Artist: Bruno Mars [CD]
Album: Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)
Label: Atlantic
ASIN: B009IRVSVQ
Genre: Pop, R&B
Listening Level / Interest Age: Ages 16 and up
Artist Profile:
“Peter Gene Hernandez, known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is a singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, actor, and choreographer. Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, co-founding production team The Smeezingtons.
Throughout a singing career spanning 4 years, he has won 2 Grammy Awards and sold over 10 million albums worldwide and 68 million singles sold. Four of his singles are counted amongst the best-selling singles of all time. Mars is now regarded as one of the most successful solo artists in all over the world, landing 5 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 ever since his career launched in 2010, faster than any male singer since Elvis Presley. In 2011, Mars was named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014, he was ranked number one on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Mars is known for his stage performances and retro showmanship that usually include playing a variety of instruments such as electric guitar, piano, keyboards and drums, dancing and performing a wild range of musical styles including reggae, soul and funk music.” From – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Mars
Listener's Annotation:
Bruno Mars returns with his signature R&B sound in his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox. Incorporating vintage soul ballads with sultry grooves and upbeat dance tunes, this album has all of the Bruno Mars staples, but the content is distinctly different from his debut.
Album Summary:
Bruno Mars second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, was released December 11, 2012. Prior to its release two singles, "Young Girls" and "Locked out of Heaven" had already been on the Billboard Top 40 charts for some time, rising to No. 36 and No. 4, respectively. Although the album has all of Mars’s trademarks, combining R&B, soul, and pop with his flair for showmanship, the content is distinctly darker than that of his previous album, Doowops & Hooligans, and focuses on a cynicism that revolves around themes related to sex, drugs, and manipulative women.
Track List:
Critical Evaluation:
There is a definite sensual and sexual tension mixed with a dark pessimism throughout the course of the entire album. However, Bruno Mars diversity as an artist is evident through each song as he is able to push his voice and style to levels that are unfounded, making this album a mix of everything. Mars revisits his signature mixture of rock and R&B style made popular by his first album in the song “Locked out of Heaven.” Upbeat and catchy, the hook is one that listeners will immediately latch on to, encouraging them to jump up and down and dance. The strong drum backbeat as well as a great electric guitar riff will also have listener’s stamping their feet. “Young Girls” is the staple pop ballad about lost love. However, when you listen closely to the lyrics it is actually much darker and the sweet tone of the ballad seems to contradict the bleaker themes of the song. “Gorilla” also takes listeners back to Mars slow jazz and R&B roots, however, the theme, language, and mood of this song is much steamier and overtly explicit. While I understand that the main purpose of a song can be to create a sensual listening experience, "Gorilla" had too much and it felt over-sexualized to the point where the lyrics and purpose of the song were either lost or completely meaningless. “Treasure” was another upbeat, catchy tune that has disco roots and encourages listeners to dance. Additionally, it is the only song on the album where themes relating to women and relationships do not come across as utterly bleak.
Overall, this album is a huge departure from Bruno Mars debut record. Sex is a major theme throughout the entire album and it seems that either Mars wanted to show his listeners that he was growing up and was not the pop prince that his first album claimed him to be or he wanted to shock and dismay his audience. Regardless, while the intent and purpose of the album is dark, bleak, and explicit it still showcases his range as an artist as he successfully dabbles in multiple genres.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenges / Issues:
Defense of Challenges / Issues:
Album Talk Ideas:
Why this Album?
Bruno Mars is everywhere, his songs get plenty of airtime on the radio, he has appeared on television and in movies, and he even headlined the half-time show at this year’s Superbowl. This is clearly indicative of his popularity making him an artist that teen librarians need to be aware of.
Album: Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)
Label: Atlantic
ASIN: B009IRVSVQ
Genre: Pop, R&B
Listening Level / Interest Age: Ages 16 and up
Artist Profile:
“Peter Gene Hernandez, known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is a singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, actor, and choreographer. Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, co-founding production team The Smeezingtons.
Throughout a singing career spanning 4 years, he has won 2 Grammy Awards and sold over 10 million albums worldwide and 68 million singles sold. Four of his singles are counted amongst the best-selling singles of all time. Mars is now regarded as one of the most successful solo artists in all over the world, landing 5 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 ever since his career launched in 2010, faster than any male singer since Elvis Presley. In 2011, Mars was named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014, he was ranked number one on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Mars is known for his stage performances and retro showmanship that usually include playing a variety of instruments such as electric guitar, piano, keyboards and drums, dancing and performing a wild range of musical styles including reggae, soul and funk music.” From – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Mars
Listener's Annotation:
Bruno Mars returns with his signature R&B sound in his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox. Incorporating vintage soul ballads with sultry grooves and upbeat dance tunes, this album has all of the Bruno Mars staples, but the content is distinctly different from his debut.
Album Summary:
Bruno Mars second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, was released December 11, 2012. Prior to its release two singles, "Young Girls" and "Locked out of Heaven" had already been on the Billboard Top 40 charts for some time, rising to No. 36 and No. 4, respectively. Although the album has all of Mars’s trademarks, combining R&B, soul, and pop with his flair for showmanship, the content is distinctly darker than that of his previous album, Doowops & Hooligans, and focuses on a cynicism that revolves around themes related to sex, drugs, and manipulative women.
Track List:
- “Young Girls”
- “Locked Out of Heaven”
- “Gorilla”
- “Treasure”
- “Moonshine”
- “When I Was Your Man”
- “Natalie”
- “Show Me”
- “Money Make Her Smile”
- “If I Knew”
Critical Evaluation:
There is a definite sensual and sexual tension mixed with a dark pessimism throughout the course of the entire album. However, Bruno Mars diversity as an artist is evident through each song as he is able to push his voice and style to levels that are unfounded, making this album a mix of everything. Mars revisits his signature mixture of rock and R&B style made popular by his first album in the song “Locked out of Heaven.” Upbeat and catchy, the hook is one that listeners will immediately latch on to, encouraging them to jump up and down and dance. The strong drum backbeat as well as a great electric guitar riff will also have listener’s stamping their feet. “Young Girls” is the staple pop ballad about lost love. However, when you listen closely to the lyrics it is actually much darker and the sweet tone of the ballad seems to contradict the bleaker themes of the song. “Gorilla” also takes listeners back to Mars slow jazz and R&B roots, however, the theme, language, and mood of this song is much steamier and overtly explicit. While I understand that the main purpose of a song can be to create a sensual listening experience, "Gorilla" had too much and it felt over-sexualized to the point where the lyrics and purpose of the song were either lost or completely meaningless. “Treasure” was another upbeat, catchy tune that has disco roots and encourages listeners to dance. Additionally, it is the only song on the album where themes relating to women and relationships do not come across as utterly bleak.
Overall, this album is a huge departure from Bruno Mars debut record. Sex is a major theme throughout the entire album and it seems that either Mars wanted to show his listeners that he was growing up and was not the pop prince that his first album claimed him to be or he wanted to shock and dismay his audience. Regardless, while the intent and purpose of the album is dark, bleak, and explicit it still showcases his range as an artist as he successfully dabbles in multiple genres.
Curriculum Ties:
- Music appreciation
- Music business / production
- Songwriting
Challenges / Issues:
- Explicit sexual content
- Foul language
- References to drugs and alcohol
Defense of Challenges / Issues:
- Have a clear understanding of the library’s selection policy as well as copies available in order to identify specific points of the policy to challengers in order to strengthen defense.
- Express the library’s dedication to intellectual freedom and open access as outlined in the ALA Library Bill of Rights. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
- Know the material being challenged in order to show that you understand the content and how the challenged material works in context with the rest of the text.
- Have access to both supportive and critical reviews from reliable sources, such as School Library Journal or VOYA. Provide challenger’s with these reviews through either hard copies or by including reviews in the catalog records of library materials.
- Have the ability to explain the rationale behind the inclusion of materials in the library’s collection by discussing an item’s literary merits, intended audience, and offering a brief summary.
- One of the most important lines of defense is to be an active listener and to stay calm. Pay attention to the patron’s concerns, do not interrupt, and do not take his/her challenge personally. Additionally, even if you do not agree with the challenge, still speak to the patron with understanding and compassion. Make sure to respectfully outline the library’s selection policies as well as the principles outlined in the Library Bill of Rights. If the patron is still adamant about the removal of the text, offer a “Request for Reconsideration” form, outlining the patron’s concerns that can be presented to senior library staff.
Album Talk Ideas:
- Compare thematic elements to Bruno Mars’s first album. How are they different? How are they similar? Is this symptomatic of a musician’s growth as an artist? Why or why not?
- Discuss the artist’s diversity as a musician, actor, songwriter, producer, etc.
- Pick a specific song that stands out amongst the others. Why was that song selected?
Why this Album?
Bruno Mars is everywhere, his songs get plenty of airtime on the radio, he has appeared on television and in movies, and he even headlined the half-time show at this year’s Superbowl. This is clearly indicative of his popularity making him an artist that teen librarians need to be aware of.