Bruno Mars - The Romantic

Bruno Mars waited nine years between solo albums, and The Romantic makes the gap count, pressed on vinyl with a lyric book included.

In between came An Evening with Silk Sonic, his 2021 collaboration with Anderson .Paak, and its love of vintage soul carries straight into this 2026 set. Mars co-produced every track with D'Mile, with sessions in Los Angeles, Riverside and Philadelphia, and the result is his shortest album to date: nine love songs, tightly built and dressed in their finest.

Retro-soul, R&B, disco and funk all get a turn. Larry Gold's string arrangements bring lush Philadelphia sweep, while bright horns, crisp congas and stacked backing vocals keep the floor moving.

Opener "Risk It All" sets the stakes, and chart-topping lead single "I Just Might" follows close behind. "Cha Cha Cha" borrows the Philly soul rhythm of The O'Jays' "Back Stabbers" for a Latin-tinged disco strut, and "God Was Showing Off" leans fully into the album's adoring mood. Mars sings all of it with the ease of someone who knows exactly where his strengths lie.

It is old-fashioned in the best possible sense, a record made for slow dances and long dinners, and the lyric book is there for anyone who wants to sing along.