Uptown Special | ||||
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Studio album by Mark Ronson | ||||
Released | 13 January 2015 | |||
Studio |
Various
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Genre | ||||
Length | 38:39 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Producer | ||||
Mark Ronson chronology | ||||
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Singles from Uptown Special | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 73/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
The A.V. Club | A- |
Consequence of Sound | C+ |
The Daily Telegraph | |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
The Guardian | |
Pitchfork Media | 6/10 |
Rolling Stone | |
Slant Magazine | |
Spin | 6/10 |
Uptown Special (stylized as UpTown Special.) is the fourth studio album by English record producer Mark Ronson. The album was released on 13 January 2015 in the US and 19 January 2015 in the UK. Ronson dedicated the album to the late Amy Winehouse.
Uptown Special became Ronson's first number one on the UK Albums Chart (with his previous two albums charting at number two), and reached number two in the Australian ARIA Charts and number five on the US Billboard 200.
The melody for "Uptown's First Finale" was inspired by the first set of lyrics that Michael Chabon sent to Mark Ronson. Despite Ronson loving the lyrics he kept hearing the melody as if it were being played by Stevie Wonder with his signature melodica tone. Owing to this, Ronson decided to send a “Hail Mary” letter and the song to Wonder's manager. Despite not expecting a response, a few months later Ronson was contacted and told that Wonder had recorded the part for him. Ronson said of the event "When I first heard it, it was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had. I was dumbfounded, speechless, whatever word you want to use, I was all of those things. I still can’t believe somewhere in a studio in Chicago one night, Stevie Wonder actually recorded a piece of music that I wrote. I’ve listened to it a hundred times and it still messes me up when I play it".
"Summer Breaking" came out when Ronson met Jeff Bhasker in his house in Venice, LA to start working on Ronson's album. Ronson wrote the chords and melody to the song in one night that Bhasker left earlier. Ronson stated "It’s something way more complex than anything I’ve done before, I don’t really even know the names of the chords – they just sort of came out of me."
"Feel Right" backing track was recorded on a "whim", before Mark went in studio with Mystikal, in Memphis. However "it worked out to be so well suited to his vocal style". The two met in Baton Rouge with Bhasker and "[legendary New Orleans rap producer]" KLC, thanks to jazz musician Trombone Shorty, who gave Mystikal's phone number to Ronson.