I have a TIDAL subscription, which lets me a) stream their tremendous catalog in VERY high fidelity anywhere I’ve got a broadband connection (some content even in the VERY VERY high fidelity MQA format) and b) dig in to a new artist’s catalog if I hear a new track I like, or read an article somewhere about someone hot or interesting.

Which brings me to Thundercat (Steven Lee Bruner.)  He’s been on the scene for about 15 years, joining Suicidal Tendencies as their bassist WHEN HE WAS 16.  Since then, he’s been in the forefront of the music scene, working closely with Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington and Childish Gambino.  Just for starters.  And he’s released three albums as Thundercat, the most recent being 2017’s Drunk.

(Brainfeeder)

[Which I just started listening to last weekend!  Listen, I’ve got a backlog of music to get to!  Don’t give me shit!  Have you gone through your entire Netflix queue?  No?  Finished all those things around your place that you promised your roommate/wife/partner you’d get done?  Ok, then.]

Drunk is a 51 minute, wildly inventive, solid jam from start to finish.  Every track has an authoritative groove, and a lot of it is pretty chill.  Quite a few tracks actually remind me of early, downtempo Earth, Wind and Fire (without the horns.)  Which is not to imply that it’s in easy listening territory.  OK yes, Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins do show up on Show You The Way.  But the very same disc includes maybe my favorite song, Uh Uh, which is 2:16 of just insane bass playing that rivals anything Jaco Pastorius did in his most fevered sessions.  So, yes: nobody’s putting Uh Uh on at the company dinner party.   Or Walk on By, featuring Kendrick.  But it’s one of the most satisfying listens I’ve had in long time.  When I really like something, it pushes everything else out of the way for a good couple of days.  (In fact, prior to Drunk, my obsession for about a week was Stereolab’s Space Age Batchelor Pad Music.)  So, I figure this record has at least another week of the deep dive treatment; but, after that, Drunk is definitely going to occupy a permanent spot in my regular album rotation.  Highly recommended.