We’re no strangers to Daniel Merriweather here on the music blog, but we’re surprised that he hasn’t broken through by now. It looked likely back in 2007 when he worked with Mark Ronson on Stop Me.

Change has an almost hip-hop feel to it, especially in the little piano line which feels familiar from some bygone hip-hop track I’ve heard before. Merriweather’s voice is on fine form with a nice – if forgettable – cameo from rapper Wale.

If you can’t spot Mark Ronson’s signature sound on this track, you’ll have been living under a rock for the last couple of years.

The video’s a tad grim with the duo being bussed through a grotty neighbourhood while Merriweather waxes lyrical about people finding out who’s in charge and nuthin’ ever changing.

Change has all the hallmarks of a massive radio hit, and that hopefully has the effect of bringing Merriweather the solo artist to the attention of the general public. If not, it’s back to providing guest vocals for other people, which isn’t quite as satisfying as selling records in your own right.

Fingers crossed. The single’s released on 2 February 2009.

The best bit about Stop Me (If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before) is that the ‘one’ I’ve heard before is by The Supremes, not The Smiths.

Smiths fans internet-wide are totally hating on this track. Well, pipe down purists, even Morrisey likes it.

Having never heard the original, I don’t have any inconvenient bias. When I first heard it, I thought it has a bit of that Gnarls Barkley-type of new old-school soul about it. That would be courtesy of Daniel Merriweather’s authentically soulful vocals.

Despite the obscure pairing of The Supremes with The Smiths, the song works. Mostly, I would say because Ronson doesn’t mess around with the formula and sticks with classic soul sounds all the way – strong bassline and tasteful use of strings that compliment the genre he’s mimicking here. It gets a thumbs up from me.