Anyone who has heard the music of Silk Sonic, the R&B superduo comprising Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, will immediately recognize that it’s heavily steeped in early-’70s soul aesthetics. From just the first two singles, “Leave The Door Open” and “Skate,” there’s no doubt that the Silk Sonic project is part homage, part parody — and clearly self-aware. But if you can get beyond the devilishly smooth retro façade and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, you’ll find that the tunes contain truly challenging and inventive musical constructs. While Mars and .Paak are plainly channeling the refined harmonic language of Stevie Wonder and Holland-Dosier-Holland, it would be foolish to dismiss this effort as a mere nostalgic indulgence. Silk Sonic may be superficially steeped in the 70s, but they’re also forging new paths compositionally.