by Casey Moffitt
photo by Kai Z. Feng
If you were to build a pop star in a lab, it might look a lot like Bruno Mars. He possesses all the skills a great entertainer needs. He’s sings inoffensive songs with a great voice. He cuts delicious dance moves. And he does it all with a million-dollar smile. One has to admit: it’s fantastic entertainment. What we have yet to see Mars do, however, is reveal his own voice. He’s always imitating somebody else, and does so with little disguise. Here he’s doing Michael Jackson. Here’s James Brown. Here’s Sam Cooke. Here’s De La Soul. We’ve heard Bruno Mars do just about everyone over the years. Everyone but himself. Still, Mars’s festival-headlining abilities are not to be denied, and his band is so smoking hot the stage might melt to the ground. If you can’t have fun with Mars on stage, maybe you hate music.
