In 2012, Bruno Mars released an album entitled Unorthodox Jukebox. The album featured songs from different genres and became a success for the artist. One of the most important songs on the album is “Treasure”. The song has a pop/R&B feel to it that sounds great. The song was widely-accepted by his fans and music listeners in general. Even the music video for the song looked like it could take place at a 70s disco. Bruno Mars is versatile as an artist and extremely creative with his songwriting, performance and genre selection for his music. With “Treasure”, I think Bruno Mars found a sound where all of his production elements seemed to work together collaboratively. Rather than create another album with songs from different genres, Bruno decided to take the sound from “Treasure” and take a musical journey by creating an album of songs that are an evolution of his successful song. In 2016, he released 24K Magic that featured songs that were exclusively pop/R&B. His existing fanbase enjoyed the album, and he even gained new fans as songs from his new album were being played on Top 40 radio as well as R&B and hip-hop stations. Bruno’s idea to develop this album derived at the perfect time; it is one of those projects that still does well with music streaming and with fans downloading the album. Some of the songs are still in rotation on radio today.
I saw the music video for “24K Magic” the title track for the album back in 2016. I appreciated the sounds the artist had been creating. I could tell that the song was different than anything else that he had created previously and I was very curious about what the album would sound like. Instead of buying the album right then, I decided to wait to hear one more single from the album before I decided to buy it.
Coincidentally, Bruno Mars was set to perform on Saturday Night Live. I was excited because I knew that meant he would be performing two songs and it was my opportunity to hear something new from the album. “24K Magic” was the first song he performed, and the second was called “Chunky”. After hearing “Chunky” I immediately bought the album because I understood where the artist was going musically, and it just so happened to be a place that I’ve been to as a music fan. When I first started getting into music, R&B and especially pop/R&B were my favorite songs to listen to. Having listened to many albums in those genres, the album that really had an impact on me as a fan and a music listener is TLC’s CrazySexyCool. The album was produced by LaFace (LA Reid and Babyface) and I’ve always accredited the genius of their production in collaboration with TLC’s creativity that developed something that I had never heard before. After hearing Bruno Mar’s “Chunky” on SNL I started feeling the same way I felt about CrazySexyCool.
24K Magic does not disappoint. There is a lot of creativity on the album. Everything seems to work together, from the songwriting to the performances. The only thing I think that could make the album better is if “Uptown Funk” were a track on the album. However, “Uptown Funk” is an anthem song similar to “24K Magic” so it wouldn’t make sense if they were both competing for the lead song on the album. 24K Magic has become one of my favorite projects because it takes me to a great place as a listener.
“24K Magic”: is a party anthem with good lyrics; the track is fun to listen to. The instrumentation has a pop sound that is juxtaposed against his vocals that sound like R&B and some hip-hop. When he performs this song, the entire band is onstage and they deliver choreography that matches the song very well.
“Chunky”: is my favorite song on the album. The lyrics underscore that this is another party song; the songwriting is very fun on this track. Again, there is the juxtaposition between a pop and somewhat electronic sound in collaboration with R&B-type vocals.
“Perm”: is a high-energy dance track that has a James Brown influence to it. It’s another upbeat song, the third in the row for the album, and it is all about dancing and having a good time. There is some humor in the lyrics and the vocals are strong. The instrumentation has live drums, some funk guitar and begins with a nice sounding organ to get listeners attention.
“That’s What I Like”: is Bruno’s first track that is strictly R&B. The song is still in rotation on a variety of different types of radio stations. The vocals and songwriting are sound. The lyrics are nice and this is the fourth song in a row that is upbeat, and has a party vibe to it. The instrumentation is straight forward and has a 90s to 2000s feel to it. Since the production elements sound light, there is an extra emphasis on the vocals, which is a good thing because Bruno Mars sings this song really well.
“Versace on the Floor”: is the first slow song on the album. At the start of the song it is Bruno’s singing voice over electronic piano keys. From there the production builds with a variety of electronic sounds. The vocals are sung like an R&B song, and mixed with the production it makes for a unique sound. It’s another well written song, and it is fun to listen to the track and follow the piano chords and hear where they land throughout the song; Bruno has made several slow songs popular with previous albums, but this one is different because of the mixture of R&B and electronic sounds.
“Straight Up & Down”: is a mid-tempo song with a pop production. The vocals are sung in R&B fashion, and at this point in the album listeners are probably able to identify the anatomy of why these songs are so unique. Almost every song has a mixture of pop and R&B elements with a sprinkle of electronic dance; this is a mixture that is seldom heard and is one of the reasons why the album became so popular.
“Calling All My Lovelies” is a song about romance, particularly the guy waiting for the girl to return his phone call. Both the vocals and the production were made in such a way that I’ve never heard before, but I really like this song. There’s an interlude section where he calls Halle Berry and gets her answering machine, which is a humorous part of the song. It’s another mid-tempo song that sounds great at this point in the album.
“Finesse”: is created with a 90s sound from start to finish. It has a “New Jack Swing” sound that was popular by producers like Teddy Riley in the early 90s. Parts of the music video take place on a replica set of the 90s sketch comedy show In Living Color. There is a remix to the song featuring Cardi B that is not on the album but was released as a single that did well on the charts. This song, especially the remix, is still in rotation on various radio stations.
“Too Good to Say Goodbye”: is a song about a couple breaking up, but the guy trying to prevent it from happening because he knows that both of them will never find someone else that can take each other’s place. The songwriting and lyrics are excellent, but what makes the song so exciting is that it has a contemporary feel to it. It’s like the entire album is a trip through the 90s but the final song is from 2016. There’s a lot going on with the instrumentation that has a good sound: both traditional and electronic piano keys, live drums, and a nice live bass section. It’s a good song choice for ending the album and it could be a paradigm for what Bruno’s future album may sound like.