MUSIC: Thundercat – Show You The Way

[embed width="640"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62EmHhZSjEI[/embed]

On “Show You The Way”, Thundercat rewrites the slow-jam formula with a little help from some unlikely collaborators.

The lead single from the L.A. bass god’s new album, Drunk, features guest vocals from not one, but two blue-eyed soul luminaries. Borrowing the vibe of a club show, Thundercat introduces them in turn—first, Kenny Loggins of “Footloose” and “Danger Zone” fame, followed by the inimitable (yet endlessly imitated) Doobie Brother Michael McDonald.

While the so-called “yacht rock” genre of Loggins and McDonald has suffered through much contemporary parody, Thundercat’s interaction with both singers on “Show You The Way” is reverent and authentic. And they repay him by delivering the goods, from Loggins’ sprightly falsetto harmonies (on easily the funkiest verse he’s ever recorded) to McDonald’s husky-smooth come-ons.

Come for the soul, but stay for the song’s hilarious outro, which warns listeners: “If you're going to fill your water bottle with vodka, always make sure you have a friend with a bottle that actually has water in it.” True to the Drunk theme, indeed.