An Evening with Silk Sonic

by Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic

Overview

Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars discovered a rapport in 2017 when the former, fresh off the release of Malibu, supported the latter on the 24K Magic tour. Mutual admiration and shared affinity for classic R&B predating their births, such as Motown and Philly soul -- and anything else with churning rhythm guitars, electric sitar, and flashy strings -- grew into Silk Sonic. The project was named by another favorite, funk legend Bootsy Collins, who hosts An Evening with Silk Sonic in expected cordial fashion on a handful of intros and featured appearances. The set would have to be left on repeat for at least six rotations to truly fill an evening -- it's only half an hour in length -- but none of the time is wasted. Paak and Mars might have had Teddy Pendergass' women-only concerts in mind as they made some of the ballads. "Leave the Door Open," an unlikely number one pop hit six months before the LP was released, is the number that best meshes the smooth and tender style of Mars with Paak's nephew-of-Bobby Womack rasp and comparatively Lothario-like (sometimes pushy) demeanor. The funkier slow jam "After Last Night" might invite comparisons to "Dick in a Box" but has a bit of Bootsy-style fantasy sleaze with a lyrical theme similar to "The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game." "Put On a Smile" provides more than mere entertainment with one of Mars' finest performances, while "Blast Off" coasts and sways like a 1979 Earth, Wind & Fire derivative. The energy in the uptempo material is all feel-good, too. The strutting "Fly as Me" lets loose a hook that recalls late-'60s/early '70s George Clinton ("[I Wanna] Testify," "I Wanna Know If It's Good to You"). "777," the most arrogant and ballerific cut, is shrewdly followed by the dashing roller disco jam "Skate," a Top 20 hit that preceded the album. The duo's playfulness here verges on hammy at times -- more often than on their solo recordings. The trade-off is that they push each other into new levels of showmanship without pandering to the audience. Besides, there's some genuinely witty stuff here. It's a wonder how Mars was able to keep his face straight while grousing, "Musta spent 35-45 thousand up in Tiffany's/Got her bad-ass kids runnin' round my whole crib like it's Chuck E. Cheese." ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	03/10/2023
Label:	Atlantic / Wea
UPC:	0075678626654

Tracks

1. Silk Sonic Intro
2. Leave the Door Open
3. Fly as Me
4. After Last Night
5. Smokin Out the Window
6. Put on a Smile
7. 777
8. Skate
9. Love's Train
10. Blast Off

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Anderson .Paak   Primary Artist,Drums,Vocals
Bruno Mars   Primary Artist,Congas,Guitar,Vocals,Percussion
Silk Sonic   Primary Artist
Babyface   Vocals (Background)
Bootsy Collins   Vocals,Featured Artist
Larry Gold   Strings,String Conductor
Marc Franklin   Trumpet
Kirk Smothers   Saxophone,Sax (Alto),Sax (Baritone)
Mike Feingold   Guitar
Emma Kummrow   Violin
Luigi Mazzocchi   Violin
Glenn Fischbach   Cello
Michael Feingold   Guitar
Kameron Whalum   Trombone
D'Mile   Bass,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Thundercat   Vocals,Featured Artist
Lannie McMillan   Sax (Tenor)
Brody Brown   Bass
Jonathan Kim   Viola
Natasha Colkett   Violin
Blake Espy   Violin
Steven Heitlinger   Viola
Gared Crawford   Violin
Tess Varley   Violin
Yoshihiko Nakano   Viola
Krystal Miles   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Serban Ghenea   Mixing
The Stereotypes   Producer
Larry Gold   Arranger
John Hanes   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Michael Cooper   Composer
Felton C. Pilate II   Composer
James Fauntleroy   Composer
Christopher "Brody" Brown   Composer
Bruno Mars   Composer,Producer
Jonathan Yip   Composer
Ray Romulus   Composer
Jeremy Reeves   Composer
Charles Moniz   Engineer
Randy Merrill   Mastering
Steve Tirpak   Arranger
Dernst Emile II   Composer,Producer
D'Mile   Producer
Ray Charles McCullough II   Composer
Brandon Anderson   Composer
Alex Resoagli   Assistant Engineer
Bryce Bordone   Mixing Engineer,Assistant Engineer
J.D. Beck   Composer
Domitille Degalle   Composer