After helping to craft #1 singles for Flo Rida (“Right Round”) and B.o.B. (“Nothin’ On You”), plus Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” (a #4 hit) and Cee-Lo’s currently-burning-up-the-Interweb smash, “Fuck You,” as well as providing guest vocals on songs two and three, the very talented Bruno Mars (aka Pete Hernandez) is breaking out on his own.

Having saved some hooks for himself, Mars’ full-length solo debut, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, is out October 5th. Lead single “Just The Way You Are” was released in late July, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

While the “Just The Way You Are” cover sleeve suggests a Pointillism-inspired collage, the music video for “Just The Way You Are” (which just premiered yesterday) instead appropriates a thoroughly modern medium to tell the song’s story. Practised most famously by Erika Iris Simmons (who Mars wisely credits), the creative artform utilizes something we all have a boxful of somewhere. Roll (or more accurately, unroll) the tape:

Mars doesn’t leave the familiar world of collaborations completely behind on Doo-Wops & Hooligans. “Liquor Store Blues” features Damian Marley, while the album closes with “The Other Side,” a stomper that sports contributions from both B.o.B. and Cee-Lo, previously heard on Mars’ EP from earlier this year, It’s Better If You Don’t Understand.

Purchase Bruno Mars – “Just The Way You Are” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.