The duo Silk Sonic with members Bruno Mars and Andre Paak debuted in early March with their song “Leave The Door Open,” and the silky smooth song became a hit as it charted in the Top 100 in April.
Now, with the release of their first album, “An Evening with Silk Sonic,” on Nov. 12, the group is doing better than ever. Songs such as “Smokin’ Out the Window” and “Skate” have brought lighthearted yet rich and luxurious music to the top of the charts.
And most notably of all, the sounds of jazz and funk within R&B have been revived thanks to the 70s-style songs of their debut.
The duo is so different, and many attribute their recent and quick success to their chemistry. In a feature from The Rolling Stone, they built off each other’s jokes and playfully teased one another. This easygoing energy is strong in each piece they have released thus far, and it is exactly what the world needs right now.
Their collaborative songwriting process is reminiscent of this; in the same feature, the group recalls thinking of the idea for “Smokin’ Out the Window” early in their friendship when Paak opened for Mars in Mars’ European 24k Magic tour.
It sparked from an imaginary scene they had created as a joke: a disheveled and exhausted man blowing cigarette smoke out of a window in order to break free of his stress.
The writing and performing process for R&B, funk, soul, jazz and anything evocative of these genres is often similar to this vision: improvisational, inspired and often comedic.
This doesn’t mean the songs just fall into place, however. Mars and Paak have become known for their tendency to rework the music to extreme details and work meticulously at every last second of a song.
PV has been known for its impressive jazz ensembles for a while, and many students attest to this precise attitude that can make the jazz journey very testing.
Ethan Kilcoin, a senior member of the jazz choir Leading Tones, loves the challenge that comes with the extra flavoring embedded in jazz that separates it from any other genre. “With other genres, you can kinda auto pilot the music, but with jazz you need your complete and undivided attention,” he stated.
Despite the challenges of the genres, soul, jazz and everything in between have been adored by those who perform and those who listen. And thanks to Silk Sonic, this adoration can only grow.
