The Romantic – Bruno Mars

By Eva Sawdey

Bruno Mars is so back. After a ten year break, Mars has released another album, The Romantic. During his hiatus, he featured on some songs and released Sonic Silk with Anderson .Paak, but no solo work has been seen since 24K Magic. We have waited too long for Mars to release another belt-inducing, feet-moving record – and he did not fail to deliver. The Romantic includes a collection of songs for getting a  boogie on and swooning, or be swooned, to. If I was the receiver of these songs, I’d be dancing, but I’d be dancing away. Sorry, Bruno. After my first listen, I felt that some of the lyrics were a bit cheesy. However, the rhythm and instrumental for every song is a layered masterpiece. I gave the album another chance and decided that the lyrics were not cliché enough to stop me from enjoying this new release. 

Starting off the record with ‘Risk It All’, the trumpets and gentle guitar invite listeners to picture a slow dance under sunset in Latin America. The song then picks up in the second verse, adding a beat and violins. Clear from this opener is that one of the many things Bruno Mars knows how to do well is a bridge. The key change as he sings “I would swim across the sea just to show you, Sacrifice my life just to hold you.” elevates the level of desire to the height of yearning. I’m not sure why Bruno Mars thinks he needs to put himself in dangerous situations that lead to immediate death in order to win someone over (e.g. catching a grenade), but I guess that can be romantic. There is also an instrumental section within the song, showing off the beautiful composition of the different parts, which is what this album really does. People know Mars can elicit feelings of infatuation, fun, and pain through lyrics, but this album shows his ability to dabble in myriad genres as well as myriad feelings. ‘Risk It All’ being the first track gives a little taste of what the rest of the album has to offer. 

‘I Just Might’ was the first single off this album. I still love this song and I’ve listened to it a lot. The main parts of the instrumental are two guitars: one clear and clean, the other a bit metallic and reverberated. I could just follow the two parts throughout the whole song and blur out everything else with how interestingly they communicate with one another. During the chorus, the trumpets make another appearance, emulating a similar sound as‘Move Your Feet’ by Junior Senior chorus (funny, since the majority of ‘I Just Might’ is trying to convince a girl to dance). The lyrics are playful, showering the girl with compliments, but only on the condition that she is a good dancer. From the wise words of Mr. Mars, “What good is beauty if your booty can’t find the beat?” Ain’t that the truth. Whether on the street or in your room, the song's lyrics and instrumentals are hard to deny bursting out into dance.

One of the songs I felt was corny during my first listen was ‘God Was Showing Off’. Even though the instruments and melody are really satisfying to listen to, the lyrics are really funny when imagining someone is actually saying them. For example, “Is heaven your name, or is it divine. Don't matter, girl, it's gonna look good next to mine.” It’s almost unbearable when someone is using the “if your name” pick up line, but adding the second part of the lyrics is a witty choice. It would induce an eye roll from me, but I wouldn't dance away just yet. The bridge is a modern day Shakespearean monologue that must be listened to. Everything about it feels ironic and it makes me laugh every time. The ending is also hilarious with the adlibs “I bet you can walk on water, can’t you, girl? And then you can turn that water into wine.” Talk about love being misconstrued by placing someone on a pedestal. ‘God Was Showing Off’ feels like it’s sung by an exaggerated version of a romantic and could have been the title track for the album.

‘Dance With Me’ is the last song on the record. Bringing the whole album together, this song is similar to the first, inviting people to slow dance. The reverberated guitar adds an island, care-free feel to the song. The beat and flow are so free and fun, adding movement where some love songs can feel a bit stuck. This song feels more passionate and authentic than ‘God Was Showing Off’. Instead of a facade that everything is perfect, the song admits there is some struggle to their love, but they are trying to work through it. “It’s been so long since I held you tight. I won’t let you go ‘til we get it right.” shows a reality where sometimes you have to fight and work hard for love (and that fight rarely involves grenades). This song takes the idea of a romantic and brings it down to Earth. ‘Dance With Me’ feels more like inner thoughts, rather than what is actually being said, making it more vulnerable. 

Bruno Mars has wowed me with his new album, The Romantic. Each song’s composition is perfect for any sort of dancing. Before this album, I would think of Bruno Mars as a classic 2010s pop artist, with fun and catchy songs. The Romantic takes on a new perspective of what Mars is capable of making instrumentally. The record includes a mixture of slow and authentic to animated and praising love songs. I was looking forward to this album, and it did not disappoint. White some songs are mushier than others, they do not get in the way of appreciating a well-awaited album.