‘Just The Way You Are’: Bruno Mars finally owns the limelight by himself

‘Just the Way You Are’ marks Bruno Marks actual debut as a solo act, after collaborations with current artists as B.o.B., and Travie McCoy in ‘Billionaire’, where Mars proved he could handle music by his own merits without having to be featured as a guest.
‘Just the Way You Are’ sounds similar to Alicia Keys’ ‘It Doesn’t Mean Anything’; one can easily take Bruno Mars as the male version of Keys.
Mars wears his characteristic fedora throughout the video, as he takes out a cassette tape and starts to make shapes with the tape strip in line with the lyrics of the track. It is very creative and different to what other videos are offering on these days. It is pretty smooth and goes along with the song (both literally and figuratively), as well as with Mars’ style.
The imagery is pretty literal. Mars’ love interest tries to change the original cassette strip-made figure, and Mars changes it to the way it was, clearly alluding to the song most directly. It is way too literal, but in a good way. When literal means are needed, it does not seem off place.
The way the tape strips shine as if they were real strips, is in fact an engaging effect; one could think the imagery was developed with actual cassette strips. Mars interaction  with the camera is minimal, and instead focuses his attention mostly in his video-love interest; both do not interact much aside from a slight cuddle on the couch and moving cassette strips around the coffee table top.
It finds Mars being just the way he seems to be, working with simplicity, and having his music and talent be the main attraction of his work, refraining from ostentatious visual imagery, which could become a distraction from the final product: his music.











It is inspired by Erika Iris Simmons’artwork, and is under the direction of Ethan Lader.
★★★★