This second album from Bruno Mars
certainly seems unorthodox in comparison to his debut. Graduating from the soppy, puppy dog love
songs of ‘Doo-Wops & Hooligans’ where Mars obsessively adored women “just
the way you are”, ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ sees Mars reaching sexual awakening with
a collection of songs that owe more than a passing debt to Michael Jackson.
Lead single Locked Out Of Heaven proves to be the perfect introduction to the new style. Repeating “your sex takes me to paradise”
like a mantra over a ska-funk guitar line copied from Sting provides a
blueprint for the album at large, merging overt sexuality with 80s
production. Yet this track is amongst
only a handful of upbeat tracks, along with the Stevie Wonder-esque funky Treasure that sounds like an extra track
from Michael Jackson’s ‘Off The Wall’ (despite opening with the line “Baby
squirrel, you’s a sexy motherfucker”), and reggae track Show Me that’s indebted to Musical Youth’s Pass the Dutchie, lending an exotic feel to match the lyric “your
pleasure island is where we can go”. Somehow
Mars is cool enough to get away with some incredibly sleazy lines.
The rest of the album is surprisingly downbeat, with a
number of power ballads that continue where Grenade
left off. Vocally, Mars’s high tenor
fluctuates from tenderly sweet to sexy rasp (thankfully more of the latter) in
a clear imitation of Michael Jackson.
Likewise, the production combines 80s rock and RnB flavours to mimic ‘Bad’. Gorilla,
for example, brings evocative synths and guitars to the lyric “you and me
baby making love like gorillas”. How
does one make love like a gorilla? “You
got your legs up in the sky with the devil in your eyes”, “you’ll be banging on
my chest bang bang” and “you’re screaming give it to me baby, give it to me
motherfucker”. Nobody expects gorillas
to make love delicately, but I’m sure David Attenborough would have a thing or
two to say about that. Moonshine is similarly erotic: “the
moment that you kiss my lips you know I start to feel wonderful…there’s sex in
your chemicals”. Yet sex has its dangers
beyond chemical burns – on Natalie “Little Miss Sunshine ruined my life…she ran away with all my money”, confirmed by Money Make Her Smile (“give her what ya
got, give her what you got yeah”). In
this respect, Natalie is like Mars’s Dirty Diana, with production more akin
to Kanye West, whilst Money Make Her Smile
features a Stronger-esque synth
melody in the pre-chorus. Amongst all
the seductive, nocturnal whizz-bang, there’s still room for some slush in the
form of piano-ballad When I Was Your Man,
but even this is a lament to a failed relationship – “now my baby is dancing,
but she’s dancing with another man”.
Like his debut, ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ is rather melodramatic
in the lyrics (and trouser) department, but musically this is a far cooler
album that should appeal to more than just teenage girls. Just stay clear of any gorillas if I were
you.
3/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Gorilla
* Treasure
* Moonshine
Listen: ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ is available now.
