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Bruno Mars is in a league that very few artists compete in. He\u2019s got the kind of mass appeal that is rare for newer acts in today\u2019s musical landscape but it\u2019s that very universal appeal that has made for his music to have an insanely wide reach. Every generation can find something to enjoy in a Bruno Mars album. The proof is in the pudding too because his upcoming stadium tour completely sold out before his album was even released. Just his name alone has that staying power but now his album The Romantic <\/em>is finally out and fans (including myself) can finally start preparing for the show. Lucky for us, the album is just as beautiful as I\u2019d hoped it would be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long journey for Bruno to get to this point in his career where a new album is in our midst. Bruno\u2019s been around in various capacities in the last few years whether it be with Anderson .Paak as a member of the duo Silk Sonic<\/a>, or releasing duets with various female artists like Lady Gaga<\/a>, Ros\u00e9<\/a> and Sexyy Red<\/a>. For this reason, it seems hard to believe that it actually has been ten years since Bruno has released his own solo album 24K Magic<\/em>. Quantity over quality has always been his M.O.; an old interview<\/a> from 2016 shows him saying that the reason that he only includes nine songs on his projects is because if he doesn\u2019t get you in those nine\u2026 he never will. A tactic that I respect and wish that a lot more artists would enforce. The result is an album that feels cohesive and complete without any filler tracks. If you can get the moms in your corner then you\u2019re set – and my mother is beyond obsessed with his new album, LOL.<\/p>\n Bruno has always had a retro feel to every single one of his albums. Some listeners have said that it can feel a bit repetitive at times. There\u2019s also the very real question of whether he\u2019s taking too much from the retro hits that influenced his new music. Many people will probably never have heard those songs but Bruno could open the door for those listeners. Music evolves and it becomes harder for songs to transcend generations. My hope would be that fans of Bruno could also now explore the sounds of Curtis Mayfield or The O\u2019Jays whose influence feels very prominent in many of the later songs on the album like \u201cDance With Me\u201d<\/a>. That being said, there\u2019s still something comforting about listening to Bruno. Generally, you know what you\u2019re going to get but I mean that in a great way. Familiarity provides comfort and music is the source of comfort for so many people. I see nothing wrong with a little comfort, however the music does still need to slap. Bruno hit it out the park for me and I would argue that the lead single \u201cI Just Might\u201d is my least favourite. Maybe he\u2019s saving the big guns for the rest of the promotional cycle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Next week is Harry Styles\u2019s big release week for his new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. <\/em>Plus, Jennifer Lopez takes another stab at new music with some help from David Guetta. This week is all about Bruno with some extra picks courtesy of RAYE, HoneyLuv with Muni Long, BLACKPINK and a viral classic 2000\u2019s banger from Sean Paul and Keyshia Cole.<\/p>\n Listen on\u2026<\/p>\n MC\u2019s PICKS OF THE WEEK<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cRisk It All\u201d by Bruno Mars<\/strong><\/p>\n Anytime I get a call from my mother telling me to listen to a song, then you know that said song is destined for greatness. The last time a song hit my mother\u2019s radar was \u201cFlowers\u201d by Miley Cyrus. My point here is that the true staying power of a song is if it can manage to reach people who do not generally go looking for music. The music just has to be that good that it finds everyone, and becomes beloved. \u201cRisk It All\u201d had me from the first second. The Mexican influence is imminent from the very beginning and has incited some interesting conversations online regarding the public\u2019s reaction to Bruno singing this genre versus Spanish-speaking artists, especially in the aftermath of Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl performance. Bruno has long taken influence from different genres in his music and there\u2019s always been critiques surrounding it, but he has always done so with immense respect. It\u2019s not all negative though, as many content creators have taken to socials<\/a> to display their love<\/a> for his tribute to Mariachi. His talent is just immense, and there\u2019s a reason why he is such a beloved artist. He creates art. Bruno who is half Puerto Rican himself is exploring a plethora of Latin sounds on this album. I mean it is called The Romantic<\/em>, and there\u2019s nothing more romantic than Latin music. \u201cRisk It All\u201d is the lovers anthem that we all need in such dark times. There\u2019s a popular tweet going around saying that Bruno doesn\u2019t know how to make a bad song. That might not be completely true, but for every mediocre song he may record, lays an undeniable classic like this track. The work of a true musical talent.<\/p>\n