You do it to yourself

You could certainly say that the new album by Mark Ronson—the production master behind the endlessly enjoyable Alright, Still and Back To Black—follows a formula. You could say that, and if you want to, go ahead and say it now. Done? Okay. He covers mostly-recent songs by Brit acts, changing the songs only by adding soul horns, funk-via-baggy beats and sixteenth-note tambourine shaking. Maybe there's a Motown beat instead, or maybe it's a little bit slower, but otherwise, there's not much variation to the formula.

Oh! But hey! Fucking news flash! I'm a 100%, all-natural, government-approved fanatic for soul horns, funk-via-baggy beats and spastic tambo shakes. So if you ask me (which, in a way, you did), this album is a triumph.

His stab at Radiohead's "Just" is one of best covers of a well-known song that I've heard in recent memory. Now, given that my recent memory doesn't really go beyond a couple of days, that's not saying very much, but still: it's awesome:


Almost as enjoyable as that is Amy Winehouse helping out Ronson on the Zuton's "Valerie":


...and ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing wrong with that.