It’s no wonder that the reissue scene is flourishing with some brilliant comebacks from artists known and unknown who have created some brilliant funk and R&B back in the ’70s and the first part of the ’80s.
The reasons for that might be quite simple. For modern artists, it can be an insurmountable task to come up with some good funk and R&B sounds of the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire, Graham Central Station, The Isley Brothers, Rick James, Cameo, or all the Nile Rogers productions. And then, to all that, you have to add some modern production touches and electronic music advancements to boot.
So, it is quite a joy for the ears when a band like the Atlanta-based trio 3D The Boss comes up with an album like Push It, that does exactly that. The advantage the trio has is the fact that its members Saint Day Adeogba, Lei Boss Lady, and Lady Bass are all seasoned musicians who have that prime funk/R&B sound firmly in their repertoires. This means that they function like a well-oiled music library that is able to add all those modern musical elements that not only bring that sound to what it needs to have today but to give it enough personality so that it sounds both familiar and new at the same time.
Two examples – “Sneaky Peaky” has that perfect rhythm and melody movement of ’80s funk/R&B for the band to include a brief quote from Rockwell’s big hit “Somebody’s Watching Me,” without using a sample and to talk about Michelle Obama in the lyrics at the same time. On the other hand, “Push” follows sounds like Beyoncé set in the ’80s, sounding both modern and retro at the same time.
But then, the rest of Push It is chock-full of such melodic and rhythmic combinations that certainly deserve more than just a cursory listen. Actually, it might deserve quite a few excursions to the dance floor, making 3D The Boss a name to watch for.
