Bruno Mars Goes Full 70s on The Romantic — But Where’s the Funk?

Released: February 27th 2026

Getting close to 2 decades since Bruno Mars popped on the scene with his 2010 feature on the B.O.B. hit “Nothin’ on You”, putting him on the radar of most Hip-Hop heads. Since that time, the artist has proven to be one of the most versatile of this era, proving that he can do everything from Soul/Funk to pop hits. With his latest release, The Romantic, Bruno Mars seems to be going into his senior statesman bag with a project that can be the soundtrack for a 70’s Blaxploitation flick or some nice, unoffensive wedding music.

Coming in at just 9 tracks and a little over a half-hour, the project seems a bit short with more of a conceptual feel. Unlike his more funk tracks he’s known for (24K Magic) or his more soulful collaborations with Anderson .Paak, this project seems a bit more on the psychedelic pop side, highlighted by tracks like “I Just Might” — an already #1 Billboard hit. While the lead track and 2nd single, “Risk It All”, could easily be something heard playing on a candlelit night at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Which leads me to my main gripe: the album feels a little too commercial/safe. Would have liked to see more of that classic funk that Bruno is known for, and maybe a more uptempo song or two to balance the project out a bit more.

As mentioned earlier, the production throughout has a distinct late 70s feel to each track — very much that live band, real instruments vibe, which I can appreciate. As for features, this is definitely a solo endeavor, as there are none to speak of. With that being said, I didn’t like that decision, as Bruno has great chemistry with almost any artist — from Lil Wayne to his recent hit with Rosé — I feel collaborations bring out a different layer of the artist, so it’s a shame we didn’t get that here.

Overall, I see a lot of trending talk about Bruno Mars “falling off.” While I’ll admit this isn’t my favorite release from the artist, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say a guy who has 4 top 20 hits in the past 24 months has fallen off. I think in this case, this is an artist who is comfortable with his musicianship, making a project that he wants to make. While this project might not resonate with everybody — particularly for those looking for the funk — this is still a solid album that is sure to do some numbers this upcoming wedding season (“Cha Cha Cha” is gonna do numbers at receptions).

Standout Tracks: Risk It All, Cha Cha Cha, I Just Might, God Was Showing Off

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (7/10)