Record Exchange Boise

Reviews:

Call it the P. Diddy rule: In pop music, money makes money, or at least attracts it. Take Mark Ronson, the English-born son of New York socialite Ann Jones (his stepfather is Mick Jones-the ex-Foreigner guitarist/songwriter, not the Clash dude) who has DJed for everyone from Tommy Hilfiger openings to Jay-Z's private parties and caught many an ear with his production work on Nikka Costa's 2001 debut, Everybody Got Their Something. So it's not surprising that the guest list for his debut album is longer than Eustace Tilly's nose; Here Comes the Fuzz features appearances by Costa and about a dozen big-name rappers.

Ronson's beats outshine his guests most of the time, which isn't difficult, since the disc could just as easily have been called Mark Buys His Famous Friends New Watches. The beats themselves are OK-mostly agreeable party stuff that doesn't really impact as much more than a scrubbed-down and easy-bouncing version of whatever style he's working in, which is usually hip-hop or R&B, though the Rivers Cuomo-sung "I Suck" dips into some kind of electro-new wave nostalgia, complete with the kind of chorus-pedaled-out guitars that people who don't actually listen to rock music think signifies "rock." "International Affair" plays around with Althea & Donna's reggae classic "Uptown Top Ranking," though the original wasn't exactly hurting for interest, and as wonderful as Sean Paul is he doesn't improve on A&D anymore than Ronson does. But Ronson's producer persona is as bland as you'd fear; he refuses to push his invitees any more than he has to, and they repay his faith by swanning around looking fabulous. Must be what his mother's parties are like.