An Evening With Silk Sonic - Silk Sonic: Review
Silk Sonic
is the dream combination of two of the music industries most charming voices. Proven hitmaker and pop superstar Bruno Mars alongside versatile R&B singer Anderson .Paak. Since we last heard from Bruno Mars with a handful of smash hits on his last album .Paak has emerged as a serious force in the music industry, but this is his most high profile crossover yet.
Review By Lav:
This was one of my most anticipated records of the year just based on it's concept alone. Anderson .Paak has been on of my favorite artists in all of music over the past five years with the ability to deliver hilarious and charismatic performances over a variety of genres, it's no surprise at all that his versatility and charm have grabbed hold of so many within the music industry. While I've never been crazy for Bruno's music this is like a dream situation for him, playing off a very different kind of vocalist with even more prescence of personality over a set of 70's flavored set of classic soul instrumentals. The combination started most of the way to the finish line and while they did manage to fall across and make a good record, this struggles a lot more than I anticipated and fails to achieve the flair of a highlight reel slam dunk I was anticipating.
Let's cover the good first, conceptually speaking this this is a masterclass. Not only in the pairing of these two artists and the style of music they chose to pull from, but also the presentation. The whole concept of spending "An Evening" with the band, which is hilarious narrated by Bootsy Collins all adds up to a worthwhile tribute to their 70's influences and a fantastic use of their overflowing personalities. This was all present right from the break with their chart conquering lead single Leave The Door Open. This thing was in the top 10 for most of the year and nobody out there needs me to tell you why it's so good. Insatiably smooth and sexy soul cut with Paak's sensual backing vocals proving to be masterful pairing with Bruno's lustful lead, it's all good.
It took a while for them to follow that track up but once they finally did it proved to be worth the wait. Skate was never as big of a hit as I expected it to be but the hook is just as infectious and the instrumental palette is one of the records best. Plus what woman wouldn't swoon over Bruno Mars telling her she smells better than a barbeque. It has an impression of comedic fun throughout that makes it impossible to not have fun while listening. The third single was Smokin' Out The Window and I will just say it. this song is ridiculously fucking good. I can't even remember the last time I heard a song that made it so easy to ignore the slightly misogynistic and utterly played out portrayal of women it deploys because everything else about it is just so absurdly satisfying. From the "this BITCH" like that has become meme fuel to the soaring hook and Anderson's funny, resentful bridge the track just fucking rules.
The deep cuts on the album aren't nearly as satisfying of a bunch, but there are highlights. 777 is the slickest banger of the group and a flashy ode to Las Vegas with a hiller horn section and undeniable groove. I love the snappy drumming and the way they both let their charisma run absolutely wild with larger than life bragging and luxurious imagery. After Last Night is another charmer about having sex so good that it makes you think you're in love. This is one of the best uses of Booty's narration on the entire album and it completely makes the song. It's also one of the tracks where Bruno works best as the satisfied gentleman blinded by lust, though I can't think of a less sexy way to describe sex than he opts for on the tracks bridge. Regardless this is just another moment where the idea is so good it seems almost impossible to mess up.
The first place on the record that slips up is on a track I was actually anticipating really enjoying. Fly As Me opens with a hefty bassline straight out of the world of 70's funk. While it gets off to a killer start with Paak continuing to seem to casually cool the hook is quite a let down. Even though the lyrical device deployed is clever it just isn't that catchy and goes on for way, way too long. The jammy bridge on the back end is a lot of fun but the song certainly has some undeniable flaws. Put On A Smile on the other hand is the grieving and anguished song that many records in this vein feel implied to include for some level of emotional credibility on top of their otherwise horny overtones. It's an okay song that unfortunately reminds me too much of some of Bruno's least emotionally compelling hits. I've always though tracks like this tend to sound out of place on these more sensual leaning album and especially coming after Smokin' Out The Window this track feels out of place in more ways than on.
Blast Off has probably been the deep cut that I've been hearing people talk about the most and I think I know why, it works great as a closer. With the bridge crescendo and dueling harmonies it has the sound of a grand celebration at the end of a party. The only issue I have is that it doesn't really sound that great if you pay too much attention to it. The instrumental is a spacey rendition of the albums sound but I wouldn't call any particular part of it particularly strong. The refrains are even less memorable and I can't see myself wanting to listen to this outside the context of the record.
An Evening With Silk Sonic is greater than the sum of it's parts, which is impressive because it has some amazing parts. It really does conjure up the image of a half hour variety special hosted by Anderson and Bruno where they show off some impressive variety and occasionally get a little too hot for TV. The songs here are consistently pretty catchy, funny and thematically focused and despite some let downs among the bunch I always ended the record with a smile on my face. The potential for these two as a pairing is still sky high if they ever chose to collaborate again, but for now they've left us with a pretty solid execution of an insanely good idea. 7.5/10
This cover is smart and effective. Rather than going for a photography this illustration has a timeless quality. It sets a theme of for the album and has a classic stand-alone feel to it. I love the drawing, it captures the personality of both artists and there's no denying exactly who they are. The text compliments the drawing well and it's layout is crisp and well structured. I like the colors used but I think some other versions with a more fun color palette could have made for good alternate covers too. 8/10
For more impeccable charm check out my review of Amine's TWOPOINTFIVE here
