Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic

by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 18 / 1 / 2022

Label: Atlantic
Format: CD

Harmonic soul pop on debut album from Silk Sonic, the new project of Bruno Mars with Californian singer and drummer Anderson .Paak

Review

The appearance of the American Silk Sonic soul duo amongst the nominations for next year's Brit Awards marks a return for Bruno Mars – who has already achieved five No 1 singles in the UK, including his Mark Ronson collaboration, 'Uptown Funk'. Now Bruno Mars is back as one half of Silk Sonic, teaming up with Californian singer and drummer Anderson .Paak. Their debut album, 'An Evening With Silk Sonic', has been welcomed by many music critics as one of 2021's unsung gems. For fans of 1980s funk or lovers of 1970s soul harmony groups like The Delfonics and The Stylistics, it is well worth a listen! Silk Sonic have really taken off fast in the USA - and, though Bruno Mars is better known than his new performing partner, Anderson .Paak (who added a full stop to his name to stress his obsession with detail) shares strong vocals throughout and also adds old-school Motown-style drums. The pair met when performing on the same tour in 2017 and they are now a force to be reckoned with! Their album includes many nods to vintage R & B. The electric sitar on 'After Last Night' is a throwback to 1970s soul hits like Freda Payne's' 'Band Of Gold' or The Stylistics' 'You Make Me Feel Brand New'. And 'Leave The Door Open' (a chart-topping single for Silk Sonic in America) - features a reference to Michael Jackson's 'Bad'with Bruno ad-libbing a few Jacko-like cries of 'shamone'! 'Fly As Me' is a tightly played retro-funk number. There are some cameos, too - with funk musician Bootsy Collins who introduces the group and announces himself as 'the blaster of the universe' acting as a compère at the start of the album. Collins stitches together the artfully sequenced songs with an array of spoken asides - and these help give the record the feel of an intimate club show. So committed were Silk Sonic to authenticity, that they insisted on recording on analogue equipment so as to meticulously replicate the sounds of the 1970s and 1980s. But their lyrics - about high-rolling romance, gold-digging lovers and the thrills and disasters of Las Vegas casinos - are delivered with a knowingness and sophistication that steers them clear of pastiche. They say their overriding aim with the revival of the increasingly forgotten art of the soul harmony group, was to make a feel-good record to bring people together in a post-Covid world. 'An Evening With Silk Sonic' achieves exactly that. If the duo eventually tour the UK (as they plan to do), then a big British breakthrough could well happen for them in the wake of the major success they are currently enjoying in the USA!

Track Listing:-

1 Silk Sonic Intro
2 Leave The Door Open
3 Fly As Me
4 After Last Night (with Thundercat & Bootsy Collins)
5 Smokin Out The Window
6 Put On A Smile
7 777
8 Skate
9 Blast Off