Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter Bruno Mars released his long-awaited comeback “The Romantic” on Friday, Feb. 27. The album is Mars’ first solo project since 2016 and his first album since 2021’s “An Evening with Silk Sonic,” a collaboration with R&B singer Anderson Paak.
Mars is one of the longest withstanding stars of the 2010s, with continued success into the present. High expectations and an obligation to deliver creative, inventive bodies of work comes with such a status.
While “The Romantic” is objectively enjoyable and technically good, it is not necessarily innovative. Many of the songs on the album feel like a rehashing of past Mars tracks, such as Silk Sonic’s cover of the 1982 Con Funk Shun hit “Love’s Train.”
That’s the reason why “Why You Wanna Fight?” sounds so familiar as a mid-tempo ballad. Mars always pays tribute to acts of the past in his work, particularly on funk and soul tracks. However, this reuse takes away from growing Mars’ own legacy as an innovator.
The lead single, “I Just Might,” also falls into this derivative trap. It feels like it was made simply to please a commercial crowd, with similarities to the iconic “woah-oh” refrain in “Walking on Sunshine” (1983) by Katrina and the Waves.
However, Mars still puts an inventive twist on his own formula. On “Risk It All,” Mars creates a classic song about taking risks for the one you love, as he sings “It’s crazy but it’s true / There’s nothing I won’t do / I’d risk it all for you.”
The end result is a song with similar themes to “Grenade” but with a Latin flair. Mars pays tribute to his Puetro-Rican ancestry by incorporating a bongo beat, trumpets and strings into the instrumentation.
“Cha Cha Cha” is Mars’ take on creating a more upbeat Sade track. The strings and trumpet backing feel jazzy and peaceful, while Mars’ vocals and the driving beat will make any listener want to sway back and forth.
While basic, “The Romantic” has some endearing songs reflective of the album’s title. “Dance With Me” is a classic slow dance tune bound to be played at weddings. Mars layers melodies and backing vocals to create a backdrop that is fit for a ballad.
“On My Soul” is by far the best track on the album. It has a grooving bassline and guitar line. The driving drum beat will make anyone want to dance in their seat. Mars continues the romantic themes singing, “On my soul / I’ma love you like you’ve never been loved before.”
There are two words that encapsulate “The Romantic” as a project: mellow and safe. It is pleasing to the listener and undoubtedly a good body of work. However, it doesn’t excite me the way that “24K Magic” or “An Evening with Silk Sonic” did. Mars is not simply paying homage to a past era in his music; he’s stuck in it without carving a path for his own legacy.
