Music of Soul and R 'n B's golden age is big business these days. Echoes of Motown, Stax/Atlantic and other labels can be heard everywhere, through the influence of their artists - people like Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Otis Redding and Al Green to name a few. With the arrival and tragic early passing of Amy Winehouse, the retro-soul sound is in full swing as a dominant pop music trend. Veteran artists like Sharon Jones (whose band The Dap-Kings were pivotal in Winehouse's smash Back to Black) and newcomers like Duffy are enjoying great popularity.
Heartfelt homage or cynically derivative? Only your ears can decide. If you dig that classic soul sound and want to hear something new, check out these artists in the library's free music database Freegal:
Ryan Shaw. Sounds a bit like Otis Redding and his "Do The 45" sounds just like Junior Wells' "Shotgun" - in other words, an old-school dance floor hit.
Raphael Saadiq. Stevie Wonder guests on a track with this smooth crooner.
Aloe Blacc. Blacc's music features his sweet voice front-and-center, with influences from hip-hop, rap and 70s funk.
Cee Lo Green. Much of his work has a serious, urban hip-hop influence, but his monster hit "Forget You" is a great example of freshening up a great old sound.
Adele. Ah, Adele. How could we ignore you? A phenomenon in her own right, Adele's voice has reached out across the globe to touch the heartbroken. If you've been living with tribesmen in Borneo for a year, it's time to discover what 750 gazillion people have been talking about.
John Legend. RnB sound that is less retro, more modern, with hip-hop and reggae influences.
Bonus recommendation: check out a legend you may have missed 50 years ago, the original Soul Stirrer Sam Cooke!
Links are to library catalog. To download songs for free, go to http://www.library.pima.gov/ and click "Music from Freegal." Artists currently not part of Freegal include:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. A rock 'n soul party!
Eli "Paperboy' Reed. Love this guy. His bluesy "Roll With You" is a great sounding party record.
Jamie Lidell. Looove this guy's voice. The white-and-nerdy Terence Trent D'arby!
Nikka Costa. The much-overlooked queen of hard-core funk changes her musical style with every album. Her updated 70s funk sound can be heard on her classics Everybody Got Their Something and Can't Never Did Nothing.
Joss Stone. Where has Joss disappeared to?
Mayer Hawthorne. *(I don't really get this guy, but he is one of the more popular retro soul artists!)
Bonus classic: Donny Hathaway. Winehouse referenced him in her infamous "Rehab" along with Ray Charles. And like Winehouse, "Mr. Hathaway" also tragically passed too soon. He grew up singing gospel and went on to be considered one of the very best singers from the golden age of soul music. Remembered best for "A Song For You," "Someday We'll All Be Free" and his biggest hit "Where is the Love?" with Roberta Flack. Next time you hear his "Theme from Maude" on TVLand, listen up!
-- John
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