Record Kicks’ current funk champions Third Coast Kings have an album out and it’s called Third Coast Kings. No messing around there then. The twelve tracker from this modern Motor City funk crew takes its references from the early seventies and sways between hard-edged cop show wah-wah cuts like Cop It Proper and Case Quarter and vocal soul burners like Tonic Stride and Roughneck and some stuff that combines the two – like recent single Spicy Brown. And it has been the topic of much discussion at Monkeyboxing Towers. Take editor Stone Monkey for example – he loved the production and dug the guitar licks and the fatback drums. Monkeyboxing tea lady (and very funky lady) Loretta May Drew was with him in those respects but grumbled that, ‘them horns too jazzy and back in my day singers ain’t have time to mess aroun’ with fakin’ soul! Them have it too hard for that an it show in they voices!’ Mind you, she’s hard to please – unlike Monkeyboxing taxi driver ‘Jazzy’ Dave on the other hand who (predictably) couldn’t get enough of the horns or the vocals. Talking of predictable, Monkeyboxing bike courier (and BMX bandit) Robbie’s considered opinion was that some of it might be alright if it was sampled and had some wobbly bass on it. Which occasioned many a tolerant chuckle and his being sent out for a couple of skyhooks and some striped paint…
(Out now on Record Kicks)