Bruno Mars picks up where he left off with "Uptown Funk" by releasing his rollback offering, 24K Magic a blatant homage to black pop, soul, and hip-hop artists of the 80's and 90's. The entourage of new tunes was foreshadowed by the release of the title track accompanied by the new video just days ago. Mars fans young and old have been waiting too long for the new album, and 24K Magic only heightens their expectations.

Mars is to retro black soul recapitulation as Lenny Kravitz is to retro rock 'n' roll revivalism. He peppers each of his carefully-crafted tunes on the new album with a healthy heaping of nostalgic early 80's soul as seen in "Calling All My Lovelies" and "Chunky'" while slightly forging into 90's hip-hop period pieces such as "Finesse".

'24K Magic' - moving forward in reverse

In an age where the vintage template has weaved its way back into many a modern artist's repertoire, Bruno Mars seems to take the yesteryears a little more literally than other millennial second-decade artists. This is both to his credit and his detriment. On the one hand, it demonstrates that he was actually soaking the music in and not just giving it a nod. On the other hand, one wonders when listening to 24K Magic if he's ever going to break free from his roots and discover his own persona.

Not that Bruno Mars has completely sold his soul to late 20th-century black music. His tunes always sound fresh and modern, which would explain their commercial appeal.

Mars, however, never allows himself to stray very far from the porch the new album in order to cross the street. He's still looking both ways with one eye firmly on 1982 and the other ever so slightly on the horizon. "That's What I Like" invokes the oft-cited early Michael Jackson albums (Think "Off The Wall",) but has enough modernity in the studio to propel it forward.

"Perm" gives enough credence to James Brown-penned funk, but it sounds more like "Living in America" than "Sex Machine". And "Versace on the Floor" is convincing enough to have been the number one R&B single of 1985 instead of Freddie Jackson's "You Are My Lady".

Watch Bruno Mars video to The title track from 24K Magic

An album for all generations

Those who bask in the early days of , Atlantic Starr, and Deniece Williams will enjoy the new album just as much as the new fans on the block who have no idea who those artists are. 24K Magic is definitely for the mass audience, garnering attention from millennials who think that listening to older music is cool again, and their parents who actually remember when it was.