'It Is What It Is' Review: Thundercat's star-studded new album is a futuristic mix of funk and jazz
Los Angeles singer-songwriter and producer Stephen Lee Bruner, known by stage name Thundercat, released his new album 'It Is What It Is' on April 3. The fourth album by the 'Them Changes' artiste follows his 2017 studio album 'Drunk'.
Thundercat first came into prominence as a member of metal band Suicidal Tendencies and he won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance for his work on the track 'These Walls' from Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed 2016 album 'To Pimp a Butterfly'. The 35-year-old artiste has been described as being a major contributor to and "at the creative epicenter" of 'To Pimp a Butterfly' and has gained strong recognition for his cosmic take on old soul, funk, and jazz, drawing inspiration from Miles Davis, Mary Lou Williams, and Ron Carter.
'It Is What It Is', straight off the bat, comes off as a powerful futuristic mix of funk and jazz with smooth, soulful falsetto vocals that enamor the listener right after hitting play. In fact, with rich, layered recording, performed masterfully on the instruments, it is also a challenge to find fault in the complexities and creativity of the new record. The album gets several interesting collabs from artistes including Ty Dolla $ign and Lil B on 'Fair Chance'; Childish Gambino, Steve Lacy and Steve Arrington on 'Black Qualls'; Louis Cole on 'I Love Louis Cole'; Zack Fox on 'Overseas' and Pedro Martins on the album's title track.
Flying Lotus of Brainfeeder record label produced 'It Is What It Is' and spoke about Thundercat and the album's inspirations in an interview with Billboard. "It’s such a somber record in a lot of ways. There are a lot of possibilities with bangers and dance songs — music he can make that’s more accessible and easily enjoyable", he said. "But with this record, he had to be honest. He took the darker path, and it’s beautiful. His songs are deceptively complex. It can seem like not a lot is happening but the changes are really difficult, on some music theory stuff. Like 'Dragonball Durag', that’s a hard song to sing" he added.
With references to video games, comic books and anime, evident in tracks like 'Dragonball Durag', and colorful attire at stage performances, among numerous visual and musical theatrics, it is easy to see why fans remain curious and can't get enough of Thundercat. Fans on Twitter expressed their love for the new album.
"@Thundercat prolly the person I respect most in terms of how they collaborate with others and make music. Great album (sic)", says a fan. One fan says, "Thundercat dropped a classic" while another said "if thundercat was a mood i’m thundercat rn (sic)" and another said Thundercat "might be the best musician of the 2010s actually".
Even Ariana Grande commented on the album, saying, "‘it is what it is’ is perfect @Thundercat (sic)", to which Thundercat replied with "Thank you Ari. Forreal".
'It Is What It Is' is a highly recommended choice for listeners who look for albums with complexity and an interesting mix of genres. For those who enjoy jazz, the new record can be enjoyed purely for its unique cosmic take on the genre.