By: The Ballad - 08/23/22
Released in November, 2021, An Evening with Silk Sonic is the debut album from the R&B collaboration duo, Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak). Reaching the number-one position on Billboard’s “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums” chart, the album, though a departure from the modern pop sound, received massive mainstream attention after its release. Not only winning four Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song, it also gained widespread international attention, topping many charts in Europe and Australia.
Inspired by artists like Prince, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Miles Davis, Silk Sonic’s sound is a retro-modern fusion of music from the 60s and 70s. Drawing on the aesthetics and sounds of disco and funk, the group has a familiar, yet unique sound. The topics they sing about are simple and traditional, yet effective in solidifying the tone of the album.
1. Silk Sonic Intro At only a minute long, the intro to the album isn’t really an actual song, but more so presents the general sound of the record to the listener, and sets an expectation for what the rest of it will bring. It also introduces the featured guest artist, Bootsy Collins, who acts as a narrator throughout the album.
2. Leave The Door Open Released in March of 2021, Leave The Door Open is the debut single from Silk Sonic. It isn’t really a ballad, but probably best described as a sultry and charismatic love song. It’s somewhat suggestive, but in a very fun and sincere way that isn’t crass. Not a particularly funky song, it flows very well with a slower, smoother groove. Silk Sonic’s whole live show is basically a great visualization of the vibe of this track.
3. Fly As Me If swagger was a song, then this would be it. Unapologetically groovy and filled with style, this track really demands your attention. You never get a chance to stop moving as the bass and drums lay down a killer groove right at the beginning which never stops until the end. The whole album uses a number of brass instruments, but they seem to be especially prevalent in the layering of this song as it isn’t particularly instrumentally complex.
4. After Last Night Probably the most underrated song on the entire album at least in terms of media coverage. If Leave The Door Open was classy and sultry, then this is more straightforward and risque. It’s a little more groovy, but definitely slower than the previous track as it seems to just meander until the outro, which is arguably one of the best moments on the whole record. As it starts to change tempo and build to its climax, we get a key change, the inclusion of a super cool guitar “solo,” ascending vocal harmonies, and just a lot more energy then the beginning of the song. It’s easily deserving of its own music video and could have easily been a single.
5. Smokin Out The Window The third single released off the album, this song was released in November of 2021. Vocal deliveries on this track are super smooth, as is the groove with its half-time feel. Based off the reminiscent love song lyrics, you would think that it would be a slower song, but it actually keeps a moderate, walking tempo throughout. Bruno Mars’s vocals continue to be crystal clean even as he uses a lot of his upper register for this song, and Paak actually sings in a slightly cleaner way as opposed to his normal raspy tone. It could have easily been really corny, however it doesn’t take itself that seriously, thus maintaining the light atmosphere of the album.
6. Put On A Smile The ballad of the album. If the last song was a reminiscent, but still fun love song, then this one actually does shift moods into a more somber, sincere place with its lyrics. There are places where they could have shifted into something a little more lighthearted and energetic, but even when it modulates to a higher key and picks up a little bit, it still retains that love-stricken mood. Much more simple instrumentally, it features the drums, strings, and guitar as the main instruments on this one.
7. 777 On the totally opposite side of the spectrum, 777 is the second super funky track on the album, and the song that initially peaked our interest towards Silk Sonic. It brings us back onto the fun side of stuff as this song is obviously about Las Vegas and gambling at casinos. It’s the shortest song on the record at only two minutes and forty five seconds, however it is non-stop the entire time, and I honestly think it’s physically impossible to not move when you listen to it. If Fly As Me was swagger, then this is just pure fun.
8. Skate The second single to be released off the record; this track is actually pretty different in sound then the rest of the album. It uses a lot more strings and percussion then the other tracks, as the drum kit as well as bongos are used to set the groove of the song. Keyboard parts are used to compliment the main string lines, and is surprisingly complex theory-wise for a song that became so mainstream. We return to our standard love song theme, but it’s nice and wholesome.
9. Love’s Train Technically Silk Sonic’s fourth single, this song is actually a cover of the original 1982 Love’s Train, by Con Funk Shun. Not initially released on the album, but later in February 2022 for Valentine’s Day, it was eventually added on as the ninth track. In terms of covers, this one is actually very accurate, and has obviously been arranged for the Silk Sonic sound. Other instruments like the drums and some of the synths are actually very close to the original. At just over five minutes long, it’s the longest song on the album and has that familiar sultry sound with its slower tempo and simple beats that leave room for the melodies to come out.
10. Blast Off The finale of the record, and what a wonderful finale it is. It also has a sort of a different mood than the rest of the album, but is definitely still very distinctly Silk Sonic. Just more emphasis on the “Sonic” part instead of the “Silk.” It has that space sound as it makes use of a bunch of different reverbed synth sounds, as well as effects that are supposed to sound like laser beams. It has a fantastic guitar solo in the middle of the song as it reaches its climax and takes us towards the outro. As we approach that end, we get a repeating chorus line that moves up about four keys, until is all drops out and we’re left with some glittering chimes as we depart. Bootsy Collins wishes us “happy trails” as we depart.
Conclusion:
Overall, I think this album, at least for me, was the best release of 2021, out of any genre. It’s one of those albums where they could have just made any song a single and it would have worked; they’re all that strong. It’s different, but takes so much quality inspiration from past artists, that it’s basically the perfect amount of innovation and retro combined. You could gush for days, but it really is that good, and if for some reason you haven’t listened to the whole thing, it’s something that’s definitely worth doing. I don’t know how they’ll top it, but if Mars and Paak continue on this track, I think they could easily become a timeless act.
Rating: 10/10
Favorite Song: After Last Night
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