If you are by any chance in search of sounds to serve as background music for your all-important walk down the aisle or just for your sweet loving moments, there is no way you should miss out on Risk It All, a new single by Bruno Mars.
Bruno is no stranger to romantic songs. Just the Way You Are started it all. Then the ensuing years brought Versace on the Floor, That’s What I Like, Grenade and Treasure, among others. Even his outing as Silk Sonic brought out Leave the Door Open. He had explored soundtracks for weddings, Marry You, Count on Me and For the Rest of My Life. And can you think of anything that proclaims love at its most eternal than his duet with Lady Gaga, Die with a Smile.
Maybe it was that song that prompted Bruno to go all-out romantic in his next project.
Released a month ago, this was to his fourth studio album, the follow-up to his “24 K Magic” from 10 years ago. He titled the album, “The Romantic” and filled it with tunes that no matter what the rhythm or the style, I mean R&B slow jams, pulsating disco or a sinewy bossa nova, are all made for romance.
Now, Bruno, as everybody knows, was born Peter Gene Hernandez in Hawaii. He is part-Puerto Rican on his father’s side and part-Filipino on his mother’s side. Now, there was a Gallup Poll some years back that ranked Filipinos as the most romantic race in the world. The Puerto Ricans made it to No. 3. In second place are the Rwandans.
If you factor in the fact that Filipinos and Puerto Ricans share the passionate Spaniards as their forebears, then you will have a very good idea of how romantic Bruno can be. Spice the mix with some laid-back Asian sentiments and the go-go nature of Americans and you will have the explanation for the kind of music Bruno makes.
All of those were already present in Bruno’s earlier recordings, but it is in “The Romantic” where everything has been laid out for listeners to savor. The album is not his best or his most inventive. Just like his ancestry, it is a mixed bag. The music is diverse. He has pop, R&B, disco, bolero, cha-cha-cha and more. It is derivative. Looks like Bruno took inspiration from past hits by other artists, even himself. But, speaking like the romantic Pinoy in me, I say it is certainly his most beautiful.
The first single, the dance invite I Just Might, comes off best, with its elements of Bruno’s early hits. On My Soul is top pick as a sexy slow jam. Then there is the aforementioned Risk It All, where the romantic Latino goes full blast with a Mexican band. It is a lovely ballad that newlyweds will love to dance to. And then maybe they will also cut the rug to the tune of Cha Cha Cha, which is the most Latino of all the tracks.
There is, of course, Bruno’s singing. No matter what he does with the music, this is what holds everything he does together. He is an extraordinary vocalist with a wide vocal range and perfect pitch. His falsettos soar smoothly and his low growls come off sweet. He must be the best singer around right now and what I would love to hear from him one of these days is an album of covers. Just to find out what his voice can do with the hits of other artists.
Until that happens, “The Romantic” will have to do.