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New Songtress of Neo Soul Corinne Bailey Rae
Neo soul (also known as nu soul) is a musical genre that fuses contemporary R&B, 1970s style soul, and hip hop. It is the third major sub-genre of contemporary R&B, after the new jack swing of the late 1980s/ early 1990s and the hip hop soul of the early to mid 1990s. The "neo soul" term, originated by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late-1990s, is sometimes looked upon with disdain as nothing more than a marketing specialization of contemporary R&B instead of an honest revival of soul music. This is because most of the people who record in the genre and listen to it tend to be anti-mainstream preferring that the music favor underground credibility and soulfulness over mainstream popularity.
Welcome to Neo Soul Masters, the unofficial guide to quality neo soul artists. Neo soul was born in the mid 1990's and originates from such classic groups as Mint Condition and the now dismembered Tony Toni Tone. The music fuses the best of 1970's soul, jazz and funk, with the best of modern day soul. In the late 1980's to early 1990's, the New Jack Swing movement generated many singers with similar styles and sounds, making it very hard to distinguish the various artists apart. Neo soul differs in one major way - each artist is a talented musician in their own right and do not rely on corporate sounds to achieve mass sales, instead succeeding from sheer originality and rawness of their vocal talents. Many of these artists use real musicians like the artists of yesteryear. Yes I refer to the likes of Marvin, Stevie, Curtis, and Sly. Although Neo soul is still very much an underground term used for these artists, the emergence of such great acts as D'angelo, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott will ensure the awareness of this music will forever grow stronger.
As the compiler of this chart, I must confess it was extremely difficult to chose my favourite song from each of these artist, but im sure many of you will appreciate my selection. The definitive neo soul chart
At number one is the highly underated Tony Toni Tone, who never achieved the commercial success they deserved, despite making excellent songs. "Til last summer" is a very infectious retro sounding ballad with an excellent vocal and musical arrangement. It sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released in 1996. Sadly, like most great groups, the members of Tony Toni Tone went there seperate ways. In 1997 Timothy Christian Riley formed Arts N Soul, Raphael Saadiq - Lucy Pearl and Dwayne Wiggins persued a solo career. No soul chart is complete without Neo Soul maestro D'angelo. Since his departure from EMI and Kedar Management D' has gone from strength to strength, scoring hits on both sides of the atlantic. "Lady" is a mid tempo ballad from his first set - Brown Sugar, a song with a tight harmony and production. This track coincidentally was produced by Raphael Saadiq - he of Tony Toni Tone. Erykah Badu's - "Other side of the game" is a stand out song from "Baduizm" - a fine piece of music, which will be sampled by many hip hop artists in years to come. This haunting song was produced by Richard Nichols of The Roots and compliments Erykah's vocal style. What can I say about the next artist except ... excellent. Chico Debarge's - Love still good, defines neo soul at its best. A silky vocal coupled with a smooth backing. This much overlooked gem gave Chico the recognition he deserves. Maxwell's - "Sumthin sumthin" is undoubtebly the best song from an excellent debut album. This song utilises what great songs are made of - a catchy chorus, excellent vocals and musical arrangement. It comes as no surprise this was produced by the legendary Leon Ware, all signs of a timeless classic are evident. Thanks to the public for supporting such great music. Peace - One love | |||||
Friday, June 30, 2006
Neo soul (also known as nu soul) defined
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