What can't Mark Ronson do? For a man who breaks up with Rashida Jones and reps PETA with the flick of his Gucci sneakers, the answer is: nothing.
And so Mr. Ronson has dutifully exhumed the tattered, bleating corpse of Duran Duran for their 13th album, All You Need is Now, to be released next month.
Perhaps it's not “Now” but “NOW”, and it stands for the “Newly Old Whitefolk”, a.k.a. those who not only remember who Simon LeBon is but can also afford tickets to their Spring 2011 tour (working title: The Eagles Ain't Got Shit on Duran Duran, Every Seat's $1,000).
In any event, Ronson's collaborative magic (that he's extremely discriminatory with!) became evident after after producing a “'mega-mix' one-hour set” with the band in 2008. This karaoke track–erm, “rare live performance,” made it clear that the World needed more Duran. So much so that Ronson insisted the band add another “Duran” to their name, but he quickly settled down to the business at hand.
With appearances by members of the Scissor Sisters and Arcade Fire, and the backing of the band's “loyal army of fans” that were born in the mid nineteen-sixties, this 9-song LP cannot fail.
My only complaint is that they're releasing All You Need on December 21, and not the 25th, which is when profound gifts are usually released unto mankind. But then we wouldn't have time to stuff our family and friend's stockings with the next Mark Ronson project. And say, Amen.
