Skip to main content

Hawaiian-Jamaican Punch: Bruno Mars & The Smeezingtons - "Show Me" (Supa Dups Riddim)



The Police were a 1970-80's Reggae-tinged Classic Rock band, who would in turn inspire Hawaiian Blue-Eyed Soul singer, Bruno Mars some 35 years later; an influence that's especially noticeable on his latest single, "Locked Out of Heaven," which was recently remixed by zombie-slaying Dancehall king, Major Lazer. Between recording/releasing Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010) and it's proper follow-up Unorthodox Jukebox, Mars got slapped with coke possession and slowly started straying away from his "cookie-cutter" image. Sound-wise, Unorthodox Jukebox is a little more edgy and Experimental... cause Bruno Mars & The Smeezingtons [production team] linked up with a bunch of A-List producers: Jeff Bhasker, Mark Ronson, Benny Blanco, Supa Dups, and Paul Epworth. If we're excluding his stripclub anthem - "Money Make Her Smile" (Diplo), "Show Me" is quite arguably one of the album's most interesting tracks. It's a tried and true Roots Rock Reggae jam that Mars pain-stakingly melded together along with Kingston's very own Supa Dups. I'll just go a head and let the good people over @ okayplayer-affiliate Large Ups explain the rest, but just give this album an honest shot... even if you're a "Just The Way You Are" hater. Unorthodox Jukebox is out now, and I really think it seems like the next gradual progression for Bruno Mars' ever-growing New School/Blue-Eyed Soul career.


"Say what you will about Bruno Mars - and we'll be the first to tell you we're not in love with a lot of his stuff - but Hawaii's first Pop Super-star makes music with broad appeal. His new album Unorthodox Jukebox lives up to its name, with a little sum'n for everybody, and that includes us... For track No. 8, "Show Me," Mars and his songwriting team The Smeezingtons linked with Supa Dups and his Black Chiney production partner, Mitchum "Khan" Chin. Dups and Mars have already established a strong track record with their work on 2010's Doo-Wops & Hooligans, most notably the Damian Marley collaboration, "Liquor Store Blues." Just like that one, this isn't your typical, watered-down Pop star version of Reggae. Right from the opening drum shots, you can tell "Show Me" is the real deal... While Dups' riddim brings the moody, rub-a-dub vibes, Mars' vocals conjure that era as well, with echoes of Sugar Minott and Gregory Isaacs. Any way you slice it, though, this tune is a scorcher."

- Jesse Serwer (Large Ups)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra

3 Feet High & Rising: Band of Bearded Brothers Cellar Door Moon Crow Unleash Rollicking Single "Whistler" from Upcoming Blues Rock EP (Bandcamp, self-released)

Whistler by Cellar Door Moon Crow British Rock 2-piece band Cellar Door Moon Crow mysteriously found and Followed The Witzard (@SharpCheddar856) on Twitter a few months ago. Their Facebook About section simply lists a brief, yet fitting, mission statement: "Band ~ Beards ~ Brothers Goodwin brothers Phil & Tommy . Sheffield, UK " and their accompanying Biography section contains a similar refrain: "Band ^ Beards ^ Brothers," as well as their Bandcamp page. There really isn't much else to be known about twin brothers Phil & Tom Goodwin , aside from the fact that they make infectious, down and dirty Rock "N" Roll —all entirely written, recorded, produced, and mixed in-house by Cellar Door Moon Crow (CDMC) themselves. CDMC 's Bandcamp page often tags their musical output as " British Rock , Rock, Blues Rock , two-piece band, Sheffield " and I would best liken their sound to a stylistic mix between The Black Keys , Thir

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of