Mark Ronson - Uptown Special (New CD)

2015 release, the fourth album from the producer/DJ. UPTOWN SPECIAL is Ronson's most inventive and vibrant work to date. Taken as a whole, the album is inspired by his musical beginnings. As a teenager growing up in New York City in the early '90s, Ronson gravitated towards hip-hop, funk, soul and R&B. Those were the records he lugged around in boxes in the early days of his club DJ career and that scratchy, inspiring vinyl was what he returned to when creating the album. UPTOWN SPECIAL was written and produced with Grammy-winning producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Drake, Alicia Keys) over 18 months in studios in London, Memphis, Los Angeles and New York City. The majority of the album's lyrics were written by Pulitzer-winning American novelist Michael Chabon. Ronson's favorite living author, Chabon became a part of the songwriting process early on and was fully immersed in the album's narrative creation, often working with Ronson and the vocalists in the recording studio. Featured album artists include: Bruno Mars, Mystikal, Tame Impala's Kevin Parker and others. 'Uptown Funk' featuring Bruno Mars, the first single off Ronson's album, was co-produced and co-written by the duo.