"An Evening with Silk Sonic" is the debut studio album by the American musical superduo Silk Sonic, composed of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. It was released by Aftermath Entertainment and Atlantic Records on November 12, 2021. The duo enlisted American musician Bootsy Collins, who came up with the name Silk Sonic, to narrate the album, while American record producer D'Mile composed it. Recording sessions for the album took place between early 2020 and mid-2021 at Shampoo Press & Curl Studios.
The album blends elements of R&B, soul, funk, hip hop, and pop music, with the duo drawing inspiration from the sound of the 1960s and 1970s. Mars and .Paak aimed to create an album that would bring people together and make them feel good. The lyrics of An Evening with Silk Sonic touch on themes of seduction, romance, reconciliation, and materialism, echoing the themes present in Mars's earlier work, while .Paak's typical exploration of contemporary matters such as identity, politics, and self-expression is not represented on the album.
The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 104,000 equivalent album units in its first week, and became Mars's second number-one album and .Paak's first on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It also charted in the top five in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The album produced five singles: "Leave the Door Open" and "Smokin Out the Window," which were commercially successful, while "Skate" charted moderately, and "Love's Train" and "After Last Night" had minor commercial success. "Leave the Door Open" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and in New Zealand, becoming Mars's eighth number-one song and .Paak's first. The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
An Evening with Silk Sonic received universal acclaim from music critics, with many calling it the most acclaimed album of Mars's career and the second most for .Paak, after Malibu. Reviewers praised the retro sensibility of the album and the chemistry between the two artists. At the 2022 Grammy Awards, "Leave The Door Open" won four awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song. Several publications listed the album as one of the best of the year, with Billboard naming it the seventh-best album of 2021. The album was also promoted through An Evening with Silk Sonic at Park MGM in 2022, alongside a number of performances at various award shows.
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak first met in 2017 while on the European leg of Mars's 24K Magic World Tour (2017–18). The two quickly became friends and decided to collaborate. Mars said that the album was mostly "rooted in .Paak's drum beats," while .Paak described his music as being "percussion-driven, derived from old-school Motown influence." They credited each other for the sound that defines Silk Sonic. The duo decided to form a project after they, along with producer D'Mile, worked on a song together.
On February 26, 2021, Mars and .Paak officially announced they had recorded an album under the name Silk Sonic, with Bootsy Collins as a special guest host. They also revealed the album's title, An Evening with Silk Sonic, and the artwork, which featured a retro sketch of their heads. They announced the release of the first single the following week.
While Mars is known for his meticulous attention to detail in song crafting, .Paak is more free-spirited and focused on feeling the vibe. The duo was inspired by the music of the 1960s and 1970s, especially artists like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. They would often play each other their favorite songs and bond over their shared love of classic soul music. They chose not to address political themes like police brutality or the pandemic in their music, instead focusing on creating feel-good songs that could bring people together.
In early 2020, after revisiting some of their earlier recordings, Mars called .Paak to join him in the studio, where the two resumed working on the album. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, they chose to work in person rather than long-distance. In the studio, they would often jam, trying to create songs that would resonate with listeners and bring positive energy. They referred to their dream setlist as the "setlist of doom" and sought someone who could help tie the songs together. They brought in Bootsy Collins, whom they admired, to serve as the host of the album.
Mars collaborated with his regular team, including producer Christopher Brody Brown and engineer Charles Moniz, to record the album. The duo also worked with D'Mile, who had been discovered by Mars on Instagram, and with rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who provided feedback on the project. Drummer Homer Steinweiss, known for his work with the Dap-Kings and previous collaborations with Mars, also contributed to the album.
To achieve their desired sound, the duo and their team consulted with veteran "session guys" and read "old drumming magazines" to gather information on the instruments and techniques used by past musicians. They made use of vintage gear such as Ludwig drums, Giovanni Hidalgo congas, a Hohner Clavinet, a Danelectro sitar, and a Solid State Logic mixing board. They focused on emulating old-school playing styles by using one or two microphones and recording multiple musicians playing at the same time in the same room.
Mars, D'Mile, and .Paak also worked meticulously on each track, reworking sections of songs until they were satisfied with the result. One particular song, which featured a string section and a sampled rainstorm, went through several revisions, with the trio isolating each instrument and fine-tuning the drums and piano until they achieved the perfect arrangement. According to D'Mile, all of the tracks they recorded ended up on the album, except for one, which they remixed after being unsatisfied with the initial version.
