REFRAIN MUSIC

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Hawaii born singer/songwriter/producer Bruno Mars (real name: Peter Hernandez) seems to have his hand in a plethora of hit songs today while his own melodic hits rise to the top of the charts.  We all got our first major glimpse of Mars on B.o.B.’s hit “Nothin’ On You” and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” (both of which he co-wrote) which was hummed on the lips of just about everyone last year, followed up by the great song “Just The Way You Are” (which has a very cool video by the way), the song which is included on this album.  He also played a hand in Cee-Lo’s unforgettable piss-off song “f-you” which just about everyone on the planet has heard at least once.  With the current single, “The Lazy Song” climbing the charts (I swear I hear this three times a day on the radio) this young man (he’s only 25) is here to stay, which in my opinion is great.

Personally my favorite song on this album is the hit “Grenade”, which lays out in an angst ridden manner his desire for a lady he would go to very extreme measures for, but she shuns him at every turn after “take, take, taking”…very relatable on a personal level (incidentally been trying to learn this on guitar, easy chords, crazy fast chord changes).  As mentioned earlier, the hit single, “Just The Way You Are” comes in a close second…I wonder if he’s talking about the same gal?  “The Lazy Song”, while a catchy form of a humorous hum-along song, will likely be most likely be most relatable to the under twenty-five crowd, but one thing it does show is Mars’ creativity in melding lyrics with an infectious pop-reggae beat.

Mars has a self-confessed ‘plan’ to this album, that breaks down the 10-song recording to something for the girls and something for the guys, “the doo-wops are for the girls and the hooligans are for the guys”, he said in an interview with “Idolator.com”.  As you listen through the album it becomes plain to see which songs are for whom.  With great songs, catchy lyrics and melodies, and reuniting with both Cee-Lo and B.o.B. once again on “The Other Side”, this album is going to keep pumping out hits and get used to hearing the name Bruno Mars.

1. “Grenade”
2. “Just the Way You Are”
3. “Our First Time”
4. “Runaway Baby”
5. “The Lazy Song”
6. “Marry You”
7. “Talking to the Moon”
8. “Liquor Store Blues” feat. Damian Marley
9. “Count on Me”
10. “The Other Side” feat. Cee Lo & B.o.B

4/5