An artist’s second album often has trouble living up to the first, especially if the first album was well received. Did Bruno Mars manage to beat the sophomore slump with his new album “Unorthodox Jukebox”? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
This album is basically a mirror image of his first album “Doo-Wops & Hooligans.” The songs are crooners for ladies to enjoy and men to mimic.
Listeners can clearly hear that this album was influenced by the rock beats of The Police, the electronic-pop sounds of Michael Jackson and the soothing voices of Boyz II Men.
The first track of the album, “Young Girls,” is a bit of a humble-brag. Mars “still dreams of a simple life” but then boasts about how “all the young, wild girls make a mess [of] him.”
The song that stands out from the rest of the album is “Moonshine” because it closely resembles Michael Jackson’s songs the most. It even includes the electronic echo from the beginning of Jackson’s “Beat It.”
“Gorilla” is the third track from the album and is about wild, raunchy animal sex. The lines in this song “Legs up in the sky with the devil in your eyes” and “I got a fistful of your hair but you don’t look scared” will take the listener by surprise.
The last song of this album is “If I Knew.” The lyrics of this song are not memorable, but the beat is reminiscent of 1950s high school dance songs like Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender.” This song has a slow buildup as if the tempo is going to become faster, but it never does.
The intent of the title “Unorthodox Jukebox” became apparent after the last song played. This album is meant to be a mix of different genres, like the variety of songs playe in a jukebox. However, it is easy to overlook this idea because it is convoluted with too many genres and influences.
Mars is known to be an R&B singer, but he manages to dip his hand in other genres. While the product of his attempt does not flow well, fans of Bruno Mars will be intrigued by his new and unorthodox ways.
“Unorthodox Jukebox” will be available in stores and on iTunes on Dec. 11.