THE TOP ALBUMS OF 2010 #13 - Mark Ronson: Record Collection

THE TOP ALBUMS OF 2010

#13 - Mark Ronson & The Business Intl: Record Collection

Words by Dirk Calloway

Preface: you're reading one part of a 20 part summary. Each day I am reviewing one of my favourite records from 2010. Today is #13, tomorrow is #12 and yesterday was #14. Enjoy.

Mark Ronson has had a helluva career to date. He practically invented a genre; that of the whiny early-20s Brit female who's obsessed with soul riffs and talky lyrics delivered in her regional accent. Whatever the hell that type of music is, you surely know Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. This guy is the braniac behind their superstardom, and he's made two fun solo records to date: Version and Here Comes The Fuzz. Both are good records in their own right, but they've always felt to me like "Mark Ronson doing his thing while a guest vocalist fills in the gaps." Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan, but they've never felt like complete works.

This record is different from those two. Its cover says it all: stitched together like some day-glo monster of Frankenstein's. Despite its many and varied influences, this is a considered album that makes sense when judged as a whole. It's not the sort of solo album that you flick from track to track checking if the guest does anything of note. Instead, it's to be listened to from end to end. I reckon I've played it through about 30 times now since I bought it in September as a result of some birthday loot. One song in particular is played a lot more often than that, but it's the exception to all others. Everything else on the album is listened to in sequence for me, one meticulously chosen track after another.

The stunner of the record though is Lose It (In The End). It confounds your expectations three times over. It starts off a slow enough groove, with something akin to a Western's bell toll over the top of it. Then the track is kicked up to the next level with a full-on Baroque keyboard riff and Ronson's vocals... before.... BOOM! The track graduates to the big leagues with Ennio Morricone-styled whistling, and an arena-filling rap from Ghostface Killa. Ronson's vocal work on the track is superb and it is truly one of the best songs of 2010. It still blows me away every time I listen to it. 2:26 of pure bliss.

But there's many epic cuts on the album as a whole. Opener Bang Bang Bang is a great combination of skill-sets, blending Q-Tip's delicate flow with a MNDR's pop-chants coming in like a cheerleader over the top of Ronson's cranking bass line and wall-of-sound synths. Check it out live, because holy hell this is a great performance on Letterman. It proves that this isn't just a 'solo DJ record' and instead it's real music that is even more rocking when performed by real people on a real stage. Fantastic stuff:

Considering the diversity of talent involved in the making of this record, it'd be a damn shame if you missed out on a listen. You owe it to yourself to at least check out the bat-shit crazy rap-laden pop on display here. This is music for all colours, all classes and all ages. Enjoy.

Tune in tomorrow for more! It's gonna be a group from Canadia, eh.