Well 2015 is upon us and it’s already being tipped as a great year for music. Some of the world’s biggest musical acts have promised us new material this year and I for one am really looking forward to hearing what they have in store.
Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Duran Duran, Emeli Sande, Fleetwood Mac, Guns N’ Roses, Madonna, Motorhead, Muse and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are all taunting us with new forthcoming albums (as long as they can all get along with each other in the studio).
I remember watching the Brit Awards in 2008 and when they announced Mark Ronson as the winner for best British male solo artist I was – to say the least – bemused. A guy that can’t sing winning best male solo artist? I had to investigate further. My bemusement was overruled by discovering that he had produced some of the best albums and singles of that year, including Adele’s “19” album and many of the late Amy Winehouse’s most successful singles.
Six years and many chart topping songs later he’s back with an eclectic-funk-inspired album that’s sure to be a huge success in 2015.
“Uptown Special” is due for release on 27 January and has been two years in the making. The lead single “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars quickly became one of my favourite songs of 2014, up there with Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”.
Mark Ronson has seriously pulled some favours and resources for his upcoming album, not only using vocalists Bruno Mars and Mystikal but also the legendary Stevie Wonder on harmonica. He recruited Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon to write lyrics for a few of the singles and teamed up with Grammy-winning producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, Beyonce) to create the album in New York, London, Memphis and Los Angeles studios.
“I spend so much time DJing hip hop clubs in New York, and all that music – funk, R&B, soul, disco – I feel it’s all the same thing,” Ronson says.
I hope the rest of the album will live up to the brilliance of the lead single. I’ll be back reviewing more great albums very soon… happy new year!
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