If you haven’t heard of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars’ new band, Silk Sonic – then this single is a promising introduction to their new band. Silk Sonic is the ultimate alliance, a culmination of both artist’s strengths – Mars with his heavenly vocals intermingled with breathy high notes, and .Paak’s charming demeanor peeking through his funky verses.
Silk Sonic is an old soul creation – taking roots from the era of romantic love ballads, while simultaneously incorporating modern R&B sounds that we are more familiar with. In this way, Silk Sonic seems to have a power to it that is quite universal and incredibly particular – giving a nod to the classics, while leaning towards the future of the genre as a whole.
“Leave The Door Open” is a proclamation and declaration of love. .Paak and Mars take turns announcing their love, while also promising devotion and loyalty. Bruno Mars is no stranger to this outlandish expression of love. This is the man who is famous for singing about willing to take a grenade in order to prove his unconditional love. We’ve seen Mars often embody this sweet talker persona, but for this single, they almost seemed to have embraced one another’s energy instead.
.Paak starts off the single with one intention only: to be with his love. He sings about preparing himself and always being ready for her to walk through the door, or even more specifically into his life. .Paak can “leave the door open” for her, knowing he has already tossed her the keys.
The thing about love ballads and big confessions of love is you put everything out on the table. You are left bare and raw, vulnerable to either rejection or complete acceptance, never any grey area to be found. .Paak and Mars are both the “go big or go home” type; they make it clear in this single that they either love with their whole heart or with none of it intact at all.
.Paak’s verse reveals his love language consists mostly of gifting and providing for his love, as he spits about being able to give her whatever she may desire: smoke, filets, rose petals floating in the bubble bath. Mars dominates the chorus with striking high notes cascading and dancing across the instrumentation like elegant swans.
He sings, “I ain’t playin no games. Every word that I say is coming straight from the heart. So if you tryna lay in these arms. Ima leave, Ima leave the door open, girl. And I’m hopin’, hopin’ that you feel the way I feel.”
The way Mars and .Paak complement one another, paired with their lyrics drenched in pure intentions and open hearts – The Jackson 5 comes to mind. There is an innocence and yet a profound knowing to Silk Sonic – like how young kids were able to sing about love in such a striking and familiar way that it resonated on a universal level.
Silk Sonic has that resonance and that indescribable magic to it, just the same. .Paak and Mars both seem to hail from another era entirely, yet their sound is timeless. Stream, “Leave The Door Open” and be on the lookout for more drops from them in the future!
