Album of the week: Unorthodox Jukebox
Bruno Mars likes to mix it up. Almost every song on his second album dabbles in a different genre. The singer-songwriter-producer shows growing sophistication, musically and lyrically, on Unorthodox Jukebox, a retro-pop collection of 10 tracks with elements of rock, funk, country and reggae. There's even a heartbreaking piano ballad.
Bruno Mars
Atlantic Records
Bruno Mars likes to mix it up. Almost every song on his second album dabbles in a different genre.
The singer-songwriter-producer shows growing sophistication, musically and lyrically, on , a retro-pop collection of 10 tracks with elements of rock, funk, country and reggae. There's even a heartbreaking piano ballad.
The 27-year-old - born Peter Gene Hernandez - hinted at his versatility on his 2010 debut, , a set of love songs that yielded the hit singles and , which won the best male pop vocal performance Grammy Award. He draws from a broader range of musical influences in , recalling Michael Jackson, Parliament and even The Police. And there's still love, but also lots of sex.
He channels Prince on , all prowess and desire: "You got your legs up in the sky," Mars sings. "You know what I like. You're a dirty little lover." He proclaims "your sex takes me to paradise" on the 1980s-tinged single . And on the island-style reggae tune , he urges his lover: "You say you're a woman who knows what she likes, then show me."
But a man can't live on sex alone. The heartfelt is reminiscent of a gently country , and Mars is at his best on the bare piano ballad .
