Classic Soul and Today's Soul
A Rebirth of the Music Mainstream Media Refuses to Acknowledge
Soul music developed from the combination of street-corner doo-wop singers, gospel rhythms with secular lyrics and “the falsetto voice in gospel music” (Fox 234). According to LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka), soul music represents a “social aggression” in terms of African Americans’ reaction to social and political injustice (219). Ray Charles gets credit for popularizing the trend of gospel singers turning to soul after he made his church feel, secular content hit, “What’d I Say?” in 1959 (George 70).
The Motown Sound and Soul Music
Soul music’s "classic era" occurred during the 1960s and early 1970s. It featured Motown artists such as the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, Mary Wells, Marvin and Tammi, Smokey Robinson, Brenda Holloway, the Marvelettes and others. Although many say that Motown modified its soul to appeal to a mainstream audience, the strong doo-wop influence and raw gospel sound is evident in Motown's music.
Soul’s Influence
During the classic soul period, Aretha Franklin was the queen and James Brown was the king. Other artists like Barbara Mason, Linda Jones, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Oscar Brown, Jr., the Whispers, Sam and Dave, Blue Magic, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the Five Stairsteps, Jerry Butler, Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight, the Voices of East Harlem and many more added to the rich and diverse sounds of soul.
Since the music originated both in the street and in the church, the singers emphasize feelings and voice quality. They sing with so much emotion that they touch listeners much in the same way that God touches people in church with His spirit. A person is not a soul singer if he/she is unable to move the listener, emotionally, in some way.
The Emergence of Disco Music and the Decline of Soul
Disco music started in the 1970s as soul-based dance music, but for various reasons, changed to a mainstream, gimmick-oriented, upbeat sound that dominated the 1980s. Disco attempts to move people with its repetitive beats, so it excluded the emotionally captivating voice so essential to soul music. Consequently, there was no standard of quality for its singers. Many below average singers “made it” by using musical gimmicks.
The low-level quality singing from the disco scene crept into the R & B ranks, which, coupled with the fast-paced beats, caused soul to decline drastically. Although there were some excellent soul singers during the 1980s and early 1990s like Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Patti Labelle, Stephanie Mills, Chaka Khan, Force M.D.’s, Klymaxx, Levert, Jeffrey Osborne, Anita Baker, Tracy Chapman and Keith Washington, the number of quality singers had diminished tremendously
Soul Music Today
Since the late 90s and early 200s, “neo-soul” has emerged. It probably started with hip-hop soul’s Mary J. Blige accented by Lauryn Hill. Singers such as Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Leela James, John Legend, Macy Gray, Joe, Anthony Hamilton, India Arie, Musiq, Erykah Badu, Fantasia, Urban Mystic, Kindred Soul, Kem, Terisa Griffin, Lizz Wright, Ledisi, Lina, Angie Stone, Liv Warfield, Lalah Hathaway and others are creating their own new and exciting soul period.
World Soul
Soul music has exploded around the world. International soul artists such as Corinne Bailey Rae, Rhian Benson, Joss Stone, Abenaa, Amy Winehouse, Omar, Floetry, Les Nubians and Somi are extraordinary singers. Soul artists today are comparable to the classic era artists in terms of quality singing because they move the listener. However, the soul explosion is difficult realize because the music media does not give enough exposure to these talented artists.
Sources
Fox, Ted. Showtime at the Apollo. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,1983.
George, Nelson. The Death of Rhythm & Blues. A Plume Book, 1988.
Jones, LeRoi. Blues People. New York: William Morrow and Company,1963.
