music
March 1, 2026
Bruno Mars: The Romantic review
(Atlantic)Harking back to Oye Como Va, Move On Up and other 20th-century classics, Mars’s homages are beautifully performed but bereft of new ideas
TL;DR
- The Romantic is Bruno Mars's first solo album in 10 years.
- The album features numerous musical references to songs from the 1970s and earlier.
- Songs like 'I Just Might' resemble Leo Sayer's 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,' and 'Why You Wanna Fight?' could fit on Silk Sonic's album.
- Influences from Curtis Mayfield, The O'Jays, Tito Puente, Barbara Acklin, and Young-Holt Unlimited are noted.
- The songwriting is criticized for being lazy, with influences being dumped rather than rearranged into new material.
- Despite the lack of originality, the album's lead single reached No. 1 in 11 countries.
- The article suggests that the album's highlights are the songs that sound most like existing hits.
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