Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Mark Ronson, Columbia Records/Sony Music Australia 2019.
Mark Ronson is an Academy, Grammy, and Golden Globe winning artist and producer and Late Night Feelings is his fifth studio album.
The album features collaborations with a diverse range of artists including Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello, King Princes, Alicia Keys, YEBBA, Angel Olsen and others.
The lead single from the album Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (featuring Miley Cyrus) was released last year and sold 3X platinum, spending nine weeks in the ARIA Top 10 singles chart and was Australia’s most played song at radio in the first half of this year.
Three more singles have been released, Don’t Leave Me Lonely (featuring YEBBA), Find You Again (featuring Camila Cabello) and the title track Late Night Feelings (featuring Lykke Li), which has over 18 million streams and gained rave reviews, so the album’s songs are already amongst the biggest selling tracks this year.
The music could best be described as easy listening.
All the featured vocalists are female and the music is more mellow than energetic.
Ronson seems to have an affinity with female artists and an ability to coax the best out of them.
He won his Academy Award for his work with Lady Gaga on Shallow from A Star Is Born so it’s no wonder so many talented female artists are lining up to record with him.
The critics have been effusive in their praise for the album.
“If anyone can pull off such a seductive contradiction it’s a producer as famous as the stars with whom he works” – Classic Pop.
“Ronson’s ability to tap into each artist’s strengths and dig out their particular prowess allows each voice to shine through and own each individual track. This is what elevates the record to a guaranteed award winner and truly empowering listening.” – Clash
The album is good and the most up-tempo tracks, Nothing Breaks Like A Heart and Truth (featuring Alicia Keys and The Last Artful Dodgr) are my favourites but I’m not sure that the album is quite as good as some of the reviews suggest.
Having said that I won’t be surprised if it ends the year in the top 10 album sales.
