When you’re Frank Ocean (or Solange or Miley Cyrus or Steve Lacy or Harry Styles or…) and you need a vibe, John Carroll Kirby is the man on speed dial for these multi-platinum stars. As producer and session keyboard whiz, Kirby has a preternatural sense of calm about him and a special touch that lends the ineffable to otherwise overworked pop productions. That trait radiates to his prolific solo work as well, each album revealing another side of the man’s polygonal talent.

Blowout finds Kirby exploring a crackling set of drum-heavy instrumentals, with his assembled cohorts firing on all cylinders. It hearkens back to the golden days when the session player ruled the airwaves, all chops and uncanny rhythmic interplay, with telepathic synergy making for tight changes throughout. Flutes, analog synths, groovy bass, firecracker percussion are all on display here, as Kirby imagines the world’s grooviest resort hotel bar band. Equal parts Eumir Deodato and city pop (with a heavy dose of Hermeto Pascoal thrown in for good measure), the whole set crackles with sunny vibes.