Following up on her acclaimed 2024 debut Image Issues, Brittany Davis‘ new release, Black Thunder, is a freewheeling, jazzy excursion that showcases her strong vocals, insightful lyrics, and the musical interplay of her trio.
On her debut, Davis used drum machines and programmed keys, but this time, things are more organic and flowing. Working with producer Josh Evans, Davis plays piano and sings while Evan Flory-Barnes is on bass, and D’Vonne Lewis contributes drums/percussion. The album was recorded over two days as the group allowed their unscripted energy to flow naturally, and things progressed smoothly.
That freeform feeling is pervasive throughout the album, as songs drift in and out. “All You Get” sets the tone with a pulsing, rhythmic bass and repetitive piano lines from Davis as the jazzy, swirling song begins. Vocally, Davis is reminiscent of Nina Simone as she sings poetic words over the rising sound before things recede into the ether.
All the proper songs run long here, but things are broken up by various “Ancestors” interludes that are odd sonic snippets, interrupting the album’s flow. Davis is most at ease when she is vamping and stretching out. The title track is a spoken-word effort that becomes defiantly ominous, featuring yelps, rain sticks, thudding bass, and piano grooving in cinematic fashion. “Sun and Moon” is a dynamic, flowing effort around Lewis’s rhythmic drumming and Davis’s smooth vocals.
The best of the bunch is the almost nine-minute “Amid the Blackout of the Night,” which starts slow with shimmering cymbals and piano as Davis moves vocally through the cosmos. The blind from birth artist describes the universe poetically, accompanied by a bouncing bass and a soulful piano solo, to wrap up the sensational journey.
Davis comes back to earth and directly addresses her insecurities on several tracks. “Change Me” starts delicately but builds up to a funky dancehall chant in a nervous fashion, while “Mirrors” is an electro-keyballad that deals with fears. “Girl (Don’t You Know)” goes for the chaotic skittering route, and “Girl (Now We’re the Same)” indulges in the long repetitive afrobeat/jazz style.
The fully improvised Black Thunder finds Brittany Davis exploring sounds with rolling expertise as the pulsing grooves and lyrical flights color the songs in a uniquely personal fashion.
