There are two things that make it very easy to understand where the "superduo" of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak is coming from on An Evening With Silk Sonic: One, the band name came from Bootsy Collins after his first listen to the album and, two, the pair promoted the album with a residency at a Las Vegas casino.

That's Silk Sonic in a nutshell, right there: fully in thrall to glittery and greasy 1970s funk and soul (with a little contemporary hip-hop thrown into the mix), yet with a sequined sense of tongue-in-cheek self-awareness perfectly fit for a Vegas stage. An Evening With Silk Sonic is the sound of two tourmates turned good friends having a laugh in the studio and getting away with it because they're too talented to phone in a mere novelty album. Singles like "Leave The Door Open," "Skate" and "Smokin' Out The Window" -- whose title probably reveals a little about the album's origins during late after-show nights in European hotel rooms while the two were teamed up for an overseas leg of Mars's 24K Magic world tour in 2017 and 2018 -- are inarguably ... well ... smokin' tunes. And damn right they got Bootsy to "narrate" the whole thing. If you don't find this fun there's something wrong with you.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Silk Sonic Intro
2. Leave The Door Open
3. Fly As Me
4. After Last Night (feat. Thundercat & Bootsy)
5. Smokin Out The Window
6. Put On A Smile
7. 777
8. Skate
9. Love's Train (Bonus Track)
10. Blast Off