Los Angeles-based Afro-Korean singer Anderson Paak debuted as
Breezy Lovejoy with O.B.E. Vol. 1 (2012).
The EP Cover Art (2013) was a clever attempt at "whitexploitation",
a black artist covering white artists.
Venice (Steel Wool, 2014), credited to his real name,
followed in the footsteps of neo-soul
(the poppy and velvety The City and Put You On)
but it frequently indulged in
playful and almost parodistic overtones (Milk And Honey,
Might Be, the
deconstructed Michael Jackson-style funk-soul Luh You).
It also included de tours into jazz-rock (Miss Right),
a reggae-folk hybrid (Miss That Whip) and the
visceral psychodrama Drugs with electronic arrangement.
Malibu (Steel Wool, 2016) didn't quite offer an upgrade to the neo-soul
of the era but, instead, regressed in time. The album seems in fact a
tribute to the golden age of folk and soul music with songs that homage
soul-jazz (The Birds),
Tamla's funk-soul (Put Me Thru),
James Brown's funk (Come Down),
disco-music (Am I Wrong, featuring ScHoolboy Q)
and even the singer-songwriters of the 1970s (Celebrate).
There is also an oddly comic dimension, best visible in the
satirical, almost Frank Zappa-esque,
Heart Don't Stand A Chance
and in the surreal and poppy ditty Parking Lot.
Perhaps less brilliant and spontaneous than Venice, the new album's
many and unpredictable detours nevertheless reveal a multifaceted talent.
Oxnard (2018) is a more rapped collection, with a long list of
distinguished guests (Dr Dre, Pusha T, Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip, etc),
but the music behind the raps is rarely exciting
(Who R You, 6 Summers, Mansa Musa). Maybe better the
catchy and funky Tints in the Parliament-Funkadelic tradition.
Ventura (2019) returned to his nostalgic neosoul style, basically
injecting 2010s beats into 1970s melodies.
Make It Better is a duet with the 79-year-old Smokey Robinson.
Anderson .Paak and and fellow pop singer Bruno Mars formed the duo Silk Sonic that debuted with the single Leave the Door Open (2021) and the album
An Evening With Silk Sonic (Aftermath, 2021), a
lavishly arranged tribute to soul and funk music of the 1960s and 1970s,
particularly the smooth soul of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder and the
production technique of "Philly soul".
Their specialty are ballads like Leave the Door Open, Smokin' Out the Window, Blast Off and After Last Night, but perhaps more fun
are the disco-music of Skate and the funky vibrations of
Fly as Me and 777.
