Mark Ronson feat. Katy B - Anywhere in the World

We've been crying out for some new Katy Be material, especially after the absolute travesty of her receiving not even a single BRITs nomination, and new Mark Ronson collab comes up trumps. Moving away from the clinical sounds of Katy's debut towards a tribal medley of fuzzy synths and sampled homespun beats comprised of actual taps and gasps from athletes, Anywhere in the World feels 'big' in every sense of the word.

With the sponsorship power of Coke on board too, the track has a real 'jingle' feel to it and artfully repositions Katy as a proper trailblazer popstar - it's a look and sound that suits her, and Anywhere in the World feels like exactly the kind of record to keep her star shining brightly through the Olympic year.

Best tie-in track since Shakira's Waka Waka, it's fair to say.

Marcus Collins - Seven Nation Army

The trouble with Marcus Collins releasing a cover version as his debut single is that it proves nothing. Having dazzled on the X Factor show itself, his jazzed up take on the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army is reduced to something all too predictable.

Unlike Marcus' tacky finale performances which veered dangerously into cabaret cruise-ship territory, Seven Nation Army is thankfully more restrained, more classy - but it does nothing to push the Marcus brand, to show us what more the lad can do. We know he's got a great voice, we know he's got a snazzy sense of style - he showed us all that on the big ol' XF - let's see him deliver with some material of his own now, as Rebecca Ferguson did to sublime effect last year.

As it stands, Seven Nation Army seems to scream 'I wish this was produced by Mark Ronson' while simultaneously shimmying up in an assortment of Janelle Monae's leftovers (admirable though it is that Marcus wants to cover Monae on his debut album, Seven Nation Army proves he's in danger of becoming a poor man's imitation of her).

Marcus undoubtedly has potential - and Seven Nation Army is far from awful. But if he's not careful, he could quite easily end up as the next Leon Jackson or Andy Williams.

Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now

If I had a pound for every time Duran Duran’s newest album All You Need Is Now is ‘the next Rio’, I’d be a millionaire. But, the thing is, it really is. Not since that marvellous, seminal album have the band sounded quite this good. And not just that, for Duran have released plenty of good tracks since then (though quite how many is rather debatable, depending on how big of a fan you are) – but on this album, they sound energetic, re-invigorated, and most importantly – fun.

2004’s Astronaut was an amazing album, but in many ways, it did not sound like Duran Duran. It was futuristic in the extreme, consistent to the extreme and packed full of immaculately produced pop-rock classics. 2007’s Red Carpet Massacre was a miss-step, a rash grasp at ever-changing musical trends, the band latching onto man of the moment, Timbaland. The result was a jarring and rushed sounding end-product that just didn’t grab you the way you wanted it to. The singles were in place, but the makings of a good album were not.

Perhaps this is why All You Need Is Now comes as such a breath of fresh air then. It’s got that classic, Duran Duran youthful charm to it; that killer element that have kept them alive and innovative when so many other bands of their era have long since fallen. The title track is a brilliant introduction to the album, a cracking blend of old and new – something that defines this album. You’ll hear hints of instruments and sounds that you would swear came straight from Rio.

There’s contemporary touches here too, with producer Mark Ronson at the helm. Important note though: those coming to the album expecting a re-hash of Ronson’s Verion album, all horns and Zutons covers, will be surprised. He’s kept his touches on the band’s sound minimal, serving instead to pull everything together, a commanding force to better ensure the continuity of the final album. Oh, and there’s brilliant guest vocals from the Scissor Sister’s Ana Matronic and Kelis. The latter’s contribution is especially impressive on the epic, hypnotic, irresistible pull of The Man Who Stole A Leopard. It’s easily the band’s best ballad since Ordinary World.

Girl Panic!  is another favourite of mine, harking back to the likes of Careless Memories, displaying an aggressiveness the band haven’t played to in years. Most importantly, as an album, All You Need Is Now is a firm reminder that a band never comes with a sell by date. For Duran to be putting an album this good out 13 LP’s into their career is astounding. And judging by the top 10 position the album surged to on iTunes stores across the globe in its release week, the public tend to agree. Stunning, wonderful stuff.