Like his debut, "Unorthodox Jukebox" scales the broad landscape of Mars'
musical influences. Ten tracks previewed to Billboard ranged in style,
containing elements of rock, pop, soul, R&B, funk, electro, reggae, doo-wop,
disco and more. As many in Mars' camp agree, the new songs are much deeper
and more evolved than what's featured on "Doo-Wops." Some may be surprised to
find him trading in lighthearted pop songs like "Just the Way You Are" and
"Grenade" for sexed-up rockers like "Gorilla" and "Moonshine." Ever the
charmer, though, Mars will surely make female fans swoon with piano ballad
"When I Was Your Man" and the anthemic "Young Girls." →②③
He's proud of his success with "Doo-Wops," which debuted at No. 3 on the
Billboard 200 and has sold 1.7 million copies in the United States, according
to Nielsen SoundScan. In addition to chart-topping singles, the set garnered
multiple Grammy nominations and a best male pop vocal performance win for
"Just the Way You Are." He admits, however, that the completion of Doo-Wops
was rushed in an effort to capitalize on the fast-building momentum of
"Nothin' on You" and "Billionaire," which reached No. 1 and No. 4,
respectively, on the Hot 100 in 2010.
Now, Mars had the luxury of time. It allowed him to create a musically rich
follow-up that dives deeper into his sonic palette and fully demonstrates his
artistry.
"I had to change lanes from hustling trying to be a producer and songwriter
for other acts. So I was writing a lot of pop songs and radio-friendly songs.
It was a different mind-set," Mars says of his debut. "When I worked on
["Doo-Wops"], maybe that trickled off into my stuff and I didn't really have
a chance to custom-make the sounds and sonics that I wanted to do. On this
one, you're going to feel a little more me and what I stand for." →④
It was during his last two years of countless worldwide concerts and TV shows