Released today on Bootsy Collins’ Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, ‘Anybody Out There’ has one of the best features on an album full of them. Myra Washington is in command of her voice, twisting vowels and making the changes in rhythm sound effortless. Her voice contrasts nicely with Bootsy’s, with his more supportive vocals mixed tastefully towards the back. He sings lead on the last verse, referencing another of the album’s songs featuring Washington, ‘Chicken & Fries’.

Bootsy’s more recent records (tha Funk Capitol Of The World, World Wide Funk, and The Power of the One) have guests on almost every track. His huge bass sounds and trademark smooth vocals mean there’s a consistent thread through the albums, but some songs feel like they’re crowded with effects and voices without enough structure and refinement of the core ideas. ‘Anybody Out There’ benefits from a sparser arrangement, with drums and bass dominating. In the verses, one guitar plays light, Motown-esque chords and another synth-esque lead lines.

The fuzz guitar that arrives in the chorus is an effective way of differentiating that section with no chord changes. With Washington singing staccato notes—“Hoping, praying, wishing”—and her breath half-held, the guitar provides contrast with high-pitched, sweet sustained notes.

The drums, like most throughout the album, sound quantised and the song is more G-Funk than P-Funk. The drums may be courtesy of Brother Nature – it’s not clear what he(?) contributed. (Bootsy has featured some lesser known artists on his albums. Fantaazma, for example, has had multiple guest spots but only has 405 monthly Spotify  listeners.) While Bootsy pays tribute to former James Brown stalwarts Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks elsewhere on the album, most of the tracks lack the feel of those drummers. Stubblefield and Starks weren’t “perfect” – their kicks, snares, and hi-hats wouldn’t have arrived neatly on a grid. They were human and imperfect, and all the more funky for it. Their parts were full of syncopation and itchy-feet ghost notes; the drums here are more rigid. That’s not necessarily better or worse, but it’s less funky. Alright, it’s worse.

‘Anybody Out There’ does groove, though. Bootsy’s bass slides smoothly and the subtle notes in the latter part of his four-bar line set up the One very nicely.

Bootsy has been busy on social media promoting #1 Funkateer. Samuel L Jackson was among the fans looking forward to the album.

Top image from Billboard.