ALBUM REVIEW: 24K MAGIC - BRUNO MARS

Wow Bruno, what an album you have here.

'24K MAGIC' has a brilliance not often found in the pop music charts today. What makes it so magical? Bruno hits a sweet balance between retro and modern.

Clean funky riffs and fun recording effects ooze Bruno's showmanship in some tracks and lean to a cool sexiness in others. The album is addictive, its simple but well-woven beats impossible not to groove to. It seems that Bruno has stuck to what makes his hits, HITS (think 'Uptown Funk', 'Treasure', etc.). Each track is injected with a hit of swag that bursts to a funky dance beat - creating a sound reminiscent of the likes of Prince and MJ. Bruno has crafted an album here with a consistent style but also individuality between tracks.

Top song: 'That's What I Like'
This is a TUNE. Backed by a bouncy and rich synth-infused bass line, Bruno sings of all that he can give his girl: "sex by the fire at night, silk sheets and diamonds all white, lucky for you, that's what I like, that's what I like". There's a certain romantic and playful decadence to this song that is simply luscious.

Special mention to: 'Calling All My Lovelies'
This is the classic R&B hit of a heartbroken player. "I got Alicia waitin', Aisha waitin', All the eesha's waitin' on me", but Bruno himself is waiting for one particular girl to pick up the phone. A featured recording of Halle Berry is suggestive of the influence of 90s pop nostalgia on this record.




'24K MAGIC' has to be my favourite of Bruno Mars' albums yet. It is far bolder in its flair than his previous record 'Unorthodox Jukebox' and far outshines 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans' - his debut album. Bruno commits to a unique sound and delivers it with colour and cheek, or rather 'Finesse'. From its first track '24K Magic' to its last 'Too Good To Say Goodbye', this record could be interpreted as a story of Bruno growing into and out of his rich bachelor life.

24K Magic won the Grammys for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Best R&B Album; and Album of the Year in January 2018.

Mellowing from explosive funky dance hits into a rich R&B sound, Bruno has produced an album with retro swag and a sound different from the work of most artists today. It is worth a listen.

ALBUM REVIEW: MAKING TIME - JAMIE WOON

A recent discovery, Jamie Woon seems to be hitting all my wants for study music so far.

His 2015 album Making Time is his best record, each track has its own steady pace, sophisticated beat and satisfying bursts of jazzy brass and guitar with his smooth vocal lines pulling everything together. This formula works very well in tracks like Message and Celebration. Other tracks radiate a more funky/R&B vibe (where he says his roots are), like 'Sharpness' which reminds me of a more mellow Jungle. The track Movement really identifies Woon as a new artist, testing the limits of blending electronic sounds and bass with the voice. This track and the bare vocal opening to Skin also remind me of James Blake, experimental though perhaps a bit more laid-back. Woon's voice is rather underrated in this album, personally I welcome the rare appearance of his simple, but effective, vocal tone - I'd be interested to see him explore this in future work.

One of the main attractions of this album for me is that each track has its own idea and own sound, something taken for granted but barely actually delivered in many albums I listen to today. More and more artists only care about the success of a few songs from an album for it to sell, but you can tell that Woon has put effort into giving each track its own musical value to make an overall more impressive album. I wouldn't say that the music is particularly striking or thought-provoking, Woon isn't necessarily a game-changer for new artists; however listening to him while studying  is a pleasure, he creates a good-sounding pace to work to with no surprises to come along and slap you out of focus, I appreciate the bursts of jazz/funk/electronic/R&B vibes he adds to keep each song fresh.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1piHywE1K1xbS3fTTVrdBC

12.01.16