Bruno Mars – Nu-Soul.
Heading into almost-mainstream territory this Monday Lunch hour with a set from Bruno Mars, recorded on January 18, 2024 at Tokyo Dome.
In case you didn’t already know – Bruno Mars, is regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, retro showmanship, and musical versatility. He is accompanied by his band, the Hooligans. Raised in Honolulu, Mars gained recognition in Hawaii as a child for his impersonation of Elvis Presley, before moving to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a musical career.
Bruno Mars established his name in the music industry as a songwriter and co-founder of the production team the Smeezingtons. He rose to fame as a recording artist after featuring on the US number-one single “Nothin’ on You” (2009) by B.o.B. Mars’s first three studio albums—Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), and 24K Magic (2016)—found critical and commercial success, with the lattermost winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The albums spawned multiple international hit singles, including “Just the Way You Are“, “Grenade“, “The Lazy Song“, “Locked Out of Heaven“, “When I Was Your Man“, “Treasure“, “24K Magic“, “That’s What I Like“, and “Finesse“. He also featured on Mark Ronson‘s 2014 single “Uptown Funk“, which became Billboard‘s best-performing song of the 2010s.
Mars’s musical style initially gravitated towards R&B, and he was influenced by Keith Sweat, Jodeci, and R. Kelly. He noticed Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, New Edition, Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley and Babyface as a child, and listened to 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, doo-wop and Motown. Mars listened to Led Zeppelin and the Beatles in high school, and to singers with high voices such as Stevie Wonder and Freddie Mercury. Bob Marley and local bands in Hawaii gave Mars his reggae roots. Hip-hop acts like Jay-Z, the Roots and Cody Chesnutt were favorites, influencing his songwriting. Each musical genre has influenced the singer’s style: “It’s not easy to [create] songs with that mixture of rock and soul and hip-hop, and there’s only a handful of them.”
Other inspirations include Janet Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Sly Stone, Carlos Santana, George Clinton, and Usher. Mars said he is a fan of Alicia Keys, Jessie J, Jack White, the Saturdays, and Kings of Leon.
Bruno Mars’s concerts feature The Hooligans, including a guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist and horn section, who are also dancers and background singers. Critics noted the difference the backup band and arrangements made to the live versions of the songs compared with the album versions. The shows contained all-band dancing arrangements, including Mars’s footwork inspired by James Brown and the splits. The shows, influenced by disco, have a soul-revue-inspired set; long, mellow, soft interludes echoing the smooth contemporary R&B style popular during the 1990s are also included. The set lists blend several genres of music, including pop, doo-wop, funk, R&B, soul, and reggae. Mars’s shows usually feature pyrotechnics, strobe and laser lighting, and he plays drums and guitar. In 2021, Pollstar named Bruno Mars the hip-hop/R&B touring artist of the 2010s.
Okay – now you know – press play and dive in.
