In the brand new single “Tub of Love,” the latest from songwriter Ron Brunk, the astute singer submits a piano-riddled, rollicking lightning bolt of a song fashioned into three minutes of pure, unparalleled commentary that will spellbind all who hunger for a hype-worthy listen this summer. Effervescent in tone and efficient in construction, the keys help to break down the invisible barrier between the artist and his audience in this song, making it impossible for us to hide from the heavy-handed sway that the lyrics are waiting to unleash at the drop of a hat.
Brunk’s swaggering lead vocal acts as a superglue, keeping all of the swelling components in the rhythm from bursting out of our speakers and flooding the room with a soft pop steadiness I could use a lot more of in my life these days. There’s no shortage of luster in “Tub of Love,” from the lyrics to the toned instrumental pulse that runs right beside them, and if you thought that the most stirring material to be released this season was going to come out of a major label kingpin, you’d better think again and prepare yourself for the man and the musician that is Mr. Ron Brunk.
A polished sound is the hallmark of a pop legend’s discography, and this guy knows it. That’s why “Tub of Love” is varnished in a sleek, urban texture that tethers its most vibrant tones to the left-leaning pop sound of the American scene at the moment. There aren’t as many bells and whistles here as there have been in the vast majority of experimental pop songs that I’ve reviewed this past year, but that’s something that I enjoy about this single.
Brunk has a voice that doesn’t need to be overproduced with a lot of external elements added on for the heck of it; all he needs is a musical backdrop that can match up with his powerful vocal abilities, and that’s basically what we find in “Tub of Love.” There’s no denying that the instrumental side of this song is awash with a moderate, almost folky sparkle, but his voice is left relatively untouched and in the same clean tone that we would find it in during an intimate live show.
Summer just got a lot more interesting with the introduction of this jam, and I sincerely hope that it isn’t the only release that Ron Brunk shares with us before the year is over. As much as I have become hooked on this single’s most alluring qualities, such as its heroic harmonies and heart-melting melodicism, I don’t know that it’s a complete depiction of who this man is as an artist. To fully understand his creative identity, I’ll have to hear at least an extended play or a few more tracks, but if either is anything like this one, I don’t know that I’ll be able to stay away for too long. There are a lot of artists trying to make the sort of music that he is right now, but there’s something surreal and unique about his sound that I intend on exploring more.
