REVIEW: Third Coast Kings’ self-titled debut album
If you love the kind of refurbished soul and funk that bands like The Dap-Kings and Poets Of Rhythm, then you will eat up the debut album by Third Coast Kings, who hail from the self-proclaimed “third coast” of Detroit, Michigan.
On their album, they focus on playing hard soul of the late 60′s and early 70s’, for some, the “golden era” of funk. The sound is raw at times but well produced, yet it still sounds like something that could’ve been recorded in NYC or Memphis where congas was used to color the percussion, the horns are meant to be heard as razors, and the drums double as ammunition and a means of survival. If you hear the rawness of Detroit circa 1968, you’re closer to the source. In other words, these hard beats are there to make you and your significant other dance, and if that rhythm leads you to do other things in a rhythmic manner, good for you. Most of the songs are instrumental but there are a small handful of vocal tracks that help to balance things for those who may want variety.
They sound like a party band, but a party band willing to travel to find others who want to get down. At a time when it seems those who are calling themselves soul or R&B but are neither rhythmic or bluesy, the Third Coast Kings sounds like music from people who are either hungry or hunger to satisfy those who are. For fans of breaks, you’ll need a box of napkins for this one.
What do you think?