If any superstar should be called ‘the greatest hitmaker of the 21st century,’ it’s Bruno Mars. Right from the release of ‘Doo-Wops & Hooligans’ in 2010, the man has had the entire industry in the palm of his hand— really, it says a lot that Mars was able to dominate current popular music discourse off the back of nothing but two standalone singles (those being collaborative efforts ‘APT.’ and ‘Die With A Smile.’) It’s been almost five years since the singer’s last record ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic,’ and his most recent standalone release is twice as old as that. 2026’s ‘The Romantic’ aims to tighten Mars’ chokehold on the radio waves: it largely succeeds, carried wholesale by the talents of its leading man.

Where tracks like the oft-celebrated ‘Die With A Smile’ and the better-left-forgotten ‘Fat Juicy & Wet’ saw Mars employing a range of styles and affectations to suit his various collaborations, ‘The Romantic’ is a clear-cut return to the funky, soulful chops of previous records. The entire album— yes, all thirty minutes of it— rests easy in a laidback bossa nova style, filling itself with all the classic brass lines, tasteful drum grooves and cheery acoustic guitars you’d need to soundtrack your beach wedding. Nothing here feels overly exploratory or new for the singer, though Mars is clearly drawing more from the smooth presentation of ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’ than he is from the dance-centric ‘24K Magic:’ the aesthetic of his fourth album feels almost obvious in its simplicity, as you might have guessed from the project’s minimalist cover. The wistful crooning of opener ‘Risk It All,’ which feels like a less bleak take on Mars’ enduring hit ‘Grenade,’ is a telling sign for what ‘The Romantic’ has in store— whether upbeat or soft and slow, these nine tracks feel effortless.

A figure this revered has every right to be as confident and self-assured as he appears here, though it’s not always necessarily to the record’s benefit. It feels completely fair to argue that the singer is barely pushing himself as a songwriter or as a performer, leading to a record that is, quality aside, ‘just another Bruno Mars album:’ ‘The Romantic’ lacks the spark of inspiration that Anderson .Paak brought to ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic,’ and it doesn't feature the youthful energy or the hunger for success that fuelled ‘24K Magic’ or ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ either. There are no bad songs to be found across this track list— hell, the album’s worst moments are barely distinguishable from its best— but neither does the record bring the powerhouse singles and standout moments we’ve come to expect from Mars. The happy-go-lucky hooks of ‘Cha Cha Cha’ and the layered refrains on ‘Dance With Me’ are pleasant, but they’re undoubtedly the sound of an artist going through the motions. ‘The Romantic’ doesn’t feel like a record that Mars felt he needed to make, but rather one that exists to fit cleanly into his ongoing marketing strategy.

It’s a credit to his overwhelming talent, then, that the singer was able to put-together a record this thoroughly enjoyable anyway: he is, as we mentioned before, one of the most prolific hitmakers of the century, and he didn’t get there through dumb luck. Single ‘I Just Might’ is so cheesy as to become endearing, so long as you can get past the stark brightness of its “doo-doo-doo” hook— Mars’ vocal prowess is on full display as he absolutely crushes the song’s chorus, earning himself yet another charting hit. ‘The Romantic’ really hits its stride in the centre, sauntering through a five-track run most artists would kill for. Both ‘God Was Showing Off’ and ‘Why You Wanna Fight?’ could’ve been ripped straight from ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic,’ sultry and shimmering as they are: even if it’s disappointing to see that his writing hasn’t progressed all that much this decade, we can hardly begrudge Mars for continuing to employ such divine arrangements and likeable vocal harmonies. Really though, it’s the following ‘On My Soul’ that’s the true standout, throwing the singer into a dazzling collection of driving guitar accents and wonderful melodies—‘Something Serious’ simply takes that momentum and runs with it.

‘The Romantic’ may honestly be Bruno Mars’ worst record to date, but that’s like saying that Ringo Starr is ‘the worst’ of the Beatles. The album isn’t overly exciting, adventurous or memorable, sure, but it barely needed to be: when push comes to shove, there’s only so much criticism you can levy against a record this well written, performed and produced. Mars’ fourth solo project doesn’t feel a decade in the making, but it’ll get you dancing nonetheless— his talents are simply inescapable.