Song review: ‘Locked out of heaven’ by Bruno Mars

‘Locked out of heaven’ isn’t about inspiration or triumph over adversity. But it is a feeling of a relationship too good to be true and so unreal that it does feel like this song is about the ideal partner Bruno Mars would want. The song itself is so enjoyable without the need to rely on the excessive use of dubious dance club beats. It vaguely reminds me of “Message in a Bottle” by The Police as it is much of a “throwback” to Bruno Mars who is also one himself.

The combination of a rich thumping bass, an upbeat tempo, 80’s style synths, added reverb affect to his voice, the“Unh!” refrain of the back-up singers, and the craftiness of Bruno Mars to get straight to the emotional core of the lyrics makes ‘Locked out of the heaven’ one of the “sleeper” songs of the year meaning it will eventually grow on you after a few repeated listens.  Bruno Mars fans may question the whole meaning of the song at first but they will get the whole point in the end because of its more mature theme.

Now, when I think of the singing style of Bruno Mars and how he performs in ‘Locked out of Heaven’, it is hard not to be reminded of past 80’s singers like a young Billy Joel. There is just that unique quality about him which is so reminiscent of the vibe and feel of the 80’s. And it is not just because of the way he looks.

If you watch the music video of ‘Locked out of heaven’, you will see that the director has employed that unique quality to the fullest. Another thing is that Bruno Mars has proven to provide a very “hearty approach” to his songs in a manner they would “tag at your heart”. That is why he is able to rise above average material which we hear a lot from the radio.

He made an immediate impact with his pop-crooner looks upon debuting a few years back and he became an instant favorite among young listeners. Bruno Mars can deliver both as a songwriter and as an artist just like in his past hit ‘Grenade’ where he was singing  about being in a disastrous relationship and looking for a way out.

If ‘Locked out of heaven’ will be judged as a fair preview of how the rest of the tracks in his second upcoming album would be, then I don’t think his fans would be disappointed unless they don’t appreciate an artist exhibiting a more mature approach by singing about touchy subjects. Just like ‘Locked out of heaven’ which is about exploits in the bedroom. But even with its risky theme, Bruno Mars is able to avoid any vulgarity and excessive use of any sexual references. Thus, he makes the song “radio friendly” for listeners both young and old. He manages to pull it off and keep it clean enough that I don’t think anyone would be offended by it.

His upcoming second album titled: “Unorthodox Jukebox” will introduce fans to a different side of Bruno Mars which they may have never seen before and whether this career move will work for Bruno Mars or not is for us to see. The single ‘Locked out of heaven’ still won’t fall short of becoming another solid-effort and a powerful pop song by Bruno Mars that will only continue his winning ways with critics and fans. A must listen!

Thumbs up!