Here Is A Group You Don't Often See Posted On My Site, "Maroon 5" have hooked up with the 'Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul' "Mary J Blige".

"Wake Up Call" is a track that has already been released some time ago, so it is a little strange that now they would decide to make a remixed version. Still, with production from the UK's "Mark Ronson" & the fact that the original vocals have been re-recorded, shows a degree of 'effort' has been put into the song.

The only issue with the track is that Mary completely kills it, she out shines the original vocals completely, so much that they feel unnecessary. However, I am a fan of the song & it shows that Mary is not afraid to step out of the box & still be an incredible talent.

LISTEN: "Maroon 5 ft. Mary J Blige - Wake Up Call (Mark Ronson Remix)"

I Thought It Was Time For A New Review & A Recommendation.
I was determined, for along time, to write up a review on Timbaland's Shock Value, but after much consideration, I decided that my opinion is bias, as I adore Timbo & everything he does. So instead I opted to review an unusual album from an unusual kind of guy.


Mark Ronson - Version

Firstly, the lo down on Ronson, for those of you who don't know, Mark is a well respected UK born music producer, who mainly deals with the Hip-Hop side of things, he is only really known (so far) for his hit single "Ooh Wee" which featured "Ghostface Killah" & "Nate Dogg".

His current offering "Version" is a whole record full of cover versions, some classics, some not so. These are his interpretations of different tracks from a variety of artists, from "Coldplay" to "The Smiths" to "Britney". Ronson is a versatile producer, unlike others, he never sticks to the same style, he picks a style for an album & that is that, for this record he has chosen a ' Big Band' sort of feel, lots of Brass, less of the Strings & the usual Big Beats. Unfortunately that seems to be the end of it, this album feels very repetitive, it almost seems that every track is an extended version of the last.

Of course it's not all bad, the addition of many big names gives this album the feel of a Ronson classic, with the likes of "Amy WineHouse", "Lily Allen" & "Kasabian" dropped in to give a diverse feel to things is only a good thing (Winehouse's vocals on "Valerie" being a real highlight).

Still it fails to deliver as a classic, I expect this will sit in your CD player for a week or so, but I feel that may be last time you will play it. It's a fine offering, but I expected more, I expected to feel something for this album & want to play it again & again, Ronson is some what a visionary, This should have been a vision, but I just feel like saying "Must Try Harder"

Overall, there are some nice, blatant singles from this record, which I'm sure you will be hearing in the future. But apart from them, this is a somewhat 'messy' album of perfectly produced tracks with some nice featured talent, I enjoyed it, but it's not near a classic.

*** 3 Star
(Worth A Listen, Not A Purchase)