The Romantic

With ‘The Romantic’, pop’s economical king of ear candy has surely extended his reign.

It's a well-dressed set of nine finely crafted love songs.

The Romantic may lack the edge of 24K Magic, but no one is getting locked out of heaven anytime soon.

Will you ultimately find “The Romantic” compelling as anything much more than a mood ring… er, mood piece? The best predictor for that will be how much you loved or liked “An Evening With Silk Sonic.”

It’s hard to resist the nostalgic charms of the swooning “Dance with Me” or the “Got to Give It Up”-inspired beat of the short and sweet “Something Serious,” but after such a long wait, The Romantic ultimately feels like it comes up a little short.

He is still a charismatic performer and a naturally talented singer with a tone that can switch quickly from crystalline delivery to a rum-soaked rasp in his upper belt. When he channels the latter, The Romantic reaches its better moments. .... But even when the album finds its groove, it never really delivers the romance.

While everything seems to check out sonically, the project lacks the charisma that Mars and .Paak brought to An Evening with Silk Sonic.

Mars and his co-writers just dump well-curated influences – from the umpteen classic soul signifiers in the songs to the Jimi Hendrix-y headband Mars sports in the cover illustration – without bothering to rearrange them into something new.