"16 years later, Mars is back with The Romantic, his first solo album since 2016's 24K Magic, and apparently not much has changed. He's still the same honey-voiced crooner with his heart on his sleeve, and he's still doing it in staunch opposition to the heavily digitized sheen of contemporary pop."
"Like its title suggests, The Romantic finds Mars once again obsessed with love. Its nine songs aren't really about anything else; he's over the moon in love on the first seven tracks, and then on "Nothing Left," he's heartbroken, lamenting how "the fire don't burn like it used to.""
"Throughout, Mars offers as many clichés as he possibly can: Running through fire, rocket ships and shooting stars, calling the DJ "Mister," alleging that he was blind but now he can see... really, any way that he can express that he's just a good ol' classic lover boy, he'll give it a shot."
Bruno Mars returns with The Romantic, his first solo album since 2016's 24K Magic. The album showcases Mars as a preservationist of classic soul and R&B rather than an innovator, deliberately opposing contemporary pop's digital production. His honey-voiced delivery remains unchanged over 16 years since his breakthrough. The nine-track album centers exclusively on love, with Mars expressing euphoria across the first seven songs, heartbreak on "Nothing Left," and reconciliation hopes on the final track. Throughout the album, Mars employs abundant romantic clichés including references to fire, rocket ships, shooting stars, and blindness metaphors to convey his role as a devoted lover.
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