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- Summary: The fourth full-length release for the Los Angeles-based artist features guest appearances from and Steve Arrington, Childish Gambino, Louis Cole, Zack Fox, Steve Lacy, Lil B, and Ty Dolla $ign.
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- Record Label: Brainfeeder
- Genre(s): R&B
- More Details and Credits »
Top Track
Black Qualls | |
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I just bought a crib On top of the hill And I bought a brand new ride Am I keeping it real? There's nothing wrong If you got it I'm not living in... | See the rest of the song lyrics |
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 22 out of 23
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Mixed: 1 out of 23
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Negative: 0 out of 23
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Apr 6, 2020The album's title is repeated across the variegated yet flowing sequence, utilized as either a mantra or verbal spackle, always in tribute. Just as moving is Thundercat's heart-in-throat salutation in the closing title track, briefly stated just before his bass intertwines with Pedro Martins' guitar to gorgeous effect. As on the earlier Thundercat LPs, outer space and homeboy escapades, comic courtship and elusive companionship, and philosophical insights also inform the material. ... There are no throwaways or novelty tunes.
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Apr 1, 2020The weight of loss, the pain of failed love, the bleakness of it all, combined with Thundercats effervescent playing, unique playfulness and a giddy sense of humor combine on It Is What It Is, resulting in the best album of Brunner’s career and one of the strongest of 2020.
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Apr 8, 2020Bruner’s playing—and, increasingly, his writing as well—is so distinctive he’s able to own it even as he tones down his outsize personality. Many modern artists have mined these sounds, but few have honored them quite like Bruner does on It Is What It Is.
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Apr 1, 2020It’s an album embracing difference, accepting highs and lows: just what we need right now.
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Q MagazineApr 7, 2020Soft soul, gibbering jazz fusion and the cyber-futurism of overseer Flying Lotus still works a collective shock. [Jun 2020, p.96]
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Apr 3, 2020It Is What It Is sparkles with inventive songwriting, chunky production and pervasive good vibes, a worthwhile addition to any R&B or jazz fan’s collection.
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Apr 6, 2020The drawback here is not that Bruner hasn’t made the out-and-out pop album his narrative arc as an artist might demand. Nor is it that he is showcasing his conservatoire-grade talents. It is, perhaps, that he doesn’t sit with one emotion, be it high or low, for a sustained length of time.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 8 out of 9
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Mixed: 0 out of 9
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Negative: 1 out of 9
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Apr 5, 2020
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Apr 12, 2020
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Apr 3, 2020
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Apr 3, 2020
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Jun 10, 2020
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Apr 4, 2020
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Apr 6, 2020Worthies (4/15):
- Black Qualls
- Dragonball Durag
- King Of The Hill
- Unrequited Love -