VERSION - MARK RONSON
British indie rock has been called a lot of things, but “nutty fun” isn’t frequently one of them, which is what makes “Version” such an exhilarating summertime throwdown. Best-known around these parts for producing Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson takes the occasion to decorate songs by Coldplay (”God Put a Smile Upon Your Face,” given a James Bond-theme treatment featuring the Daptone Horns), the Smiths and even Ryan Adams with several coats of sunshine-colored paint, throwing horns, splashing drums and assorted Stax/Volt touches all over everything. Not surprisingly he gives prime screen time to his ladies: Allen turns the Kaiser Chiefs’ “Oh My God” into a flight-ready R&B workout; Winehouse’s horn-washed cover of the Zutons’ “Valerie” is single-worthy. Jammed with ambition and a sense of goodwill you can almost touch, “Version” is the massively enjoyable sound of a guy determined not to miss a minute of his moment.
