Bruno Mars Makes a Leisure Suit of a Record With ‘The Romantic,’ Doubling Down on Silk Sonic’s Hermetically Sealed ’70s Revivalism: Album Review

Two of pop's biggest male stars are making a coordinated return, with Bruno Mars and Harry Styles scheduling new album releases on consecutive weekends. This marks a notable collective re-entry into a chart landscape recently dominated by female artists. Their approaches, however, could not be more different. Styles' upcoming "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally" hints at a dance-oriented shift, while Mars takes a deliberate step back in time with "The Romantic," his first solo record in a decade. The album consciously avoids current pop sounds, opting instead for a meticulously crafted tribute to the smooth soul and R&B of the mid-1970s.

Mars, whose 2016 album "24K Magic" swept the Grammys and spawned the global hit "Uptown Funk," is doubling down on a retro aesthetic he has perfected. The nine-track project is an exercise in period-specific authenticity, with every production choice anchored in a pre-1976 sensibility. Its tempo is largely subdued, built around songs designed for slow dancing. Even the more upbeat lead single, "I Just Might"—which has drawn comparisons to Leo Sayer's 1976 hit "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing"—channels the groove of classic Philly soul rather than any modern beat. As music historian Dr. Elena Torres notes, "Mars is functioning here as an archivist as much as a performer. The goal isn't just to reference an era, but to fully reconstruct its sonic and emotional texture, a gamble that relies entirely on the listener's appetite for total immersion."

The album's reception will likely hinge on fans' affection for Mars's previous foray into throwback sounds: the acclaimed 2021 collaboration "An Evening With Silk Sonic" with Anderson .Paak. "The Romantic" operates as a spiritual sequel, with Mars and his longtime touring band The Hooligans pursuing the concept with an even deeper commitment to orchestral balladry. These slower moments showcase the impressive technical range of Mars's voice, which remains a standout instrument. However, the record's unwavering dedication to pastiche is also its primary limitation. After the initial admiration for its authentic details—the warm brass sections, the flawless production by longtime collaborator D'Mile (a Grammy-winning producer known for his work on Silk Sonic and H.E.R.'s debut)—subsides, a certain lyrical and emotional thinness becomes apparent.

Lyrically, the album leans heavily on familiar romantic platitudes, creating a curiously impersonal atmosphere in a genre built on vulnerability. A promising Latin undercurrent emerges early, signaled by the mariachi horns on the opener "Risk It All" and the cha-cha rhythm of the following track—a possible nod to Mars's own diverse heritage (he was born Peter Gene Hernandez to a Filipino father and Puerto Rican and Ashkenazi Jewish mother). Yet this intriguing thread is largely dropped, leaving the record to settle into a comfortable, if predictable, series of homages to Motown and Philly soul. Tracks like "Why You Wanna Fight?" and "God Was Showing Off" are stylistically impeccable but emotionally distant, functioning more as elegant mood pieces than compelling narratives.

As a cohesive atmospheric work, "The Romantic" is a formidable feat of musical recreation. Yet as the long-awaited return of a solo superstar after a ten-year gap, it feels notably safe, perfecting an established formula rather than pioneering a new one. The album succeeds as a polished, stylish product designed for broad appeal, but it lacks the innovative spark and genuine personal connection that transforms a well-crafted record into a defining artistic statement. The craftsmanship is extraordinary, but the emotional core feels meticulously referenced, not intimately lived.