Music lovers have enjoyed Bruno Mars' debut album, Doo-Wops &
Hooligans, made the talented singer/writer/producer into a star, racking up hit
singles, hosting Saturday Night Live, and becoming something of a romantic icon
thanks to loverman anthems like "Just the Way You Are" and
"Grenade." His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, hints at a turbulent
love life (songs like "Young Girls" and "Money Make Her
Smile" give the impression that Mars' opinion of the opposite sex may have
taken a nosedive recently), but many of the songs retain the easygoing charm of
Doo-Wops, especially the lilting reggae come-on "Show Me" and the
MJ-inspired disco jam "Treasure”. Interested persons can enjoy free music
by watching the music videos linked through the following links.
Take Me Home – One Direction
After placing third in the
2010 season of Britain's The X-Factor, five-member boy band One Direction inked
a record deal with mega-exec/TV personality Simon Cowell and released their
debut album, 2011's Up All Night. A global sensation, the album garnered
several hit singles and sold millions of copies worldwide. It also faired
pretty well with critics, who appreciated the band's mix of melodic songcraft
and catchy, dance-oriented material that, while slickly produced, avoided the
commercial cynicism and adult contemporary posturing of some of their '80s and
'90s forebears. Rather than mess with a good thing, One Direction stick with
this formula on the band's sophomore effort, 2012's Take Me Home. You can listen to the free music by watching the music videos which are available through the following links. Once again
working largely with Sweden's Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, and Savan Kotecha, who
produced Up All Night, One Direction deliver another immediately catchy mix of
dancey pop that maximizes the group's shared lead-vocal approach and peppy,
upbeat image. This album highlights even more than their previous one how much
One Direction's mix of punchy guitars over snappy beats, handclaps, and bright
synthesizers has in common with the positive, fun-loving tone of '70s bubblegum
pop, as well as more contemporary bands like the Jonas Brothers and perennial
guilty pleasure Hanson. Also added to the mix this time around are two songs
("Little Things" and "Over Again" ) co-written by British
singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, whose intimate folk-R&B aesthetic lends an
air of maturity to One Direction's admittedly squeaky-fresh sound. The boys of
One Direction also nab a few co-writing credits here, as does McFly's Tom
Fletcher, whose contribution "I Would," a kind of in-spirit-sequel to
his Up All Night contribution "I Want," stands out as a considerably
smart and infectious cut. Ultimately, tracks like the frenetically hyper
"Kiss You" and the soundtrack-ready "Back for You" will, as
with the rest of Take Me Home, certainly appeal to the group's rabid teen
followers, and might even end up on their parent's playlist, too. ~ Matt
Collar, Rovi
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