Bruno Mars has delivered his long awaited third album ‘24k Magic’ today.
The follow-up to 2012 effort ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ is an audacious effort filled with R&B jams that provide a flavorful soundtrack to pregame of Friday nights.
Sonically ‘Magic’ sees Mars channel the ‘80s and ‘90s era of R&B, which many a millennial cite as its peak years with contributions from the likes of Prince, Boyz II Men, and Babyface. Influences clearly present on the 9-song set.
With the set already moving numbers at retail, three new tracks have been made available to stream.
Listen to ‘Chunky,’ ‘That’s What I Like,’ and ‘Perm’ below. All were written and produced by Bruno, Phillip Lawrence, and Christopher ‘Brody’ Brown. A collective now known as Shampoo Press & Curl.
Bop after bop.
These tracks, much like the album more broadly, are well-polished and a commendable step forward.
Though there’s an arguable over-reliance on mimicking previous sounds, it doesn’t dilute the laudable nature of the material.
With ’24k’ as a body of work, Bruno has proven himself to be a premiere talent in the Pop and R&B realms.