Bruno Mars Goes Full 70s Nostalgia on The Romantic

Bruno Mars’ solo album The Romantic leans hard into Silk Sonic’s 1970s revival, delivering nine tracks of meticulously crafted retro-soul ballads and Latin touches that feel like a time‑capsule trip to 1976. While the project showcases Mars’s vocal craft and a tight team around him, the Variety reviewer argues it’s more a well-executed mood piece than a source of groundbreaking songs or personal storytelling, essentially continuing the pastiche rather than breaking new ground.