Nu-Soul

I’m grateful to my dad because he’s a music lover. He loves the crooners (Nat King Cole), Big-Band Jazz (Benny Goodman) and he still sings in the church choir every Sunday. On car trips he made us listen to Country and Western. It was presented as a compromise between the Jazz he liked and the Rock we liked. However, after having my own kids I now know that the Country and Western stations were the only ones that came in and played music he liked.
My dad’s diverse musical taste coupled with growing up in a household with older siblings, prevented my earliest exposure from being limited to the bubblegum Pop sounds of The Partridge Family, The Osmonds and The Monkees.
My siblings had their radio stations and their 45s. WRKO out of Boston had the best signal on the AM dial (this was before FM’s popularity) for Pop music and they played everything, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and The Temptations to name a few. I was supposed to stay out of my brother’s and sister’s rooms, but could hear what they were listening to through the door (until my dad told them to turn it down) and when they weren’t home I’d sneak in and play their 45s. Through that experience I gained access to the songs of The Turtles, Cream, The Mamas and the Papas, pre-Disco-era Bee Gees and the sweet sounds of Motown and Memphis, Rhythm & Blues (R&B), Funk and Soul!
The term Rhythm & Blues was first used in the late 40s to describe any music produced by African Americans for African Americans. Time progressed and the definition narrowed. As with all forms of modern popular music R&B’s roots can be traced to the Blues. However, its complexity evolved from the three chords, five notes and the repetitive lyrical structure of its musical parent. Through the influence of Gospel and Jazz, R&B featured a toe-tapping groove from the bass and drums which set the foundation for great melodies from a combination of keyboards, horns and guitars and finished nicely with harmonizing, background vocalists. By the early 60s R&B was branching off into sub-genres such as Soul (Aretha Franklin) and Funk (James Brown).
Fast forward several decades and I am happy to call your attention to a resurgence in the classic sounds made popular by the Stax and Motown record labels. Several very talented artists are paying homage to the pioneers of R&B with a genre they call Neo-Soul or Nu-Soul. All I can say is that it’s about time!

Mayer Hawthorne - Don’t let the Budd Holly glasses and a cardigan fool you, this guy can sing. If you are a fan of Marvin Gaye you may enjoy A Strange Arrangement or How Do You Do?.

Raphael Saadiq - One of my favorites, former Tony! Toni! Tone! member channels The Temptations, Sam & Dave and the Miracles. Check out Stone Rollin’ or The Way I See It.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Aretha Franklin will always be the Queen of Soul, but Sharon could easily be the Princess. My favorite Dap Kings release is I Learned the Hard Way.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears – Put on Joe’s latest, Scandalous, sit back, close your eyes and realize how much James Brown has influenced music. You’ll be out of your chair before the first chorus!

Kings Go Forth – This band reminds me of The Impressions along with Curtis Mayfield’s solo work. Outsiders Are Back is their most recent release.

Fitz and the Tantrums – I saw Fitz and the crew at Bumberhoot this year. They do a wonderful job of capturing the Philly sound made popular by Hall & Oats. Pickin' Up the Pieces is the first CD of, hopefully, many to come.

The next two are artists are from New Orleans, LA and tend more toward Funk, but really are a testament to the city’s musical heritage.
Galactic – Pick up any of their discs, put ‘em in the player and try to sit still. I double-dare ya. Ya-ka-mayand The Other Side of Midnight are the band’s latest two CDs.

Trombone Shorty – I saw Shorty and the boys twice at this year’s B-Shoot, they were hands down the best act I’ve seen in years. Please listen to Backatown or For True.

The New Mastersounds – These folks epitomize the funky, soulful instrumentals from soundtracks of late 60s, early 70s cop movies where the music was, more often than not, the best part of the film. Start with Plug & Play.

Quadron – Saw them at B-Shoot this year. I can’t get over how much they remind me of The Supremes and they hail from Denmark! They have one release, Quadron.

The last two groups are home grown right here in the damp, mossy, Pacific North West.
Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme – Sly Stone, James Brown and George Clinton rolled into one. Get Us Is What Time It Is and play it loud. You will no longer need your gym membership.

Maktub – Honestly, these guys were the first of the Nu-Soul movement to grab my attention. While Reggie Watts vocal acrobatics may be a show-stopper, the musicians are top-shelf and the band is tight. I love all of their CDs, but Khronosis still my favorite.

Did I mention that the dog loves R&B?