Bruno Mars evokes passion, nostalgia with ‘The Romantic’ return
On Friday, Bruno Mars released "The Romantic," his first solo album since “24K Magic” in 2016. While it was a difficult task to recapture the same magic he did 10 years ago, Mars's new album shows his growth, our columnist says. Sarah Yudichak | Contributing Illustrator
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When the first Spotify Wrapped came out in 2016, Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” was atop the charts. The album was highly successful while winning seven GRAMMYs, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.
That was the last solo album he released before dropping “The Romantic” 10 years later last Friday. Mars is the last month’s most-listened-to artist on Spotify, making his new solo effort one of the most highly-anticipated of the year.
Across the album’s nine tracks and 31-minute runtime, Mars leans into the high-quality production that has become synonymous with his music. It’s an easy listen and should have wide appeal. While Mars doesn’t take many creative risks with it, he doesn’t have to.
The same powerful vocals and 1970s-inspired themes of soul and retro funk that made “24K Magic” so successful are present throughout the album. But, there’s a new level of maturity in the tracks on “The Romantic” that keeps it fresh.
In “Risk It All,” Mars opens with a track of yearning, setting the stage for the rest of the album. As he sings about everything he’s willing to put on the line, there’s a heavy Latin influence with trumpet and string instrumentals, making this song one of the album’s best.
“Say you want the moon / Watch me learn to fly / Ain’t no mountain you could point to / I wouldn’t climb,” he sings.
With its reference to the moon, the lyrics are a call back to one of his 2010 songs, “Talking to the Moon.” While the image of love is vivid in both songs, the love in this track has a level of intimacy and familiarity that’s different from the distant longing of his previous hit.
After the slower tempo of the previous number, Mars picks up the pace with “Cha Cha Cha,” where the Latin themes are even more present with cowbell and drum instrumentals. While it’s one of the more lyrically simple songs on the album, it’s also one of the most catchy with its easy-to-remember chorus.
The third track, “I Just Might,” which was pre-released on Jan. 9 as a standalone single, feels like the perfect representation of the album as a whole. Much of Mars’ previous work has been influenced by popular 70s songs, and this one is no different with its funky disco beat.
Here, Mars sings about trying to catch someone’s eye on the dance floor after immediately being drawn to them. With its vivid imagery and wide-ranging vocals, it has the potential to be another one of his songs that people listen to long after its release.
“Hey, Mr. DJ (Oh, oh, oh) / Play a song for this pretty little lady (Oh, oh, oh) / ‘Cause if she dance as good as she look right now (Oh, oh, oh) / I just might, I just might make her my baby,” he sings.
Opening with a Spanish countdown, Mars marvels at a woman’s beauty in “God Was Showing Off.” There’s a strong theme of divine beauty as Mars portrays the “earth angel” woman who has to “hide her wings.” He closes the track with several references to bible verses, suggesting that God is directly responsible for how special she is.
Mars shifts the album’s tone with “Why You Wanna Fight?” He slows the tempo back down and goes from yearning and idealizing about a relationship to trying to save it. The singer apologizes for the mistakes he’s made, asking his partner to forgive him.
He continues to fight for his relationship in “On My Soul,” another track inspired by the 70s with a funky beat, where the singer also pleads for his partner to trust him.
“Love’s so hard to find / Break your heart? I would never / Girl, I’d rather die,” he sings.
The album’s seventh track, “Something Serious,” builds on the earlier themes of “Risk It All” as Mars envisions a long-term future with his partner. The Latin influences also return in this track with its percussion instrumentals behind the powerful vocals of Mars.
“Nothing Left” leaves little to the imagination about the singer’s former relationship, as he reminisces about what could have been. It’s one of the most stripped down tracks of the album, and also one of the most heartfelt with lines like, “But the fire don’t burn like it used to, girl, no / Don’t wanna let you go, but you know something’s got to change.”
The album closes with “Dance With Me,” another slow song that reveals his relationship seems to have run its course. While the singer accepts where it went wrong, he also wishes to be with his former partner just one more time.
The track has some of the album’s most vocally challenging lyrics, and there’s a clear sense of desperation in Mars as he looks back at their relationship. It really highlights the high-quality vocals in the album, which overall make up for the lighter lyrics in some tracks.
After the highs of “24K Magic,” it was always going to be difficult for Mars to recapture that same magic almost a decade later. While “The Romantic” doesn’t have the same kick that his previous solo album does, it still showcases a recognizable amount of growth from his previous work. And, it’s quintessentially Mars.
