Bruno Mars released his new album, “The Romantic,” on Feb. 27, 10 years since his previous solo album, “24K Magic,” and Mars didn’t disappoint his anticipating listeners.

Mars has been an icon in the music industry, with 16 Grammy wins. Since 2016, Mars has strayed from his solo career, creating an album under the duo “Silk Sonic” with Anderson Paak. He has also released a few other collaborations with Lady Gaga, Rosé and Sexyy Red since then. On Jan. 7, that all changed when Mars announced his fifth album with only nine songs.

After listening to the album on repeat numerous times, a couple of songs stood out to me. My favorite off the album is “Risk It All,” which is growing on social media as the perfect first dance song for a wedding. His vocals in the song blend seamlessly with a beat that reminds one of the retro Latin style, boleros. Another song I enjoyed was “I Just Might,” as it truly brought me back to the Mars that I grew up with, providing me with the nostalgia from my childhood.

Mars played into the Latin beats with a few other songs. In “Cha Cha Cha,” Mars brings instrumentals that make you want to dance. During the song “God Was Showing Off,” Mars continued the Latin-style instruments; however, I felt like his vocals were weaker in this song.

Mars also had some slow songs on his album. “Why You Wanna Fight?” is a smooth, calm song and Mars’ vocals blend effortlessly with the 70’s style rhythm. In “On My Soul” and “Something Serious,” Mars speeds up the beat to create more exciting songs that lift the mood of listeners.

Mars finishes the album with “Nothing Left” and “Dance With Me.” Both songs were emotional and soft love songs, with “Nothing Left” being a sad song about missing someone you loved. “Dance With Me” is one that didn’t stand out from the first listen, but after repeated plays, it grew on me.

Throughout the album, Mars was able to coherently match the rhythm with his vocals and each song brought out a different mood. Although the songs are all seamless and have smooth vibes, the album as a whole wasn’t anything extraordinary. After waiting a decade for Mars’ album, I was expecting something new. Despite the expectation, this album feels like every other song in his discography. Overall, I’d give this album a 4/5 as I wish Mars brought more creativity and development to his album.