Just as the world was still wrapping their heads around the genius of their Silk Sonic’s first single, “Leave the Door Open”, the duo released “Skate”, another absolute masterpiece through and through.

As the song opens, the Motown influences show themselves ever brighter than before. At this point, an “homage” is an understatement. They have fully revitalized the sound and brought it to modern ears with crystal-clear production. The signature Motown sound isn’t just about the techniques and the instruments, such as the clavier and the sitar. It’s all about the feel, the chord changes, and the instrumentation, all of which Silk Sonic do even better than some of the classic Motown legends. Both Bruno and Anderson absolutely shine here, whether it’s through the rhythm or their voice, it’s arguably even better than their previous song. Anderson .Paak is especially impressive in this track, in his drumming but mostly in his singing. Paak has always proved himself to be a great vocalist, but never to this level, both in his melody and harmony. The instrumentation is not to be dismissed either. The way the bass traverses through the various complicated chord changes, a-la-Bruno-Mars, all the while nailing the rhythm to its maximum groove. All of the classic Motown instruments, as mentioned before, complimented by an exciting string section, are all present and accentuating the tone and musicality beautifully.

This is through and through a Motown classic, despite being absent from the label or as young as can be. This brought me straight back to the time of all of my musical heroes of the 60s and 70s, all the while being firmly rooted in modern age through its ingenious ideas and pristine production. Personally, I like this even better than “Leave the Door Open”, which has been my top song of 2021 since its release. To say Silk Sonic’s newest album is sure to be one of the greatest albums ever made is a promise they themselves have made through these two masterpieces.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.