Uptown Special Mark Ronson

• 1Uptown's First Finale01:38
• 2Summer Breaking03:07
• 3Feel Right03:43
• 4Uptown Funk04:30
• 5I Can't Lose03:16
• 6Daffodils04:58
• 7Crack In the Pearl02:26
• 8In Case of Fire04:34
• 9Leaving Los Feliz04:18
• 10Heavy and Rolling03:58
• 11Crack In the Pearl, Pt. II02:16
• Total Runtime38:44

Info for Uptown Special

Uptown Special, the fourth album by producer-songwriter-musician Mark Ronson, is a tale of several cities, a wide range of collaborators, and a road trip deep into the American South. However the story of Ronson’s latest project really starts back when he was New York’s hottest DJ.

This mix of vintage R&B and pop with contemporary hip-hop is what made Ronson a star DJ. “I never get tired of hearing records like Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘Can’t Hide Love’ next to 'Rock the Boat' by Aaliyah,” says Ronson. “I wanted this record to feel like hearing that kind of musical mix on great New York club night.”

Uptown Special has all of the flavor of a night with Mark rocking the ones and twos with funk, soul, and psychedelic pop in a style that echoes classic productions by Quincy Jones and Steely Dan, and funneled through its creators sophisticated understanding of arrangement and melody. Of his three previous albums Mark feels like Uptown Special is closest in spirit to his 2003 debut, Here Comes the Fuzz, which came directly out his DJ experience. “The difference,” Mark says “is I was reaching for things musically I wasn’t quite ready to execute. With all the experience I’ve gained over the years I had the maturity and knowledge to really pull this together.”

Mark Ronson’s Uptown Special is a unique blend. It’s an album with a serious literary pedigree matched to down home greasy funk. It features a progressive pop vocalist from Australia and one reared in Mississippi, the spiritual root of American music. Hot young contemporary players dominate while some tracks are spiced with legendary musicians. It’s a mix that reflects the musical taste and life experience of its creator.

Mark Ronson
is a sought-after turntablist who's worked with such diverse artists as Macy Gray, Jay-Z, and comedian Jimmy Fallon. The stepson of guitarist Mick Jones of Foreigner, Ronson spent the first eight years of his life growing up in England. Having played guitar and drums from an early age, it wasn't until moving to New York City with his mother that Ronson discovered DJ culture. At age 16, already a fan of such popular hip-hop artists as Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys, Ronson began listening to the various hip-hop mixtapes released every few months by DJs. Inspired, Ronson confiscated his father's record collection and began trying his hand at mixing.

The young DJ with the diverse taste soon caught the ears and eyes of various socialites and New York celebrities, including fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, who featured Ronson, along with other sons and daughters of celebrities, in a 1997 fashion campaign. A year later, hip-hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs hired Ronson to DJ his fabled 29th birthday bash. These and other high-profile gigs boosted Ronson's "hip quotient" and helped promote his more serious-minded music career. Fusing his eclectic turntable skills with his knowledge of musical instruments and songwriting, Ronson eventually embarked on his first solo project. Featuring such diverse guest artists as dancehall rapper Sean Paul, hip-hop artist Mos Def, Jack White of the White Stripes, and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Ronson's debut album, Here Comes the Fuzz, appeared on Elektra in 2003.

After releasing his debut album, Ronson kept busy producing tracks for a number of artists including Amy Winehouse, whose 2006 album Back to Black earned critical praise in large part for Ronson's throwback, Motown-influenced production. His own sophomore effort, a collection of cover songs called Version, dropped in 2007. In 2010, Ronson began performing under the moniker Mark Ronson & the Business Intl and released his third studio album, Record Collection, featuring the single "Bang Bang Bang." Taking time out in 2011 to marry French actress and singer Joséphine de la Baume, Ronson wouldn't return to the studio until 2013 to start work on his fourth album, Uptown Special. Featuring collaborations with the likes of Bruno Mars, Mystikal, Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, Hudson Mohawke, and Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford, Uptown Special also featured lyrics written by novelist Michael Chabon. Released in January 2015, Uptown Special marked Ronson's first-ever number one on the U.K. albums charts and entered the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S. (Matt Collar, Rovi)

This album contains no booklet.