Vega excels at character studies, and Edith Wharton, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, 1970s graffiti artist Zephyr and a post-9/11 city cop all turn up here. Individually, the 11 brief songs offer deft sketches of a New York City that dazzles "with her beauty and her crime." But collectively, the tracks dissolve within the soft electronic beats, crystal acoustic guitars, and sweeping strings.

Mark Ronson "Version" ★★★

The gimmick behind "Version," the sophomore album by Brit DJ, producer and former Tommy Hilfiger model Mark Ronson, is to cast Brit-pop hits as soul-R&B dance-floor workouts, sung by an impressive coterie of guest artists. Ronson is in vogue for his production work on Amy Winehouse's "Back in Black" and Lily Allen's "Smile," and both of those Brit lasses shine on "Version," with the former delivering the Zutons' "Valerie" with Martha Reeves-worthy swagger and the latter jauntily making her way through the Kaiser Chiefs' "Oh My God."

Not everything here works, with a remake of the Jam's "Pretty Green" - featuring Santo Gold, the otherwise promising project of Philadelphia native (and former Stiffed leader) Santi White - as the biggest letdown. But in general, Ronson gets away with his strange yet crowd-pleasing cover concoctions.