Bruno Mars - 24k Magic

Bruno Mars
24k Magic
2016
Spotify

There has always been one issue when it came to Bruno Mars' career; in terms of a full length album He has always suffered from being unfocused. There would obviously be smash hits, but for each one of those there were other experiments that went sideways. This new record however solves that issue. At only nine tracks and just over a half an hour Mars presents a record filled with pop nostalgia and funk. There is zero fat on this album with each track hitting like a pop dream. "Uptown Funk" renewed this idea for Mars that the pop and R&B that He grew up with is still just as relevant today. The call and response style of "Perm" is a clear nod to James Brown and of all the artists out there today it would seem Mars perhaps is the closest we have to the hardest working man in music. The record also has a very loose funk style to it letting the tracks unfold in a very improvisational way rather than every single note being debated and stressed over. 24k Magic almost ends up being a full exploration of all the R&B artists who Mars loves where you can find a really specific influence on each and every track.

Because Bruno Mars has this album so precise and dialed in everything works together incredibly well. The record flows damn near perfectly track to track and Bruno does not shy away from some of the more riske topics. It is an artist making choices for himself that pay off once they reach the audience rather than trying to write something with the hope that it will connect. It gives him way more freedom and that sense really stays with the record from start to finish. 90s R&B also plays a big roll on the album with songs like "Finesse" feeling like something straight from Boyz II Men. "Too Good To Say Goodbye" is the one miss on the record, and also happens to be one of the slowest. While Mars' singing is perfectly nice it seems that his real greatness comes from the pumped up party jams rather than then slow jams. 24k Magic is about as exciting as a pop record can be and although Mars is not breaking new ground here He is presenting an album that is rich, focused and more than anything really fun.

8.0 out of 10