Under the name Boulevards, Jamil Rashad has put his twist on funk spanning the '60s through the '80s, drawing from the likes of James Brown, Funkadelic, Al Green, and Rick James. Working backward somewhat, the Raleigh native leaned heaviest on polished post-disco R&B for Groove! (2016) and Hurtown, USA (2017), his first two albums, and has dug into deep soul with the grittier Yadig! (2019) and the even more expansive -- and Southern-rooted -- Electric Cowboy: Born in Carolina Mud (2022). Rashad's lyrics are similarly wide-scoped, covering uncomplicated good times, addiction and recovery, and racism, among other subjects.