24K Magic
Bruno Mars
Atlantic
Three and a half stars
Bruno Mars pays homage to his musical influences with this groovy, R&B-inspired collection that sounds straight out of the 1990s. 24K Magic is a party album that recalls Michael Jackson, James Brown, New Edition and retro boy-band harmonies.
Shame it is only 34 minutes long. Mars has said he hopes his first album in four years inspires listeners to dance. The title track (and hit single) sets the toe-tapping tone for the dance-party groove that follows. Even the late Godfather of Soul would shake his hips to Perm, in which Bruno channels his best James Brown over trumpet-tinged funk.
Finesse is a different kind of throwback, all New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe. Mars reaches for a Jackson-inspired falsetto on the ballad Versace on the Floor, then more of a Boyz II Men vibe on Calling All My Lovelies.
It is all a shift in direction for the multi-Grammy Award-winner – more R&B and less pop than the 2014 hit Uptown Funk or 2012's Unorthodox Jukebox. He replaced The Smeezingtons, the production team comprising himself and two partners, who worked on his first two solo albums, with Shampoo Press & Curl, who give the songs on 24K Magic a lush, wall-of-sound quality. The result is a groovy party that ends too soon.
* Associated Press