Single Review: ‘Treasure’ by Bruno Mars

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“Treasure” is the third single from ‘Unorthodox Jukebox.’ And it continues the 80’s retro-vibe from the last two previously released singles from Bruno Mars. That right there is continuity exhibited by Bruno Mars in keeping all the singles following one theme.

Bruno Mars is acknowledging artists synonymous with the 80’s in the likes of The Police, New Edition, Billy Joel, Earth, Wind And Fire, and Michael Jackson. These respected and iconic artists have, in one way or another, clearly inspired and influenced greatly Bruno Mars in his latest studio-release.

When it comes to the music video for “Treasure,” everything from the choreography, stage lighting, and so on, serve as a heartfelt ode to that era. Watching Bruno Mars and his crew wearing the classic shiny, red outfits dancing and synchronized to a funk-inspired beat can make anyone who lived through the 80’s reminisce about those times or, at the very least, respect what he has done. Visually, the music video is tricked out with set pieces such as a disco ball and vintage stage lights. Even the manner by which the instruments were set up in the background show the attention given to even the minutest of details and the small things do matter when it comes to making a music video.

Bruno Mars, in my opinion, has become one of the current mainstream artists who can almost perfectly and seamlessly get into a character–if you will–in any music video and portray it with the utmost sincerity. I would like to believe that it is his Filipino side to him that has shown that resilience to carry out a role with purpose.

What is the subject matter of “Treasure”? It is his declaration of love for his woman and making her feel that no one and nothing is above her and that she will always be the center of his attention.

Bruno Mars is not only a resilient artist but he is also proving to be one of the most versatile artists around as he was able to capture a moment of the 80’s without him looking like a parody of the said decade. Not everyone can pull this off without looking silly or appearing to be spoofing the 80’s (i.e. “Last Friday Night” by Katy Perry). I hated that music video of hers! The way the music video utilized the cameo of Debbie Gibson, I found it disrespectful of everything artists like Debbie have accomplished in their careers. For the younger readers, Debbie Gibson was one of the very first American female teen pop-stars ever! Is that how you acknowledge or thank one of your predecessors who helped pave the way for pop music to become the dominant force it is now? Trust me when I say that 15 to 20 years hence, there will be a ton of things that can be spoofed about Katy Perry and that even won’t include her music yet.

Anyway, back to more substantial things and that is the single of Bruno Mars.

In “Treasure,” Bruno Mars doesn’t repeat the mistake of Katy Perry. The single and music video gives off a feeling to the listeners and viewers of his respect and acknowledgement of that decade. If he continues to keep up this pace– with all of his creative output mostly unfiltered and his artistry seemingly isn’t uncompromised or watered down–then, he might just become one of those select artists of today people would still be talking about in the future and would continue to be buying even his older albums. So, by all means, listen to this single and watch the music video.

Needless to say, Bruno Mars has delivered another solid single here! His winning streak continues and that makes him already ‘three for three’ in his singles that have become both a critical and commercial success from his second studio-release ‘Unorthodox Jukebox.’ Buy the album also!

Thumbs Up!