Silk Sonic, An Evening with Silk Sonic | Album Review 💿

Silk Sonic – Bruno Mars and Anderson  .Paak – shine on their short but potent album, An Evening with Silk Sonic.

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hat do you get when you put 🎙 Bruno Mars and 🎙 Anderson  .Paak together? Duo 🎙 Silk Sonic, of course! Also, you get two elite, 🏆 Grammy-winning musicians that bring plenty of musicianship to the table.  After suggesting at one point that 💿 An Evening with Silk Sonic would arrive until 2022, the LP materializes in November 2021.  The results, all in all, are sweet!

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“Silk Sonic Intro” 

🎵 “Silk Sonic Intro” sets the tone for An Evening with Silk Sonic. That tone, of course, oozes with old-school cues and vibes and ample soul.  🎙 Bootsy Collins is introduced as a special guest host, introducing us to Silk Sonic, of course.  ✅ 🎵 “Leave the Door Open” proved to be an instant classic upon its release, period. The record was written by Paak, Mars, 🎼✍ Christopher Brody Brown, and 🎼✍ Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, with Mars and D’Mile also producing. The four-minute-plus cut features a lush backdrop, fit for kings! We get soulful vocals by .Paak on the first verse: “We should be dancin’, romancin’ / In the east wing and the west wing / Of this mansion, what’s happenin’.” Sexy! He doesn’t stop there, bringing the heat to the second verse as well: “There’s so much love we could be making /… Girl, let’s jump in, it’s bubblin’.” As for Mars, he serves up the pre-chorus and the centerpiece, the chorus:

“I’ma leave the door open
... That you feel the way I feel
And you want me like I want you tonight, baby.”

“Leave the Door Open” – surefire bop!

How does one follow-up the utterly sublime “Leave the Door Open?” Easy, you drop another superb gem in ✅ 🎵 “Fly as Me.”  The funk is alive and well, with an infectious groove that demands your body move.  There are horns, a nasty bass line, and rapped, rhythmic vocals with loads of personality – some real stank if you will! The swagger level is on 10.  Besides Paak’s marvelous, confident verses, the chorus is a treat.

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“After Last Night” 

The short but potent Evening continues consistently and intriguingly with 🎵 “After Last Night.” Here, Silk Sonic taps 🎙 Thundercat and 🎙 Bootsy Collins once more.  The tone of the record is sensual AF, slackening the tempo after the funked-up “Fly as Me.”  Sex is the modus operandi, with Collins’ spoken word contributions elevating that sensual vibe.  The vocals are electrifying, particularly from Bruno Mars – woo!

✅ 🎵 “Smokin Out the Window”, the third single from An Evening with Silk Sonic, continues the excellence established by the soulful duo. The record commences with tension via strings and spoken word intro. Soon enough, “Smokin Out the Window” settles into a neo-soul/retro-soul joint, a sweet spot for both Mars and Paak.  Even though the style is old-school, select salty language (aka profanity) makes it very 2021, while also showcasing the personalities of both musicians.  Musically, I heart the harmonic progression, fat bass line, and throwback production (Mars and 🎛 D’Mile). Among the best features of the song is the catchy chorus:

“Smokin’ out the window
Singin’ ‘How could she do this to me?’
Oh, I thought that girl belonged to only me
But I was wrong
‘Cause she belong to everybody, everybody.”

The hits keep on coming one after another for Bruno Mars and Anderson  .Paak. ✅ 🎵 “Put On a Smile” features electrifying vocals, arguably, some of the most elite of An Evening with Silk Sonic.  It’s Mars’ soaring pipes that impress the most.  Also impressive is the harmonic progression, the fat bass line, and the soulful, throwback aesthetic presented by the duo.  Sure, it’s old-school, but it’s old-school that sounds fresh and refreshing in 2021.

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“777”

“Blow the dice for me (Hoo) / Put your pretty-ass lips together!” Woo! ✅ 🎵 “777” is modern funk at its funkiest.  The shortest full-length track from the album, it hits hard.  No, “777” isn’t transcendent or laden with depth, but it’s fun as hell, not to mention ‘profane’ (“Pretty motherfucker with some money to blow”).  Safe to say, the guys are feeling themselves on this one (“I’m ‘bout to buy Las Vegas after this roll”).

✅ 🎵 “Skate” keeps An Evening with Silk Sonic retro and old-school.  Once again, D’Mile and Bruno Mars are behind the boards, putting in work. Anderson .Paak sings the intro, followed by sexy verse filled with S-W-A-double G-E-R: “If bein’ fine was a crime / Girl, they’d lock your lil’ fine ass up in a tower.” Mars takes over the lead on the pre-chorus, and ‘brings it on home’ on the chorus. Mars also sings the second verse, matching the sensibilities of .Paak, while serving up contrast (“Mmm, you smell better than a barbecue / Oh, a superstar is what you are”). Paak handles most of the bridge, bringing musical contrast, and keeping things fresh.  Ultimately, another winning moment from the LP.

An Evening with Silk Sonic concludes with 🎵 “Blast Off,” the longest song of the LP.  No worries as Bruno and Anderson keep it under five ;). The sound is luxurious while the theme encompasses getting high (“Clouds are blowin’, don’t know where we’re goin’”).  While the guys may not have a clue where they are after indulging in some weed, there’s no doubt about “Blast Off” being a solid closer.

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Final Thoughts 💭

So, how does An Evening with Silk Sonic stack up? Ultimately, this nine-track album is fabulous affair from Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak.  Silk Sonic never misses the mark as all nine songs – including the intro – are engaging.  The big rub? Well, the Evening is short at only 31 minutes.  ‘Course, Mars’ previously album, 💿 24K Magic (2016), also ran nine tracks at only 34 minutes.  At least An Evening is sweet!

✅ Gems 💎: “Leave the Door Open,” “Fly as Me,” “Smokin Out the Window,” “Put on a Smile,” “777” & “Skate”

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🎙 Silk Sonic • 💿 An Evening with Silk Sonic • 🏷 Aftermath Entertainment / Atlantic • 🗓 11.12.21
[📷: Aftermath Entertainment / Atlantic]

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