Something In The Water by Mike Zabrin’s Funktastic – Album Review

Funk, jazz and R&B lovers get your ears and groove motors ready for some hot new music by bass wunderkind Mike Zabrin and his talented crew Funktastic.  The 25-year-old musician, songwriter and producer is set to release his new album, Something In The Water, on June 6.

The 10-song collection is a worthy successor to Zabrin’s widely acclaimed debut album Funktastic (2014). Like its predecessor, Something In The Water seamlessly fuses funk, jazz, soul and R&B on its tracks, as well as showcases the Chicago-based musician’s tremendous chops and consummate production skills.

The album kicks off with the hugely funky “Here We Go Again,” which features a powerhouse vocal performance from Laura Burke. Zabrin puts an exclamation point on the funk with his stellar bass work. The track also boasts some dirty guitar licks from Dumpstaphunk’s Ian Neville and super-tight horns, including a funkified trumpet solo from Connor Bernhard.

The band mellows things out a bit on the second track, “Blinded by Love,” with guest vocalist Sam Trump serving up some smooth soul. The lush groove is underscored by the impeccable horn work from Jim Schram (saxophone) and Trump (trumpet). And Zabrin’s bass playing here is fluid and funky. The track has a really chill and relaxed vibe going on.

Burke illuminates “What Do We Call This?” with an incandescent vocal performance. The soul-drenched love jam boasts a terrific sax solo from Schram. 

The album’s title track is a superb jazz-funk workout that showcases drummer Dana Thompson’s fantastic chops. The track also has an excellent horn arrangement, and Hayden Ashley kills it on keys. Burke adeptly handles the vocals here.

Zabrin delivers another incredible bass performance on the brilliant jazz-fusion instrumental “Slice.” The track also features some more dazzling sonic pyrotechnics from Funktastic’s badass horn section.  “Slice” is followed by the gorgeous “Where I Stand,” featuring Burke on vocals. 

The second half of the album starts off with the luminous soul ballad “Only,” which features award-winning Chicago vocalist Sarah Marie Young.

Things get funky again with “You Stepped In A Dream,” another potent jazz-fusion instrumental that showcases the band members’ impressive musical abilities. The album closes out with two more amazing fusion instrumentals, “Familiar Faces” and “Count It In Again,” respectively. 

Something In The Water is a really strong sophomore effort, displaying Zabrin’s consistency and versatility as a musician, producer and songwriter.  For those who love listening to great music performed by extremely talented musicians, this collection is definitely worth checking out.

In addition to those already mentioned, the Funktastic crew also includes Jeff Swanson (guitar), Doug Ferdinand (keyboards), Kiana Mayes (vocals), Ron Jacoby (trombone) and Nathan Mark (drums).

Check out Zabrin's website to preorder Something In The Water, concert dates, and other Funktastic-related info.


Video for "Here We Go Again," the first single from the album


Related blog entry: Review of Bass Phenom Mike Zabrin's Debut Album Funktastic