The wait is finally over. It has been 10 years since Bruno Mars released a new album to the music community. Over the years, Mars has given everything you can ask as a fan: nine Billboard Hot 100 #1, multiple top honors such as AMA and MTV awards, and famously swept the 2018 Grammy awards. The hype and reputation Mars has is special, and he continues to display all of his talents after ten years. The Romantic brings joy and love for others, to express a new era of Bruno Mars.
The Romantic 1st impressions
Before the album was released, Mars dropped a single of what to expect on the new album. He released “I Just Might” as a way to kick off the album, which had fans praising it and giving them a feel of “80’s funk groove”. Mars does a great job creating music for many different genres. Overall, the vibe you first get from “I Just Might” is a fun, flirtatious, and laid-back feel. “I Just Might” was a perfect way to start off a new album after 10 years! The Romantic is expressed through the lyrics but the visual items as well. The album cover also gives you an idea of what to expect before you listen to any of the music. Similar to the music, it appears very laid back/relaxed- with black and white colors, roses around the border, and a sexy picture of Mars in the middle. It’s such a simple look, but it can tell you so much. The colors of black and white make it more calm and don’t make you think anything crazy about it. It’s a perfect representation for how the album makes you feel. Also, roses across the border is an easy way to recognize a love story. As we see, the visuals can tell just as much of the story as the lyrics themselves.
Every Song, Every Mood
Throughout the whole album, every song has something to do with having love for someone else. What makes each song different and special is the way Mars expresses it. For example, songs like “Cha Cha Cha”, “I Just Might”, “On My Soul”, and “Something Serious” are all upbeat songs and make you want to get up and dance. The rest of the album is very emotional, romantic, and cinematic. For example, the songs “Risk it all”, “God was showing off”, “Why you wanna fight?”, “Nothing left” and “Dance with me” express that feeling. Overall, when listening to all these songs, you get that same thread of passion, yet each track has its own vibe/mood to it. Whether that’s his heartfelt lyrics or upbeat grooviness, Mars proceeds to excite us and impress the music community across every genre he touches.
Lyrical Themes
When you really get into the details of a song, that’s how you find the true meaning. Lines like “if your heart’s on the line, you could take mine” from “Risk It All” or “I’ma love you like you never been loved before” from “On My Soul” both give us that feeling of affection of how we care about someone else, and what we would do for them. It shows that you are willing to do anything for someone you care for. Even if that means taking risks to find true love. There’s someone in your life who makes you feel this way, and Mars shared that feeling and the risks you have to take for them. As well as that, he expresses the love he puts into a relationship: always loving others and showing how meaningful someone can be to them.
Recap
Overall, the album was fantastic! The feeling of singing along to the songs, and relating to the lyrics is special. Finally, Bruno impressed me more than ever in his new era. Grade: 4.7/5. It’s meaningful and impactful to all of Mars’s listeners. After a decade! Mars finds a way to entertain everyone and to put a smile on all our faces. Whether you say this is a new era for Mars or it’s the same old Mars for the last ten plus years. He’s the greatest at what he does and will go down in history as one of the best. For 15 years Mars has achieved so much: 16 grammy awards, 14 american music awards and 8 guinness world records. To top off his career dropping the new album The Romantic solidifies his career and is just one step through Bruno Mars’s legacy. .
