EVEN GOOD guys make mistakes. Last September, when Fil-Am Bruno Mars aka Peter Gene Hernandez (his Pinoy mother, Bernadette, emigrated to Hawaii as a child) was arrested in Las Vegas for cocaine possession, it looked like the upward career trajectory of pop music’s latest Boy Wonder would take a sudden detour southward.
Repercussions
But, you can’t put a good man down—at least, not for long, especially if he’s as talented and self-effacing as Mars. There was no excuse for what he did. So, upon realizing the potentially devastating repercussions of his “moment of weakness,” the singer immediately owned up to his irresponsible behavior and acknowledged that what he did was “foolish”—after all, he said he had never used drugs in the past. (In return for pleading guilty, the charge against Mars will be stricken out of his record if he stays out of trouble for a year.)
A few weeks after Mars’ arrest, it was time for Pinoys to feel euphoric because, when the Billboard chart was released, it boasted an outstanding feat by Fil-Ams never before accomplished on the Hot 100 chart:
At No. 1 was Mars’ “Just The Way You Are,” which was then on a four-week run at the top. And, in second place was the groove-heavy single, “Like A G6,” by FarEast Movement, an electro hop quartet made up of Kevin Nishimura (of Japanese-Chinese descent), James Roh and Jae Choung (Korean), and another Fil-Am, DJ Virman Coquia!
At last month’s Grammy Awards, there were a good number of upsets, but nobody was surprised when Mars won the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance prize for “Just The Way You Are.” His competitors in the category were a veritable Who’s Who in pop music: Michael Bublé (“Haven’t Met You Yet”), Adam Lambert (“Whataya Want From Me?”), John Mayer (“Half of My Heart”) and Michael Jackson (“This Is It”)!
Mars’ songs have been constant fixtures on our iPod’s playlist long before the irresistible tracks of his full-length debut album, “Doo-Wops & Hooligans,” started invading the charts.
Who can resist the knockout hooks of “Nothing On You” (with B.o.B.), “Billionaire” (with Travie McCoy) and “Dance in the Mirror?” In fact, we were pleasantly surprised when we learned that Bruno also cowrote one of our favorite tunes of the season: Cee Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Forget You!”
Sense of humor
Mars’ feel-good musical sensibility, malleable voice, off-kilter sense of humor, as well as the hum-worthy melodies he concocts with his collaborators, are the engines that keep the “Doo-Wops’” hit-making machine running at full-speed:
It’s hard to resist the infectious vibe of “Just The Way You Are,” the radio-friendly groove of “Grenade” and theMotown-sounding “Marry You,” the funky punk-rock licks of “Runaway Baby,” the reggaefied beats of “The Lazy Song,” the sexy jam of “Our First Time,” and the Jason Mraz-sounding bugglegum tune, “Count On Me,” which displays the 25-year-old performer’s Michael Jackson-like vocal affectations.
The singer-songwriter indulges in his fondness for reggae in “Liquor Store Blues” (his duet with DamianMarley) and collaborates with Cee Lo Green and B.o.B. in “The Other Side,” a more urgent, sped-up hybrid of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.”
Bruno Mars doesn’t need the “wrinkle-ironing” ability of modern technology to spice up his melodies, but the different genres (rock, reggae, soul, pop, hip-hop, etc.) he introduces into their arrangements sumptuously enhance their diverse musical flavors—something his fans in Cebu (April 7, Waterfront Hotel) and Manila (April 8, Araneta Coliseum) can’t wait to get a taste of when their idol finally finds his way “home!”
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
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