ARTIST: Bruno Mars                        

TITLE: Doo Wops & Hooligans

YEAR RELEASED: 2010

CHART ACTION: #3 US, #1 UK

SINGLES: Just the Way You Are (#1 US, #1 UK), Grenade (#1 US, #1 UK), The Lazy Song (#4 US, #1 UK), Marry You (#85 US, #11 UK), Count on Me (#78 UK)

OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: That’s half the album, and it saturated radio.

LINEUP: Bruno Mars, Richard Windman, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Brody Brown, Ari Levine with guests BoB, Damian Marley and Cee Lo.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: Debut album from versatile performer showcases his vocal styles in various modes.

SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: This is one of those pop albums that’s of its time, but could also be one of those that transcend its era thanks to the vocal chops of Bruno Mars.

Mars’ voice is a classic high soul tenor, and can definitely sing your R&B torch song in a timeless manner. But when the tempo speeds up and it’s a dance song, Mars has the chops to handle that too.

The production does sound of its time, which means it may not age well (hard to say now). Plus, a few of the cuts aren’t so hot compared to great songs like “Marry You”. But it’s a great first effort and got him on the map, not just in music, but in pop culture in general.

NOTES & MINUTIAE: His real name is Peter Gene Hernandez.

IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: Several: European, Japanses, iTunes, Platinum, you know how it is now.

GRADE: B+:  A pretty good early 2010 pop record with some great singles.