Giulietta Morad

Bruno Mars released his first solo album in 10 years on Feb. 27.

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – After a prolonged drought of solo music from Bruno Mars, the artist released his first solo studio album in 10 years, entitled “The Romantic,” on Feb. 27. The album, highly anticipated by fans, was announced alongside a tour beginning in Las Vegas on April 10 and ending in Vancouver on Oct. 14, 2026.

While Mars took a hiatus from releasing music as a solo artist, he did not disappear entirely; instead, he got involved in a variety of collaborative projects, including the hit singles “APT.” with ROSÉ and “Die With a Smile” with Lady Gaga, both in 2024. He also partnered with Anderson Paak to create the album, “An Evening With Silk Sonic,” in 2021. 

After these alternative projects, fans longed for a solo album that showcased Mars’ signature hip-hop R&B sound, which was present on his last album, “24K Magic,” which came out in 2016. 

While “The Romantic” does not have quite the same hip-hop sound as the previous album, it has a perfect balance of tracks that scream “Bruno Mars” and other aspects that are new developments to his style after a decade of growth and exploration. 

Fitting to the title, the album seems to venture through the story of a couple, from the perspective of the man, who falls madly in love, goes through hardships, loses their spark and attempts to rekindle their flame at the very end. 

“Risk It All,” the first track on the album, consists of acoustic guitar, trumpet and violin melodies as well as Mars’ signature smooth vocals. It has a Latin-sounding melody that makes the song much more romantic as well as a slow tempo, giving it a soothing sound. 

Songs like “Cha Cha Cha” and “I Just Might” are songs that provide easily danceable melodies, all in different ways. “Cha Cha Cha” follows the Latin theme set by its predecessor, “Risk It All,” while “I Just Might,” the earworm single that was released on Jan. 9, has a more pop-oriented sound paired with viral music video choreography that makes it all more enjoyable. 

Some songs maintained the typical Bruno Mars sound, like “Why You Wanna Fight” and “God Was Showing Off.” “Why You Wanna Fight” is the turning point in the love story as tension begins to grow between the couple, as it sounds very similar to “Leave the Door Open” from “An Evening With Silk Sonic,” with a prominent R&B sound while being extremely repetitive and anticlimactic at times.

“God Was Showing Off” has very “Just The Way You Are”-esque lyrics, and like “Why You Wanna Fight,” it seems very typical and a great option for those who are searching for R&B romance comfort music. 

On the other hand, featuring a strong electric guitar, “On My Soul” is faster-paced than most of the songs on the album. It incorporates fun trumpet riffs and has a frantic-sounding tone that adds to the story of the album.

Additionally, “Something Serious” is an intriguing track with a variety of unique instruments that give it a bossa nova vibe, similar to previously mentioned songs. While the instrumental is entertaining, the lyrics are lackluster and quite cringeworthy with Mars singing, “You should be my boo thang / I should be your mans.” 

As the album winds down, the second to last song, “Nothing Left” is a sorrowful song with a longing tone that discusses the loss of a prior romantic flame between the couple as Mars sings, “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.”

“Dance With Me” is a slower ballad that comes at the end of the album as the narrator is attempting to rekindle past love by asking his lover to dance with him one last time, he sings “Hoping when the music ends / you and I will fall in love all over again.” This song, although somewhat heartbreaking, may be heard at future weddings as it is perfect for a slow dance moment and was a perfect end to “The Romantic” album. 

“The Romantic,” despite some minor flaws, is a great comeback album for Bruno Mars that flows well, evokes all the emotion and is sure to get listeners on their feet dancing at some point. It incorporates the right amount of his signature style and new aspects that are sure to make it a well-loved album.