In March 2021, Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak shocked the music world by dropping a collaborative track, “Leave The Door Open” The track was an instant hit, reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and amassing over 630 million streams on Spotify. However, this was just the beginning of what would become a collaborative album for the duo.
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak released their song under the name Silk Sonic, a name created by famous R&B singer Bootsy Collins. The two had met each other back in 2017 during a tour, but started recording music with each other during COVID-19 lockdowns. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Anderson.Paak said that the group would not have made music without the COVID-19 pandemic, as both artists would have been touring.
The group said that they would be releasing their album, An Evening With Silk Sonic, later in the year. After releasing two more songs, “Skate” and “Smokin Out The Window” the duo finally released their highly anticipated album on November 12. All of the aspects of Silk Sonic’s music which wowed audiences on “Leave The Door Open” remained intact in full album form.
Despite being only 9 songs, An Evening With Silk Sonic is able to construct a unique combination of R&B, 70s Soul, and modern pop music. The album is also accompanied by a series of music videos where Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are clad in disco era clothing a la “Soul Train.” This is fitting, because it is 70s era African-American soul and dance music which serves a large inspiration for Slik Sonic’s music. Every song on the album calls back to the sounds of Aretha franklin, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder and Prince, who the duo said were the main inspirations for the album.
Even though the album’s style and imagery calls back to the sounds of the 70s, this album is far from old. Mars’ and .Paak’s ability to combine the sounds of soul, R&B, but still fit the appeal of modern audiences is a testament to their talent. Bruno Mars has an incredible vocal range, and Anderson .Paak’s voice carries with it a unique ability to express emotion. The duo’s styles combine so seamlessly that it is sometimes hard to tell who is on the mic. It doesn’t matter though, because on the back of stellar production. .Paak and Mars are able to create songs which are musically adventurous yet easy to listen to.