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Bruno Mars :: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Bruno Mars has been behind the scenes for years, it seems. Among other things, he co-wrote “Right Round” by Flo Rida feat. Ke$ha and by this summer, this kid was strategically placed into pretty much every huge radio hit that was blaring from the bikini-clad girls’ radios at the beach (“Billionaire” by Travie McCoy; “Nothin’ on You” by B.o.B.; “Fuck You” by Cee-Lo Green). All this in preparation for one of the highest anticipated albums of the year (and I called it back with my Travie McCoy review!).

Now the time has come and Bruno Mars’ debut, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, has finally been unleashed onto the world. The result? An interesting foray into different genres, a slightly scratchy yet powerfully appealing voice belting out some love jams…but nothing more than a disc of guilty pleasures.

Aimed mostly at the ladies, Doo-Wops is chock full of sappy love songs, including the single “Just the Way You Are,” but not ending there. Six out the album’s 10 tracks are disgustingly sappy, but still have the tendency to keep you from pressing the “Skip” button on your iPod some how.

Runaway Baby” is a fun track that sees the Puerto-Rican-Phillipino Hawaiian-bred 23-year-old alleged crack head stretch his Soul muscle, but he just can’t seem to pull it off. The song is definitely a hip and fun track, but his voice just doesn’t match the genre he’s trying to pull.

The album features heavy hitters Damien Marley, B.o.B. and Cee-Lo Green, making for a definite fun album that perhaps was released at the wrong time of year. I can easily hear this album blasting from every convertible coupe, hugging the curves of the roads near Southern California’s beaches. Not driving in traffic in rainy L.A. with the windows rolled up, with the exception of maybe “Our First Time.” But Bruno Mars isn’t breaking any barriers here. This album is best given to your girl, because even this skeptical-on-love gal fell under the catchy spells of his scratchy guilty-pleasure-sappy love tracks.

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