| An Evening with Silk Sonic | ||||
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| Released | November 12, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2020–2021 | |||
| Studio | Shampoo Press & Curl | |||
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| Length | 31:19 | |||
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| Anderson .Paak chronology | ||||
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| Singles from An Evening with Silk Sonic | ||||
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An Evening with Silk Sonic is the debut studio album by American musical superduo Silk Sonic, composed of American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars and fellow singer and rapper Anderson .Paak. It was released by Aftermath Entertainment and Atlantic Records on November 12, 2021. Silk Sonic recruited American musician Bootsy Collins, who came up with the name for Mars and Paak's duo, for narration and American record producer D'Mile to compose the album. Recording sessions for An Evening with Silk Sonic took place from early 2020 to mid-2021 at Shampoo Press & Curl Studios.
Several critics said An Evening with Silk Sonic was crafted from elements of R&B, soul, funk, hip hop and pop music. Silk Sonic were inspired to create an album on which they could capture the sound of the 1960s and 1970s. Their main goal was to bring people together and make them feel good. The lyrics of An Evening with Silk Sonic explore themes such as seduction, romance, reconciliation and materialism featured on Mars's previous albums. Paak's lyrics usually address contemporary matters, such as the tensions of identity, politics, self-expression, and repression, which are not represented on the record.
An Evening with Silk Sonic debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 104,000 equivalent album units and became Mars's second and .Paak's first number-one album on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It also peaked in the top-five in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and produced five singles: "Leave the Door Open" and "Smokin out the Window", which were commercially successful, while "Skate" charted moderately, "Love's Train" and "After Last Night" had minor commercial success. "Leave the Door Open" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and New Zealand, becoming Mars's eighth and .Paak's first number-one song in the United States. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
An Evening with Silk Sonic received universal acclaim from music critics. It is the most acclaimed studio album of Mars' career and .Paak's second most, after Malibu. Reviewers praised the collaborative album retro sensibility and the chemistry between Mars and .Paak. At the 2022 Grammy Awards, "Leave The Door Open" won four Grammy 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 records of the year and Billboard named it the seventh-best album of 2021. The album was also promoted via An Evening with Silk Sonic at Park MGM (2022), along with a number of performances at various award shows.