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After being responsible for a pile of hits this year, including B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire" as well as co-writing Cee Lo Green's viral smash "F*** You," Bruno Mars momentarily steps away from his comfortable duties with hit-making production team The Smeezingtons to haul out his own debut album. With the influences of Michael Jackson, Elvis, Motown, reggae and hip-hop shaping his style, the 25-year old Hawaiian singer/songwriter, primarily of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent, jumps out the box looking like an anomaly. His style is certainly a bit old school for his age, but the mix of classic soul and Bob Marley vibes along with its performance on Doo-Wops & Hooligans, his first with Elektra, promises to give him some leverage amongst the latest crowd of newborn R&B and pop stars.
After being responsible for a pile of hits this year, including B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire" as well as co-writing Cee Lo Green's viral smash "F*** You," Bruno Mars momentarily steps away from his comfortable duties with hit-making production team The Smeezingtons to haul out his own debut album. With the influences of Michael Jackson, Elvis, Motown, reggae and hip-hop shaping his style, the 25-year old Hawaiian singer/songwriter, primarily of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent, jumps out the box looking like an anomaly. His style is certainly a bit old school for his age, but the mix of classic soul and Bob Marley vibes along with its performance on Doo-Wops & Hooligans, his first with Elektra, promises to give him some leverage amongst the latest crowd of newborn R&B and pop stars.
Mars' charismatic, youthful approach to lyrical direction, fitting all the right rhymes together, anchors the album down while showcasing a marvelously combustible, soulful voice. "Grenade" starts off the album with MJ melody and down-on-the-knees conviction. From that point on comes an irresistible set of songs including the warm pop ballad (and #1 hit) "Just The Way You Are," a retro rock ‘n rolling "Runaway Baby" and the cleverish "Lazy Song," where Mars uses comedic charm and a blissful reggae groove to create an anthem for Lay-Z Boy hosts ("I'll be lounging on the couch just chilling in my Snuggie/Click to MTV so they can teach me how to dougie"). And with the additions "Marry You" and the sweet ballad "Talking To The Moon," Mars appears to be one of the freshest, mesmeric new voices of our generation. The album's closer, "The Other Side," kicks off with Motown percussion and a strong collaboration with Cee-Lo Green that seems so reminiscent of his Gnarls Barkley output.
Although the album plays with a number of styles, going back-and-forth from pop to reggae and in between messing around with timeless Motown grooves, Doo-Wops & Hooligans is a strong debut that could well make Mars a contender for Grammy's Best New Artist.
Notable Tracks: "Lazy Song," "Just The Way You Are," "Grenade," "Talking To The Moon," "The Other Side"
Vocals: 4.0 stars
Music: 3.0 stars
Lyrics: 3.5 stars
Production: 3.5 stars
SoulTracks Call: Highly recommended
By J Matthew Cobb