With this album, Mars continues a streak of doing what he does best which is show up, lay down some great party music and then breeze out the door, looking good the whole time. This good-time album is nine tracks and only a hair over thirty minutes which makes for a fast-paced, leave you wanting more experience. I really like that short length, not because the music isn’t good, but because it’s right in keeping with the sweet tone of the album as a whole. This isn’t a serious album in the way that a lot of other albums that came up at the Grammies; it isn’t interested in creating connections or themes in order to make the album compelling as a single work of art. It’s just here to collect a few bitchin’ songs and it excels. The production values here are absolute pristine, creating a bed of synths, bass-lines, funky drums in order to really emphasize Mars’ voice. The album is pretty great from start to finish, if you ignore the lyrics. Mars has always been about a sound and a groove and he really captures the emotions of fast paced party tunes, like the title track or Straight Up, and slower ballads, like the beautiful Versace on the Floor and the album closer Too Good to Say Goodbye. You have to give the lyrics a pass. Try to appreciate the excellence of Mars’ voice without really honing in on what he’s saying. “I’m a dangerous man with money in my pocket,” he croons at one point, “All these pretty girls around are waking up my rocket.” Another song starts with a real headscratcher: “It’s my birthday/No, it’s not.” Kinda feels like there was no reason for that little couplet to exist at all. But, again, Mars isn’t about the lyrics; he’s about a kind of James Brown/Prince/Michael Jackson pastiche and, while a lot of his stuff is just an imitation, it’s a darn great imitation and this album lets the good-times roll with so much verve that resistance is futile. 4 stars.
tl;dr – Mars keeps delivering a pastiche of greater artists, but he does it with such verve, you can’t help but dance; a fantastic party album with a good time guaranteed. 4 stars.