Unorthodox Jukebox
For his second full-length, *Unorthodox Jukebox*, Bruno Mars eschews trends. He showcases his impressive musical range, powerful vocal chops, and innate pop sensibilities throughout the aptly titled album, with highlights including a boogie-funk sparkler (“Treasure”), a sorrowful piano ballad (“When I Was Your Man”), a reggae/dub dazzler (“Show Me”), and a doo-wop-inflected burner (“If I Knew”).
To the rest of the world, Bruno Mars is as harmless as a puppy in a fedora, an old-fashioned entertainer welcome at any mother’s dinner table. Mars apparently doesn’t see himself that way, though. On his sophomore album, Unorthodox Jukebox, the baby-faced singer unleashes his inner bad boy, losing his mind over girls…
Bruno Mars is instantly puppy-dog lovable, and that's probably his biggest weakness as an R&B hit-making phenom.
Bruno Mars’ debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans made the talented singer/writer/producer into a star, he racked up hit singles, hosted Saturday Night Live, and became something of a romantic icon thanks to loverman anthems like “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade.”
Bruno Mars's genre-hopping pop deserves respect, but the man himself remains a cipher, says <strong>Kitty Empire</strong>
Bruno Mars's second album contains more clinically perfect songcraft, and also some rather unpleasant sentiments, writes <strong>Caroline Sullivan</strong>