There is exactly one problem with An Evening With Silk Sonic, out in full today, November 12th, and it’s that the album is not long enough.
Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars stuck the landing on their highly-anticipated LP, their first full-length joint outing as Silk Sonic. This duo understands something very important — music can, and should, be so much FUN.
In an effort to not spend the rest of this review googling synonyms for “smooth,” it might be quicker to just give you a moment to go take a listen to the album. The record runs nine tracks (including an intro featuring Bootsy Collins), and might feel that much shorter since three singles were released ahead of time.
As slight as it is, the album is delicious, indulgent, and dripping with Motown, funk, and soul. “Fly As Me” is an electrifying anthem to self-confidence, and a great reminder that we all deserve someone on our level.
There’s a disco renaissance happening in pop music right now — .Paak and Mars aren’t alone in their draw to the ‘70s — but this project is something different from disco-pop inspired songs. It’s a deep dive into the era, campy and theatrical in all the best, and most necessary, ways.
What these two understand about music from the ‘70s is the attention to detail — the songs in An Evening With Silk Sonic include call and response, seductive sections of dialogue, and even a thinly-veiled song about taking a certain kind of… trip.
