RED TRANSLUCENT VINYL

A search party for Bruno Mars wasn't ever needed during the ten years that passed between 24K Magic and The Romantic, the singer's third and fourth albums. Featured on hits by Gucci Mane and Cardi B in the late 2010s, Mars linked with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic in 2021, and followed the immense success of that partnership by aiding Lady Gaga on "Die with a Smile" and Rosé on "Apt." He and Rosé opened the 2026 Grammys, where he also delivered "I Just Might" -- a chart-topping preview of The Romantic -- with his 11-piece band. Between albums, Mars had kept his stage act polished with extensive touring and residencies that made enough impact to prompt MGM Resorts in Las Vegas to rename Park Avenue as Bruno Mars Drive. "I Just Might," with its mix of early Jackson 5 and disco-era Ray Parker, Jr. (er, Leo Sayer), was clearly designed to please large crowds, and the same goes for The Romantic as a whole. It's a well-dressed set of nine finely crafted love songs. At the same time, it's as if Mars has made -- as he did with Paak -- a modern-day version of an Art Laboe compilation, as there's broad appeal to lovers of feel-good music, especially couples, dancers, and lowrider enthusiasts. For all the obvious knowledge of bygone styles Mars and his collaborators put to use, Mars' beaming rasp of a voice is his own, and there's at least one moment on each of these songs where he goes all out. No matter how trite the lyrics are, he sells them effectively where most other singers would come across as purely histrionic. Moreover, Mars and company remain clever at combining sounds, like the way highlights "Cha Cha Cha" and "Something Serious" connect Havana, Tijuana, and Philadelphia, from cha-cha-chá to Latin rock to Philly soul, imagining a summit between Santana and MFSB. The icing on the cake is Mars' charming devotion to wholesome terms and turns of phrase like "pretty little lady," "archangel," and "I need you on my team."

A1        Risk It All
A2        Cha Cha Cha
A3        I Just Might
A4        God Was Showing Off
A5        Why You Wanna Fight?
B1        On My Soul
B2        Something Serious
B3        Nothing Left
B4        Dance With Me