Capitalizing on Bruno Mars' quite remarkable last 12 months, which have seen the previously unknown behind-the-scenes songwriter become one of the biggest R&B stars on the planet, NSR Records releases this selection of out-takes and demos which didn't make it onto his chart-topping debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Released without his consent, Mars may rightly understandably feel slightly aggrieved that material he didn't consider to be strong enough to make the cut is now being made available for wider public consumption, ...
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Capitalizing on Bruno Mars' quite remarkable last 12 months, which have seen the previously unknown behind-the-scenes songwriter become one of the biggest R&B stars on the planet, NSR Records releases this selection of out-takes and demos which didn't make it onto his chart-topping debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Released without his consent, Mars may rightly understandably feel slightly aggrieved that material he didn't consider to be strong enough to make the cut is now being made available for wider public consumption, but other than the slightly strained, out of tune vocals on the disco-tinged "Lights," and the "Louis Vuitton pumps to match our handbag" lyrics on the heavily vocodered crunk of "Ladies Is Pimps Too" (presumably a demo written for a female artist), Earth to Mars is far from the "before they were famous" embarrassment it could have been. "Where Did You Go" echoes the sparse, sci-fi R&B of Justin and Britney's Neptunes-penned efforts; "Lost" provides the chance to hear him put his own spin on the bluesy guitar riffs and seductive beats of one of his first published songs (originally recorded by ever-changing boy band Menudo), while there are traces of his Michael Jackson impersonator past on the Off the Wall-era inspired "Watching Her Move" and the '80s-tinged funk-pop of "Faded." However, the schmaltzy wedding song-in-waiting, "Rest of My Life" (a collaboration with fellow Smeezingtons producer Philip Lawrence), the dull slow jam, "Take the Long Way Home," and the formulaic closing track "Turn Around," which bears an uncanny resemblance to JLS' "Everybody in Love," show that Mars hadn't quite nailed his knack of creating epic melodies and universal lyrics at the time of recording these. Anyone who has a copy of his DJ X-Factor & Bruno Mars Presents the Lost Planet mixtape will be instantly familiar with Earth to Mars, considering it features nine of its thirteen tracks (his duets with B.o.B and Travie McCoy are unsurprisingly omitted, as are "Our First Time" and "Dancing with the Stars") but for the majority of his ever-growing fan-base, this is an opportunity to hear one of today's most prolific and successful singer/songwriters in the fledgling stages of his career. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi
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