This story was originally published in the second edition of The Lion’s Tale (December 13th, 2021).

After almost six years since his last album, 2016’s 24K Magic, Bruno Mars has decided to slip back into the sounds of R&B as smooth as silk. For his newest release, Mars has teamed up with American rapper and singer Anderson Paak, together forming the R&B soul power duo “Silk Sonic.”

The duo released their debut album An Evening With Silk Sonic on November 12 to much acclaim, acting as a nostalgic walk through a park circa 2010 brimming with Mars’ classic funk vibes and Paak’s hip hop pop zest, complemented with dashes of other artists such as Bootsy Collins and D’Mile.

The album is pretty short and sweet, boasting only nine tracks with an overall runtime of 32 minutes. Although the majority of the record is laid back, there are hints of spice sprinkled throughout the songs, many fans’ ears caught by the fiery pre-chorus in track 5, “Smokin Out The Window”, where Mars discards the lovey-dovey nature he was known for pre-2020 for a new jaded persona, scorned by an ex or toxic lover.

The only critique many have are the same instrumentals starting off each song, sounding almost like a jingle or tag to mark the tracks, but in the end its not a big deal. It’s easy to find yourself holding the album on repeat, sucked deep into the gold and hazel swirl that is An Evening With Silk Sonic.