Bruno Mars

Doo-wops and Hooligans Elektra * * *

A little bit Jack Johnson and a big bit songwriting saviour for both burgeoning and established pop stars (from Flo Rida and Cee Lo Green to Alexandra Burke and Sugababes), Hawaii-born Bruno Mars (Peter Gene Hernandez on his passport) recently made music chart history in the US when he became the first male artist in 13 years to have his first two singles go straight to No 1. Doo-wops and Hooligansis full of the kind of catchy modern pop that is impossible to dislike or dislodge. You'll know the single Just the Way You Are, a slice of wide-eyed pop that automatically coaxes a smile. The second single, Grenade, is similarly structured - the kind of song that JLS and their ilk would chop off their dancing legs for. Bruno's background (his parents are musicians of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent) seems made for such sunny-disposition pop, but be advised that most of the tunes are cocktail bangers hot enough to melt ice. See brunomars.com TONY CLAYTON-LEA

Download tracks: Grenade, The Lazy Song, Liquor Store Blues