The Bruno Mars Thread Part II *BRUNO TO PERFORM GORILLA @ THE MTV VMAs?? (post #446)*

Bruno Mars (photo: Kai Z. Feng)

A few years ago, folks might have heard the ’60s-meets-’80s retro soul of Fitz and the Tantrums and concluded that the Los Angeles band — who open for Bruno Mars atBridgestone Arena on Saturday — was sorely behind the times. Now, in a year packed with retro-sounding pop hits, it looks like Fitz and company were actually ahead of the curve.

Two of the biggest songs of the summer — Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” — tipped their hats to the sounds of the 1970s. “Lines” is an avowed re-imagining of Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up,” while “Lucky” employed Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers for its disco groove. And the best-selling album of the year, Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience,” features more than a few nods to vintage R&B.

Frontman Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick says he’s a fan of some of these musical throwbacks more than others, but overall, he likes the way the wind is blowing.

“It’s songwriting and musicianship, not just beats,” he tells The Tennessean. “I mean, I love a great beat, but where’s the melody? Where’s the songwriting? Where’s the great lyric? And I think that a lot of these songs are returning back to that, maybe in an answer to stuff that’s all so rhythmical, and it’s just one word repeated over and over. I think people are obviously responding to that (change), and there was a hunger for it.”

Case in point: The rapidly ascending star of Mars, the singer/songwriter/producer who might be the biggest force behind the current retro wave. Mars got his start on stage as a 4-year-old Elvis impersonator, and today his performances are inspired in part by the classic soul revues staged by the likes of James Brown.

He channeled the spirit of The Police on his recent smash, “Locked Out of Heaven,” and the video for his new hit “Treasure” is designed to look like a grainy VHS copy of an old “Soul Train” performance.

It’s been a winning approach: Mars’ sophomore album is the second-best-selling album of 2013 (behind Timberlake), and less than three years after releasing his debut, he and his band are playing arenas. Mars personally invited Fitz and the Tantrums to join him on tour, and Fitzpatrick calls the opportunity “an honor.”

“He is a superstar,” Fitzpatrick says. “He deserves every bit of success he has. He’s that guy who’s Prince, Michael Jackson and James Brown wrapped into one person, with great songs, and one of the most amazing live shows.”

Fitz and the Tantrums (photo: Joseph Cultice)

That’s high praise from Fitzpatrick, who’s pretty proud of the effort he and his band put into turning a concert into a “knock-down, drag-out, hot, sweaty, non-stop party.”

“You don’t come to one of our shows to stand there like a shoegazer,” he says. “It’s high-energy. It’s 150 percent from start to finish. We want the crowd to always be the seventh member of the band, participating, singing, clapping, dancing along with us. And I think that that kind of show that we put on is an extraordinary experience that a lot of people haven’t had in a very long time.”

The live shows — and the range of fans “from ages 10 up to 50” that they’ve attracted — spurred band members to move beyond soul heard on favorites like “Moneygrabber” and into synth-pop and modern rock on their new album, “More Than Just a Dream.”

Fitzpatrick says they were also hoping to shake off some of the “throwback” and “retro” labels they’re frequently tagged with. But when one fan compared him to Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, he found it flattering — especially since that fan was Hall’s own mother.

It happened when the two generations of soul-pop stars teamed up for an episode of “Live From Daryl’s House,” Hall’s web-based concert series.

“That day was so special,” Fitzpatrick says. “If you watch the episode, I’m just smiling like a little girl the whole time, totally giddy. We did the first song and we walked back into the kitchen, and his mom calls me over and says, ‘You sound just like my son,’ and I was like, ‘Can I get a witness?'"

http://blogs.tennessean.c...retro-pop/

At 27, Bruno Mars is proving to be one of the top singer songwriters of the 2010’s. He recently won the Choice R&B artist and Summer music star at the Teen Choice Music Awards in Hollywood this week. He’s also won Grammy, an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award and a BRIT Award. I was captivated by his version of “Grenede” that came out October 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...kuoRGig4Cs

His vocal technique is inspiring to me because of his great control of the outer muscles: the neck, jaw, and tongue. Notice as he sings, how stable his head is, and how soft are the muscles in his neck and around his larynx (or adams apple). Also notice the shape of his tongue as he opens up for a high note.

His tongue is flat and spread out—quite relaxed. Most singers would be demonstrating a fair amount of tension in these outer muscles when they try to hit that high note, which is C5. He has refined his voice as a true professional.

By putting the power of his singing voice into his air control and vocal cords, his is able to sing in a powerful mix of chest voice and head voice up to the top of his range. If you’d like to learn more about the outer muscles and their effect on your vocal technique, watch this video.