Eamon Blog
Today's Shelf Pull: Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
Big gestures, tight grooves, very little wasted space.
Bruno Mars gives 24K Magic plenty of shine, but its discipline is just as interesting. Read the full story from Kilmorna in Listowel.
Bruno Mars gives 24K Magic a grand entrance, but the useful thing to notice is how little room it wastes. This is pop with its jacket pressed and its evening planned. Under the glamour, the rhythms have a fairly practical job to do.
Released in 2016 on Atlantic, the album gathers nine songs into a compact sequence. On vinyl, that means five tracks on the first side and four on the second. It is a manageable invitation, rather than a test of commitment.
The appeal lies in the balance between display and discipline. Prominent synths supply the shine; tight rhythms keep the music moving beneath it. The layered vocals offer richness without making every moment feel like the main event.
Its late-eighties and early-nineties reference points are part of the pleasure, though recognition need not be the whole listening exercise. Follow the relationship between a groove and a melody instead. Familiar styling matters less when the songs are busy finding their own shape inside it.
The opening stretch makes that approach easy. The title track establishes the celebratory mood, then Chunky and Perm keep the movement elastic. Rather than treating each song as a separate announcement, listen to how the sequence sustains its forward pull.
There is a difference between energy and hurry, and these grooves are a useful place to hear it. The rhythm supplies momentum while the vocal melodies provide something to hold on to. Neither element needs to win an argument with the other.
That distinction gives the first side its shape. Three outgoing songs establish the pace before That’s What I Like and Versace On The Floor bring the romantic register forward. The change is less a hard turn than a gradual adjustment of the light.
The catalogue places Versace On The Floor at the end of side A, running 4:21. After the shorter opening numbers, that extra space is worth noticing. A slow-burning song has room to settle before the physical pause of turning the record over.
That’s What I Like is worth approaching through melody rather than just mood. Within the album’s polished R&B and pop vocabulary, the romantic material offers another measure of its restraint. A tune can draw attention without needing the whole arrangement to keep raising its hand.
Versace On The Floor extends that side of the record. Listen for the relationship between the smooth melodic writing and the richer vocal layers, a central pleasure across the album. The slower register changes where the weight falls, not the care taken over the shape.
Side B begins with Straight Up & Down, followed by Calling All My Lovelies. With only four songs on this side, there is little opportunity for the sequence to become anonymous. Each title occupies a substantial part of the remaining journey.
Finesse comes next, before Too Good To Say Goodbye closes the album. At 4:42, the closer is the longest of the nine tracks. That is a small but telling detail on paper: the record leaves its largest allocation of time until the end.
A full listen makes the proportions clearer than a single selection can. The opening emphasis on celebration and the movement into romantic slow jams belong to the same design. There is variety here, but no sense that variety requires a different wardrobe for every song.
What stays with me is the economy beneath the presentation. Nine tracks leave the hooks exposed and the sequencing easy to follow. The glamour is generous; the structure is not especially indulgent. That is a useful combination for a record built around pleasure.
For today’s pull in Listowel, the invitation is simply to give both sides their time. Notice the rhythmic grip first, then return to the melodies and vocal layers. The album offers more than one sensible route through the same bright rooms.
24K Magic knows the value of a big entrance. Its quieter achievement is remembering that somebody still has to arrange the evening.
On the shelf today:
Bruno Mars - 24K Magic
LP, 2016
Pop
EUR 31.95
Available from The Kilmorna Collection, Listowel
Buy or reserve: https://www.thekilmornacollection.com/vinyl/bruno-mars-24k-magic
Buying vinyl records in Ireland: https://www.thekilmornacollection.com/vinyl-records-ireland
