“Tailored for Now – Eleven R&B Super Jams” – CDB

I’ve been conspicuously absent after taking another cruise. I know I just took one, but I’ve definitely been bitten by the bug. It’s easily my favourite way to travel. Only problem is, I end up feeling pretty flat when I come home.

It can be hard to shake me out of my funk, but if anything was going to do it it would be the advance stream of Tailored for Now – Eleven R&B Super Jams, CDB’s latest album waiting for me in my inbox when I returned home. Speaking of conspicuous absences.

Like so many Australian teenage girls of the ’90s, CDB were a significant part of my coming of age. I remember queuing to get their autographs one day at Sound World in Newcastle. So many things date that sentence. Does anyone do instore signings any more? And why have so many of the independent music stores closed? At any rate, I loved CDB as well as so much of the R&B music of the time. So to have the original members of this iconic Australian boy band back together paying tribute to that period in music, it’s the dream album I never knew I wanted. But does it deliver?

In a word, yes. If you loved the original songs, the music of CDB, or like me, both, you’re going to eat this up. Opening with “If I Ever Fall In Love,” Shai’s breakthrough a capella hit, is such a smart move. It makes the strong statement that CDB is back, sounding just as tight as ever. Without any music you can really appreciate just how insanely good the vocals are.

From there the party gets started, with floor fillers like “She’s Got That Vibe” and “Every Little Step.” There are softer moments too with hits like “End of the Road” and an a capella version of “All My Life” which in my opinion outshines the original. The final cut “90s Chill Medley,” featuring a little Tevin Campbell, Janet Jackson, Hi-Five, and Soul For Real, is a master stroke.

Under the wrong hands this album could so easily sound dated. But instead it feels fresh and so funky, a fitting tribute to the ’90s with slick production that makes it feel current. And CDB has lost nothing over the years. Their voices mesh as if they never went away. These guys could give any modern boy band a real run for their money.

Tailored for Now – Eleven R&B Super Jams drops on April 28. I hear word the lads intend to play some reunion shows to celebrate the album’s release, so I’ll let you know when those dates are locked in!

Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia