here anything better than that. It is not even about finding something better; it is rather about being different from it. Ronson abandoned jazz experiments he tried on Version and focused on synth-pop of the eighties and nineties. Reminding us that he is a master of beats, Mark provided choruses of all the songs with excellent programmed drums and distinct bass guitar. You him singing for the first time in the second, Lose It. He does not have any words to memorize; and his voice in corrected and processed like any other instrument, which makes the whole sounding quite good. Anyway, whenever the vocal part requires something more than middle skills, the duty is assigned to those who are more proficient in it than Mark. This is not bad at all unless you expect that Record Collection is an album with an exquisite style or interesting concept. There are so many voices here, and all of them are so different that it will take you a while to learn who sings where. However, you will quickly like the duet of Rose Elinor Dougall (The Pipettes) and Andrew Wyatt (Miike Snow) in very pretty tracks Somebody To Love Me, and You Gave Me Nothing.

A solo album made by many

Record Collection is a marvelous dance album that will create a small summer around you no matter what kind of weather you are having outside. If Mark Ronson made this record to show us that he is more than a good producer and DJ, that he is also an apt singer, then it is likely that he will fail. This is because Record Collection will have you enjoy the nice music and retro-styled arrangements; but the voice of Mark Ronson The Singer will pass unnoticed. You have got here Q-Tip, D’Angelo, Ghostface Killah and many more vocalists who really know how to do it. In the hip-hop toned Introducing Business, you can even hear the whole London Gay Men’s Orchestra. Mark’s task was to produce sonic background for the guest performers. Each one of them sang in a peculiar manner, with his or her characteristic tricks, but Mark managed to arrange this many-faceted material so that it could be released as one album. Ronson’s ability to take hundred percent out of the available resources is well known. This time, he had a great range of resources to work with.