Bruno Mars - 'Doo Wops & Hooligans' (Atlantic Records) Released: 17/01/11

Having already featured on some of last year’s biggest records, namely B.O.B.’s ‘Nothin’ On You’ and Travis McCoy’s ‘Billionaire’, as well as having his own number one (‘Just The Way You Are’), Bruno Mars is set to own 2011. As pop’s new poster child, the Hawaii native has just scored his second number one in the form of ‘Grenade’ on the eve of his album’s UK release.
   
Pushed forward a week, ‘Doo Wops & Hooligans’ is a combination of pop, rock, reggae, soul, hip-hop, and RnB. So it really does have something for everybody. The UK public is surely going to eat it up being that alongside Adele; Mars is currently the most requested artist in music retail.
   
Infectious and oh so addictive, the harmonies contained on this romantically charged LP are not to be taken lightly. Whether it’s on the long distance love ballad ‘Talking To The Moon’, which could quite easily be another contender for the number one spot, or the mid-tempo ‘Our First Time’, which squashes any first time awkwardness in the bedroom, Mars makes it sound so easy. Not always love drunk, ‘The Lazy Song’ has a Jack Johnson meets Bedouin Soundclash feel to it with a subject matter designed to aid those feeling less than energetic. A catchy hook involving the lyrics, “Don’t feel like picking up my phone/ So leave a message at the tone/ ‘Cos today I swear I’m not doing anything.”
   
While the obvious stand out track is the incredibly popular ‘Just The Way You Are’, which is without question this year’s Valentines Day lovers favourite, there is another. ‘Marry You’ is openly expressive song with a feel-good factor way above the norm. Whether you are in fact married, planning on getting married, or are just happy with life, the chiming bells merged with its rock n roll-esque back drop is a marvel. Bruno Mars seems to have the ability to take any situation to that next level vocally.
   
The Damian Marley assisted ‘Liquor Store Blues’ is a look at the opposite side to his usually optimistic personality. The only other track to feature another musician is the drum hammering ‘The Other Side’, which features labelmates B.O.B. and Cee-Lo Green. Fast and furious, it’s a look at opposites. While Mars and Cee-Lo talk of being the complete reverse to that of their partner, B.O.B.’s witty rap, which includes the lyrics, “They say that life’s a dream, call it insomnia/ ‘Cos this ain’t Wonderland, it damn sure ain’t Narnia,” takes a darker look at his own demons.
   
Call it what you want genre-wise, but the bottom line is Bruno Mars is single handedly taking charge of popular music. This album is proof of that.