For those who don’t know, Mark Ronson is a London-born, New York based DJ known for working his magic on the likes Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Rhymefest and Christina Aguilera. Far from just being another DJ playing to drunken crowds in a club, Ronson is expanding his already impressive CV by releasing an album which reworks some classics from a totally different angle.
The first single to be released from “Version” is his interesting take on the Britney Spears hit ‘Toxic’. Ronson has transformed this pure pop track into funky jazz/R&B with vocals that are much more slurry than sexy. The real coup is the posthumous inclusion of Wu-Tang member ODB who spits his verses with his trademark quirky lyrics and deliverance.
To dismiss Ronson’s work as mere remixes is an understatement; he has stripped the song bare and completely re-worked it into to an original track. From the other songs I’ve heard on his MySpace page it’s obvious that “Version” will be a classic. ‘Toxic’ is good but not as good as what will follow; watch this space.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Words: Limara Salt
