Thundercat has been involved in some great music lately - the latest Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington albums, his The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam, and now Drunk. He is musically a descendant of George Duke - an artist he covered, to great effect, on his self titled debut album. Like the music of George Duke, there is clearly a jazz sensibility here, but at the same time, with the soul and even electronic features that Thundercat brings to his music, it's hard to put him firmly in one box. That said, once one is familiar with Thundercat, he has a pretty unique and easily identifiable bass tone and vocal style. He is a fantastic bassist, but his airy falsetto vocals are also a key asset to his music, providing a fantastic compliment to the groovy, occasionally mellow and dark production style he brings to his solo projects.
Although it is radically different from Flying Lotus' fantastic You're Dead!, similar to that project, Drunk often opts for short tracks, with 17 out of the 23 tracks having a runtime of less than 3 minutes. A great example of this is the gloomy, beautiful tune that opens and closes the album as "Rabbot Ho" and "DUI". Another highlight is the soulful lead single, "Show You The Way", which features great vocal contributions by soft rock 80s stars Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. Pharrell also gives a stand out performance on "The Turn Down", his surprisingly political sung verse being arguably the best guest contribution on the album. Although there are great guests here - the amazing Kendrick Lamar verse ("Walk On By") makes up for the lackluster Wiz Khalifa feature ("Drink Dat") - Thundercat shines with our without vocal accompaniment. The dark and muffled "Where I'm Going", the still fantastic funky single from his past EP, "Them Changes" and the spacey "Inferno" are all a testament to his talent as a bass player and vocalist. Thundercat's singing is often interestingly over-dubbed or supported by separate background vocals - the result frequently being gorgeous. His playing is no joke either, "Uh Uh" being extremely strong proof - as if there was any more needed at this point - of his chops as a bassist.
Although at times the lyrics may be a bit corny, or in the case of "Friend Zone" - which has a fantastic groove and is an album highlight - drop dead hilarious, this is probably the best Thundercat album yet. Much more than on his past work, Thundercat seems to be bearing more of his eccentric personality on Drunk. Throughout the album, he embraces his love of things like Dragon Ball Z ("Tokyo"), while at the same time addressing how being a black man impacts his daily life ("Jameel's Space Ride"). Even though the record is by no means often overtly autobiographical or socio-political, by the end, it feels like the listener knows Stephen Bruner a bit better than one did after listening to his past recordings. Besides those who may be put off by some of the more comedic lyrical content or short tracks, it's hard to see anyone who has enjoyed Thundercat's work in the past not enjoying this. The great groove and voice is still there, and the bassist is noticeably more expressive.
