This selection was chosen by Gen Z son.

Gen X dad says…

Silk Sonic was formed in 2021 by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak – both artists with considerable track records of their own. With Silk Sonic the duo pays homage to the soul, R&B, and funk music of the 1960s and 70s. How successfully they do this probably depends on how you feel about both of them and this sort of musical cosplay.

The musicians and arrangements are all pretty top notch throughout this relatively brief (just over 30 minutes) nine-song excursion. It is an enjoyable enough set of songs that work well from one to the other. If you close your eyes, you can easily imagine chilling out in mid 70s velvet magnificence with a snifter of Courvoisier. But with a few exceptions nothing really stands out.

The legendary Bootsy Collins pops up on several tracks (Silk Sonic Intro, After Last Night, Smokin Out The Window) and brings his distinctive vocal style and a measure of authenticity to the party. Seven songs in the appropriately titled 777 finally kicks in hard and works up a good head of steam.

While there’s nothing groundbreaking about this record, it is worth a spin or two. Pour yourself a double and check it out. Cheers.

Highlights: 777 and Skate

Gen Z son says…

The year is 2017. I’m about 11 years old, fidget spinners are everywhere, and Donald J. Trump is now the president – in other words, what a great time to be alive (I mean that sarcastically, by the way)! Then suddenly, one day while I was listening to my dad’s old Zune, I started thinking “Hmm, I don’t really know anyone else in my 5th grade class who listens to Kraftwerk or Cocteau Twins. But I do know that they probably mostly listen to current pop music, so why don’t I try some out for myself?”

Soon, I found myself tuning in to WBBM-FM, also known as B96, a Top 40 station in Chicago, almost every day after I had that thought. The artists that were played most often included – well, whatever was popular at the time. Think Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and the subject of this review, Bruno Mars. I always liked his nostalgic 90s R&B sound. I would dance to the title track from “24k Magic” or “Uptown Funk” whenever it came on. But the thing is, I didn’t think his music ever reached greatness. And it especially didn’t help that, during the 2018 Grammys, he had won several awards over artists like Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, and SZA, to name a few.

Then, suddenly, during 2021, a song called “Leave The Door Open” was released. It was a smooth R&B ballad that was akin to Atlantic Starr. This song was also credited to a supergroup consisting of Mars and rapper Anderson .Paak named Silk Sonic. Suddenly, everyone was anticipating their full-length debut album to come, and in late November, it finally did. And that album is what I’m reviewing now.

So, back to what I was saying about Bruno Mars’ sound. This record emulates the sound of R&B, Funk, and Soul throughout the ages. .Paak has cited Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Miles Davis among others as influences on the record. And the record mimics these sounds very well – “Fly As Me” is driven by a funky guitar riff and a chorus resembling that of the aforementioned Prince, “After Last Night” features Thundercat and Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic, and “Put On A Smile” features a key change in the last chorus, which I’m always a sucker for. That’s not all, though – Mars and .Paak have excellent chemistry together, and they deliver some damn good vocal performances.

However, every great album isn’t without its flaws – The whole thing is only 31 minutes and 17 seconds long, which can be a bit disappointing after waiting all year for it to come out, and the placement of 3 ballads right next to each other can be a bit of a slog. Despite that, An Evening With Silk Sonic is still a nostalgic, soulful experience that shouldn’t be missed.