Single Review: ‘24K Magic’ by Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars photo by Atlantic Records

“24K Magic” is the newest single of Bruno Mars coming from his upcoming third studio-release carrying the same title. This continues the “throwback vibe” of his songs which has become an endearing quality about his music that many younger fans have learned to embrace. The best thing about it is that Bruno Mars does not come off like a cheap clone or a shameless rip-off of any other artist, past or present.

Bruno Mars still has a firm hold of his own identity such that when you listen to his music despite hearing “echoes from the past” in many of his songs, you know that it is a Bruno Mars track you are listening to and only then will you be able to discern his musical influences–and it is not the other way around.

The man simply oozes charisma and self-assurance and when you combine those personality traits with his musical talent, Bruno Mars becomes an artist that naturally appeals to everyone. One other point, he has such a huge following from all over the world because of the superior quality of his songs–they are so good, by any standard.

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What is the overall meaning of ‘24K Magic?’

Don’t look for anything deep here because the objective of Bruno Mars with this song is for listeners to have fun and make people dance to it. It is a “club banger” that goes well with the personality of Bruno Mars because he wants to keep the party going for everyone despite his extended time away from the music scene.

Try listening to this song back-to-back with any of his previous certified hit singles and you will be able to sense a smooth continuity in the themes of his songs.

While the subject matter of “24K Magic” does not veer away from what we commonly hear sang about nowadays when it comes to these type of songs, I believe what also gives this song more depth and meaning are the complexities behind the musical influences in it.

Bruno Mars was able to streamline all of those past musical influences from different eras into one cohesive and well-balanced song.

Bruno Mars has the innate ability to turn the most common of topics into something more substantial when he composes his songs. This is proof that he is very much a lyricist aside from his being an accomplished singer and a multi-awarded artist.

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What is the production value of ‘24K Magic?’

Even after listening to “24K Magic” only one time in its entirety I could immediately hear and identify musical elements coming from late 80’s R&B and early 90’s Hip-Hop.

Bruno Mars photo by Atlantic Records

Bruno Mars has excellent taste in picking out the specific kinds of beats he wants to use for his songs which are so essential because they set the tone of the song and play such a pivotal role in getting the casual listeners’ attention.

With so much music out there, Bruno Mars knows he has to be very attentive behind the boards in the recording studio because one major miscalculation in the mixing of the song can potentially hurt its overall impact once the song is released into the market.

To a certain degree, Bruno Mars reminds me of a young Pharrell Williams from The Neptunes due to the fact that Bruno Mars also plays the crucial role of producer and he goes to painstaking detail to ensure the quality of his songs meets his own set standards.

That is the kind of work ethic that Bruno Mars possesses–he knows when to have fun and when to get down to business and this shows in his music. This says a lot about him.

There are a number of very strong musical qualities production-wise to “24K Magic” that elevate it from the mundane to being praiseworthy in its own right.

That potent mix of R&B and Hip-Hop when done right as found in “24K Magic” will surely lead to comparisons of Bruno Mars to some of the all-time greats in the music industry especially when you think of the most popular artists that dominated the charts and were multi-platinum selling artists during their time in the late 80’s to early 90’s. Bruno Mars could have very well belonged to that era and would have done great also for himself.

“24K Magic” is one finely made nostalgic dance anthem because of the multitude of musical influences derived from past music eras coming from specific said genres in it. A single like this is a strong showing to everyone why Bruno Mars is one of the better all-around artists in this decade.

Thumbs Up!