The unexpected supergroup delivered the first single on Friday March 5th, and to say they blew us all away is a massive understatement.

When I first heard that Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak were collaborating not only for a song, but a whole album under the name Silk Sonic, I was absolutely floored. Bruno Mars has been an established songwriter even before his face was well known, and Anderson .Paak has been on a steep growth ever since his debut album, Malibu. The two have been absolute pioneers in modern pop and soul music, and the two have always excelled at grooves beyond what anyone in the industry are able to produce. Just the thought of the two of them collaborating blew my mind, and the song that came out of it prior to the album’s release, Leave the Door Open, has certified their upcoming album as one of the most anticipated release of 2021. Rather than going for the obvious power-funk vibe you would picture the two creating, they opted for a Motown-inspired ballad taken straight from the late 60s/early 70s. All the instruments either are or sound organic, which is very strange even for the tone. Most neo-soul songs of the sort will implement some sort of modern element, but the two have instead opted for a complete retro production. The melodies, however, are much more modern-sounding than a typical Motown song would nowadays, and the constant key changes and turnarounds are staple of Bruno Mars’ style. That alone makes this and true-and-told Bruno song, and even if .Paak were to have soloed the vocals on this, anyone familiar with Bruno Mars’ catalog would immediately recognize his footprints on the record. The composition continues to move forward and manages to always keep you excited and on your toes as each new section progress. This is also one of the greatest performance by the other half of the band, Anderson .Paak. His vocals in this song, while staying true to his delivery that we’ve all grown to love, are extremely soulful and traverse melodies that I haven’t heard the singer attempt before.

Leave the Door Open has the same kind of magical feeling I get when I listen to a Jacksons song, and as a matter of fact, you could almost slap it somewhere in an album like 1978’s Destiny without it feeling like such an outlier. It’s such a perfect love letter to that genre of music, while also being a huge step into the musical journey of both musicians in this band. This already has a spot in my top songs of the year, despite only being March, just by how beautiful this song is through and through. It’s a masterpiece in its own right, and will hopefully be remembered in the same esteem as some of its inspirations.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.