Music

As every newspaper, magazine and TV show in Britain will have informed you by now, New York-based Londonite Mark Ronson is currently the coolest name to drop in polite society. Given his past pedigree as a hip hopper you’d think he’d aim to shore up his hood credibility with a big, shiny album of club bangers. Happily, Ronson has gone in the opposite direction, and turned in a spectacularly quirky selection of reimagined cover versions of rock, pop and indie tunes.

Of course, Ronson has form in this arena – his rejig of ‘Just’ being the standout highlight of the recent Radiohead covers album (and it’s recycled here) – but it’s still quite a bold move. The only thing it has in common with your average hip hop album is its lengthy guest list.

Now, as a concept, this may not seem like much of a leap beyond Hayseed Dixie, but Ronson is no one-trick musical mule. Crucially, the album still holds up even if you’re not a fan of (or even familiar with) the originals. In his hands, ‘Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before’ becomes the Motown revivalist anthem ‘Stop Me’. Better still, ‘Toxic’ becomes a Mancini-goes-to-Brooklyn soul-slap augmented by the last recorded verses by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, who would certainly know the meaning of the title.