ARTIST: Bruno Mars
ALBUM: Unorthodox Jukebox
LABEL: Atlantic Records
RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2012
Finding His Identity
Written by Silas Valentino
Your girlfriend is going to love this record. Unorthodox Jukebox is aptly titled for it sways in and out of pop genres, all the while sucking in young women’s aural capillaries. Mars, born Peter Gene Hernández, broke into our pop music scene in 2010 with hits like “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade.” Unorthodox Jukeboxdoes its best to remedy the sophomore jinx, a feat in which it succeeds. Bruno Mars has broken out of the “Just the Way You Are” gentle, sweet song box, but now he’s lost in orbit searching for his identity and place in this unforgiving galaxy of popular music.
Bruno Mars was a child musical prodigy born into a family of musicians and by age five he was performing and Elvis-impersonating. After paying his dues as an out of work musician living in Los Angeles, he was signed by Atlantic Records and released his major label debut Doo-Wops & Hooligans in 2010. From there he made girls across America croon to “Just the Way You Are” and infiltrated music video dispensaries (Youtube) with his odd ball “Grenade” video (It’s the one where he hauls a piano through town). With a powerful boost from his debut, Mars went back to the studio and hooked up with mega producers such as Mark Ronson, Diplo and Jeff Bhasker. The finished product is an unconventional iPod shuffle of tracks that hop around styles as much as Lindsay Lohan hops around custody. The bubble pop magic is there courtesy of Bhasker, fresh off of producing fun!’s “We Are Young” and there’s an electronic bounce supplied by Ronson and Diplo. Even though Mars is in the company of established producers, his solo game shines through and when it hits, it does so with the elegance of a glitter war with Rip Taylor.
The song that bought Mars at least three more years of stardom is lead single “Locked Out of Heaven.” It has enough New Wave swagger to keep up a conversation with Sting and a chorus hook that would have Journey’s Steve Perry turning up the radio. All while keeping it contemporary with an 808 synth kazoo-esk hook guaranteed to echo throughout your brain for the following week. “Locked Out of Heaven” is a killer pop song that puts the rest of the album on its shoulders. Two other tracks share similar qualities to it, “Young Girls” and “Gorilla,” but they don’t leave as lasting of an impression. From there Mars transcends genres and writes the best Thriller B-side never recorded, “Treasure,” lights up a Reggae joint, “Show Me” and duets with Esperanza Spalding on a track that would make your grandparents doo-wop in the living room.
Unorthodox Jukebox is the first time Bruno Mars can make music as Peter Gene Hernández. After spending years abiding by record label rules and desires, Mars can finally make a record as himself. The result is promising but as a whole, it won’t mark land. Though Unorthodox Jukebox has its tracks with waring selection buttons due to multiple plays, the jukebox persona limits his potential. Most Bruno Mars fans couldn’t tell you what a jukebox is. Yet as long as he is surrounded by other musicians and has a recording studio at his demand, Mars will continue to spin out pop music until the little Elvis in him finally leaves Las Vegas.