Review: The Romantic by Bruno Mars.

    

A decade after 2016's 80s electrofunk/90s New jack swing tribute 24K Magic, Bruno Mars has finally released another solo album. The Romantic sounds quite similar to An Evening With Silk Sonic, his 2021 collaborative release with Anderson .Paak, but it incorporates elements of Latin music into its old school soul sound. Mars's music has always been noticeably influenced by older artists like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, etc but he's made sounding retro his entire shtick since 2014's "Uptown Funk". Although he's always done a good job at making homages to classics, it's true that his music has never been the least bit groundbreaking or pioneering. Either you're going to like the wannabe retro songs or you're not.

   Still, while it would be nice if Mars made something more modern-sounding for once, his latest album is a fairly enjoyable listen. One thing that cannot be denied about Mars is his talent; he can sing, he can dance, he can play instruments, and he seems to be more involved with songwriting and production than most pop stars are (he still has co-writers and co-producers, though). His vocals shine throughout the album, and while the lyrics are nothing special, it's all quality pop. The best tracks on the album are all upbeat dance songs, namely "Cha Cha Cha", "On My Soul", "God Was Showing Off", and the lead single "I Just Might". "Something Serious" isn't as good, but it's alright. The slower songs—ballads "Risk It All", "Why You Wanna Fight", "Nothing Left", and "Dance With Me"—are also serviceable, even if most of them sound like outtakes from the Silk Sonic album or watered down rehashes of last year's "Die in Your Arms" (Mars's smash hit duet with Lady Gaga). 

    As with all of Mars's albums, the runtime is short (about half an hour), so listening to all the songs from start to finish repeatedly is easy. It's always a good thing when an artist subscribes to that "less is more" philosophy. Overall, it's a decent, solid pop album that sufficiently showcases Mars's skill as a singer and recording artist, even if 24K Magic and the Silk Sonic album were better. Mars has certainly come a long way from when he made cringy tunes like "Grenade" and "It Will Rain". He's probably the best male pop singer right now, and while he may be due to become a legacy artist not too long from now (he's in his 40s), The Romantic will probably be remembered as one of 2026's best albums.

Best track: "I Just Might".