Earlier this year Thunder Jackson announced his return back into the music world with his track Find Yourself which, to this day, I still say is the best pop track released in 2020 so far. It was like a modern day John Hughes movie come to life with the earnest lyrics about finding yourself in the modern era combined with Jackson’s distinct soulful vocal made me fall head over heels for his sound.
Well now we get an album full of his sensational sound with his self titled debut LP and, as expected, it is liquid gold. Each track offers a unique insight into Jackson’s own personality, his songwriting ability, his lyrical prowess and undeniable talent that has made him garner so much media praise as well as fans on a global scale. If you’re a fan of the likes of Peter Gabriel and Hall & Oates then this will be something you’ll adore.
Find Yourself still remains the highlight of the LP in terms of anthemic pop glory but the likes of Colours and Guilty Party do come make this a tough choice. The emotion comes cascading down upon us as well with the evocative nature of his passionate vocal with Caroline making me reach for the tissues, Protection feels like Sam Smith power ballad in the making and S.O.S. is the pinnacle of the entire piece for me.
However there was one track that truly caught me off guard and that was Lucky. This song is the perfect end to the LP, it tells us his story from the early days where he was singing on street corners in L.A to the point where he finally got discovered and got his opportunity to show the world what he was made of and got his voice heard. It’s everything that we love about Jackson and makes this an overall sterling LP.