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9.1
72221
9.1 |
A.V. Club
Without sacrificing authenticity, Ronson has created an accessible, pop-friendly, and undeniably sexy collection of funk and R&B
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8.8
72651
8.8 |
Paste Magazine
Ronson’s Uptown Special is his best work yet and one of the best funk albums you’ll come across in recent memory
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8.0
72712
8.0 |
FasterLouder
Uptown Special is yet another insight into one of the more flexibly creative names in contemporary pop
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8.0
72726
8.0 |
The Irish Times
A cracker from tip to toe
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8.0
72471
8.0 |
NOW
Despite the production and star power, no one element outstrips the others
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8.0
72534
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
It's compelling stuff and testament to Ronson's considerable skill as a producer that he is able to unite so many disparate elements on one record
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8.0
72561
8.0 |
Mojo
There's a meticulous attention to detail that runs beneath the surfaces. Print edition only
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8.0
72222
8.0 |
Q
It's quite a feat to produce music that works for the mind and the hips, but Ronson has pulled it off magnificently. Print edition only
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8.0
72230
8.0 |
State
Go in with an open mind and you’re guaranteed one of the more eclectically enjoyable pop albums you’re likely to hear this year
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8.0
72288
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Sounds like Michael Jackson, Prince, Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder (not least because he’s on it) but attention to detail and unwavering energy elevate it far above pastiche
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8.0
72347
8.0 |
Digital Spy
The behemoth groove of 'Uptown Funk' will almost certainly outlive its host LP, but this multi-faceted, idiosyncratic collection offers much in terms of sonic adventure and reinvention
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8.0
72365
8.0 |
DIY
Rarely entering the realm of pastiche, in all, this makes for a brilliant, ageless album
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7.8
72219
7.8 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
A slyly running commentary on the fluidity of modern pop music but one that never fails to forget what the people really want: to dance, dumb and delirious, and forget
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7.0
72220
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
The magic is in the details. Mystikal conjures James Brown on "Feel Right," and Bruno Mars animates a Minneapolis groove with EDM builds on "Uptown Funk." It could even teach Prince a trick or two
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7.0
72245
7.0 |
Exclaim
Unapologetic in revelling in its musical influences and ultimately represents a light and mainstream-friendly primer to funk and soul
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7.0
72227
7.0 |
Slant Magazine
Will likely please devotees of those older genres while potentially frustrating listeners expecting 10 tracks resembling the album's hit lead single "Uptown Funk"
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7.0
72387
7.0 |
NME
You can try to hate it, but in the end, as with all the best pop music, resistance is futile
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7.0
72320
7.0 |
The FT
Uptown Special has the fancy-dress element typical of his work, this time in evoking 1970s and early 1980s black US pop
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7.0
72337
7.0 |
musicOMH
If you’re looking for a party album, there are songs on here that will sound fresh for the rest of the year and beyond
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7.0
72354
7.0 |
All Music
Neatly tied together by opening and closing cuts that include Stevie Wonder on harmonica, because Ronson could swing it, Uptown Special is another nostalgic fantasy that provides light entertainment and provokes backtracking
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7.0
73586
7.0 |
Under The Radar
To be sure, Ronson's album is extremely proficient, excellent with its little witticisms and hints of vanity, but while these folks have the funk, they're just short of sex appeal
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6.5
72546
6.5 |
Beardfood
Unfortunately, there are too few gems, and you'll soon be skipping through the misses to get back to Uptown Funk
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6.0
72629
6.0 |
The Music
Ronson is the master of splicing together a genre’s most prominent sounds to form a hyper-version of it, and here, a masterful funk-disco record
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6.0
72750
6.0 |
Uncut
Recreating a slew of retro-funk styles, the music settles for tasteful reverence. Print edition only
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6.0
72324
6.0 |
The Observer
The more you play it the more this deranged ensemble piece holds together. And the more you respect Ronson – no individual genius, perhaps, but a tunesmith/conductor of breadth and depth
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6.0
72413
6.0 |
Pitchfork
Too top-heavy to sustain its momentum, yet too fleeting for its thematic framework to cohere, Uptown Special is that rare beast: a concept album that actually could use more fat
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6.0
72228
6.0 |
Spin
Plays a little like a Spotify playlist on random — fun, and unexpectedly thrilling at times, but jarring and never totally satisfying
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6.0
72279
6.0 |
The Digital Fix
This is a good-time album: tunes to dance to and to chill out to
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6.0
72223
6.0 |
The Independent
Never dawdles long enough to drag. But nor does it dig deep enough to make much impact
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5.8
72716
5.8 |
Consequence Of Sound
A hodgepodge of Ronson’s favorite things (the musical styles he listened to as a teen in the ’90s, lyrics from an author he loves, etc.) with a misguided conceptual twist and one standout hit single
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5.0
72482
5.0 |
PopMatters
It’s slick, glossy, and expensive, but lift the hood and there’s a scarcity of solid, original, or memorable material inside
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4.0
73429
4.0 |
No Ripcord
Somehow, because Uptown Funk is so, so good, Uptown Special is even more disappointing
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4.0
72439
4.0 |
Time Out
In its studied and laboured way, ‘Uptown Special’ sounds like an album made by someone who’s given a TED talk on sampling
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4.0
72351
4.0 |
The Arts Desk
Subscription required
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