http://allhiphop.com/2008/06/26/the-neosoul-family-tree/ The Neo-Soul Family Tree by The AHHAlternatives Staff June 26th, 2008 @ 2:00pm
0 Like Like
0
Tweet
0
0
NoComme nt s Ra t eTh i s Sh a r ewi t hSh o r t l i n k : http://ahh.fm/p!""268
Neo-Soul, Neo-Soul. Where for arte thou, Neo-Soul? With all due respect to R&B/Soul s subgenre, Neo-Soul never really left, but becae an acceptable addition to the R&B faily !sans title". #edar $assenburg of $oto%n coined the ter at a tie %hen the delineation bet%een %atery op-R&B and real live Soul becae foggy. $any ultifaceted talents %ere being shuffled into the i', despite their ne% %ave infusions of roc( and fun( eleents previously shunned once the $) cae a(noc(in. Neo-Soul raised the bar, and %ith it cae artists that ade their ar(s in usic history. *ven +ip-+op hopped on the Neo-Soul bus %ith albus li(e he Roots Phrenology and )oons Electric Circus. s a true testaent to the past, present, and future, the ll+ip+op lternatives staff revisits soe of the survivors on the NeoSoul faily tree !)ody )hestnu, %e still love you".Nanna and Grand-DaddyNina Simone.Nina Sione is ore of a platfor for soul usic than an inspirational ancestor for NeoSoul. he granda of the genre treated each song li(e hoe coo(ing. *very note she sang iitated southern fried perfection. Sione couldve cared less if she hit proper tunes or octaves, %ith her vocal tone, %hich ooed unadulterated soul. Songs li(e ut a Spell 0n 1ou and 2ont 3et $e Be $isunderstood, never needed intense runs and riffs to provo(e. - Brandon Michael DunlapMarvin Gaye.he late $arvin 4aye is rightfully the granddad of odern-day Neo-Soul, redefining the genre since the days of $oto%n. +is sil(y elodic tone elted atop of notes li(e butter on songs li(e rouble $an, 2istant 3over and $ercy, $ercy $e !he *ulogy". he turbulent 567s sa% the post-ai errell period in 4ayes career, iparting beautiful and socially ipacting staples such as Whats
4oing 0n, and 3ets 4et t 0n, %hich reain untouchable. - Brandon Michael DunlapThe Mamas and the PapasErykah Badu.o say that $s. Badu is the other of Neo-Soul is %eird, but appropriate. 4ranted, she does belong in her o%n genre, but %hen her debut albu Baduizm dropped in 8996, she changed usic forever. t %asn t :ust her soft usic style that found a hoe soe%here bet%een a pacifying :ay tune %ith +ip-+op bones. t %as her understated confidence in her physical and usical style that dre% us in and (ept us there. Latifah Muhammad 0ther Side 0f he 4ae ; *ry(ah BaduMaxwell.he utterance of $a'%ells nae is enough to send ost on a soulful odyssey. +is usic brings a rush of iages to the brain, sounds to the ind, and eotions to the heart. nd %ith sold out tours and platinu plus albus such as Urban Hang uite! Embrya! and "o#, $a'%ell %as one of the first to a(e Neo-Soul translate into dollars earned.
3ong Wal(, >4etting in the Way and >4olden opened the floodgates of Neo-Soul %hile tapping into old school :a and soul usic. $s. hilly soul has found a po%erful %ay to utilie the urban e'perience through song. )overing anything fro politics, erotic love, to fish and grits, Scott continues to reain a relative artistic force in soul. ; Brandon Michael Dunlap"aphael Saadi#.While any cae to sit at the NeoSoul table %hen it becae popular, Raphael Saadi@ had already long been seated. n fact any ight say he actually created the table.
the founding ebers of the Neo-Soul $oveent, Bilal? lthough absent of a solo pro:ect for the past eight years, Bilal has been busy bet%een %or(ing on his ne% pro:ect, perforing, %riting, and producing. )ollaborating %ith *ry(ah Badu, $os 2ef, ?uestlove, -ip, and 2 ngelo, Bilal is a eber of the collective Soul@uarians, the group dedicated to (eeping the foundation of Neo-Soul alive. &Dot Musi#.3i(e his nae, hes %ithout a doubt $usics Soul )hild a true son to the Neo-Soul oveent. #no%n initially as $usi@Soul)hild and later on as :ust $usi@, hes given us his heart and soul throughout the years. product of hiladelphia, !a city (no%n for helping old the Neo-Soul oveent", can you iagine the %orld of Neo-Soul %ithout hi? bsolutely notA $usi@ has a tieless sound and untouchable style of his o%n. "ia B&nthony 'amilton. When nthony +ailton burst onto the usic scene, it caught a fe% people off guard. +is sound too( you to the pe%s of a traditional Baptist church, and touched your soul in %ays youd never felt before. 2elivering a classic albu on his freshan debut, +ailton contributed a sound R&B, and Neo-Soul %as begging for. son to the Neo-Soul oveent, his voice %as shaped and olded by the fathers of Neo-Soul and R&B. "ia BMartin (uther.f anyone in the entire NeoSoul oveent %asnt given enough credit, it %as $artin 3uther. While he ay not flo% fro the lips of any usic lovers, $artin 3uther %as a forefather to Neo-Soul %ith his electric soul tinged %ith live instruents. f you aren t a fan of $artin 3uther, your favorite artist probably is. "ora Leno' Goapele.4oapele is perhaps the unsung she-ro of NeoSoul usic. daughter of the genre, 4oapele released E(en Closer on the indie +ip-+op label +ieroglyphics periu before being pic(ed up by Sony for a re-release. No% a free
agent, 4oapele released her rootsy-fun(dafied Change )t *ll %ith production help fro Sa-Ra. +er consistently slept-on status %ill hopefully change in the future, as 4oapele brought a fresh ta(e to soul usic %ith her definitively uni@ue sound. ; "ora Leno' 4oapele ; )loser)an 'unt. fter years co-%riting for other artists, Can +unt finally ebar(ed on his o%n usic :ourney in D77E. +is self-titled debut tested the liits %hen the singer/song%riters careful selection of poetic lyrics, R&B and soul instantly registered hi on the NeoSoul radar. +is second albu, +n the ,ungle loor, featured a uch ore e'periental roc( influence, yet still ebraced the soulful and energetic forula that a(es Can +unt one of the ore unpredictable singer/song%riters of today. Donyel L& .riffin &n%ie Stone.ngie Stone5s voice held ore po%er %ithin a single note than ost young R&B chic(s5 entire careers. +er Blac% Diamond debut ade us instant fans, but Mahogany oul brought forth the cult phenoenon that %as ngie Stone %ith her hit >Brotha. +ad she and 25ngelo stayed together, they %ould5ve probably led the revolution. &mel (arrieux.3argely underappreciated as a Neo-Soul veteran, el 3arrieu' paves soulfully in her o%n lane as a seasoned indie neo-soul songstress. he :ay +ip-+op essence, %hich founded her brea(out group 4roove heory, also established 3arrieu' as a odern-day innovator in erging soul, :a and +ip-+op %ith $iddle *astern and West frican styles. *@uipped %ith a fluid %histle register evocative of $innie Ripperton, the varied sound of el 3arrieu' can5t even be pinpointed %ith a agnifying glass. Brandon Michael Dunlapel 3arrieu' ; 4et Fp*loetry.Songstress brosius and Natalie >he
represented the best of both %orlds before parting %ays in D776. hough no longer a duo, both artists have no plans to abandon usic. han( goodness. Donyel L& .riffinBi% Brother$Bi% SisterD+&n%elo.Before it %as >cool to be NeoSoul, there %as 25ngelo. 25ngelo5s 59G arrival %ith Bro#n ugar redefined the ale soul singer, and for once ade it acceptable to possess street appeal %hile delivering sil(y vocals over sooth trac(s. >Bro%n Sugar, >3ady, and >HFntitledI>+o% 2oes it
that she is today. s = Records golden child, licia paved her path %ith platinu all the %ay to superstardo. With her third solo albu *s ) *m being already dubbed a classic, licia #eys is proof that legends can still be ade. $athy )andoli Who is she? fro the tie noinations %ere read until her face graced the 4ray red carpet. echnically proficient in vocals, possessing a gospel choir conductor5s range, and songs that touch the roantic and uplifting psyches of listeners, 3edisi is proving to be the e'aple for %hich ne% inductees of the Neo-Soul society should adhere to. ,onathan 0eyes "aheem De)au%hn.Rahee 2evaughns sensual and ature debut, /he Lo(e E'perience, !D77G" predicted a Neo-Soul star on the rise. 1ou, and 4uess Who 3oves you $ore catered to those that still appreciate a good old-fashioned soul singer %ith eaningful lyrics. Rahee 2evaughns gro%th on his second albu, Lo(e Behind the Melody is evident, as success fro singles )ustoer and the 4ray noinated, Woan see to strongly suggest that longevity is certainly in this
balladeers future. Donyel L& .riffinhrisette Mi!hele.oised, classy, and %ith an unsha(eable :ay voice, )hrisette is the closest an artist has coe to arrying :a, the ne% illenniu, and ainstrea together. 4iving arriage props, storytelling on %oen %ho (no% %hen to let go, singing about her favorite :a singers, and about (no%ing %hen to declare her love gave )hrisette5s debut parental credibility, uch li(e that girl in the front ro% of class eager to learnJ eager to sho%. =ust as( rofessor +0C. ,onathan 0eyes)hrisette $ichele ; Be 0(Dwele.
group sees to have disbanded by no%, but the ebers still %or( together fre@uently and building on their shared (no%ledge to %or( agic for artists as varied as Busta Rhyes, l 4reen, harrell and Kero 6. *le' /hornton)oon ; he 3ight ; )oonomment 1elow on some o0 your 0avorite Neo-Soul artists. http2$$we1.ar!hive.or%$we1$34545546578533$http2$ $allmusi!.!om$explore$essay$1ritish-soul-t3574 British Soul
by Alex Henderson
Since the rise of the Beatles in the early '60s, England has had no problem giving the United States a serios rn for its money in the roc! department" #t is hard to imagine roc! msic $ithot the contribtions of %reat Britain, $hich has given s everyone from the &olling Stones and ed (eppelin to the Sex )istols ** not to mention Blac! Sabbath, the +lash, the ho, -das )riest, .asis and contless others" British roc! has been the sb/ect of nmeros articles and essays, bt one sb/ect that hasn't been discssed nearly as mch is British &B" )erhaps England's contribtions to roc! have been so great that the contry's contribtions to sol, fn! and rban contemporary have been overshado$ed, and perhaps &B is so closely identified $ith the United States that American listeners sally don't give mch thoght to the sb/ect of non*American &B" After all, &B is still dominated by the U"S", and it probably al$ays $ill be" Bt England is, in fact, the $orld's second largest mar!et for &B ** historically, British listeners have spent more money on sol and rban contemporary than any other contry except the United States" 1rom the 2emptations to Anita Ba!er to 3ary -" Blige, American &B singers have en/oyed a great deal of spport in England over the years" %reat Britain has also been highly spportive of rap, bt that's the sb/ect of another essay" 2he main focs of this essay is British &B singing ** sol, fn!, rban, disco and other$ise" 2he list of &B*based 4or at least &B*minded5 artists $ho have come from England over the years is a long one it's a list that incldes, among many others, Sade, isa Stansfield, Hot +hocolate, #magination, -nior, oose Ends, the Brand 7e$ Heavies, Sol ## Sol, +aron heeler, 3ica )aris, Billy .cean, +athy 8ennis, 1ive Star, the Style +oncil, 8avid %rant, -amiro9ai and &ic! Astley" Ho$ do British &B artists differ from American &B artists: #n most cases, their phrasing isn't all that
different people $ho spea! $ith British accents don't necessarily sing $ith British accents" #f any one thing separates British &B singers 4some of them, any$ay5 from their American conterparts, it is a tendency to be more eclectic" #n the U"S", rban radio formats can be extremely rigid and nforgiving conse9ently, many American rban artists are li!ely to avoid being too experimental 4$hich isn't to say that American ris!*ta!ers li!e Ery!ah Bad, the 1gees and 3acy %ray haven't beaten the odds5" #n England, America's rban radio formats are less of a consideration for &B artists ** British radio plays a lot of things that American stations $on't toch" Another big difference bet$een British and American &B artists is the reggae factor ** a lot of British sol and rban singers have gro$n p listening to reggae" #n England, reggae has been mainstream for a long time, $hereas reggae has more of a clt follo$ing in the U"S" #t shold be noted that in ondon's blac! commnity, the Afro*+aribbean cltre is 9ite strong so it isn't ncommon for a British sol or rban singer to sho$ some reggae, +aribbean or Afro*pop inflence even if &B is his;her main focs" #n <=>?, Americans got a taste of British &B $hen Hot +hocolate's @o Sexy 2hing@ becase a big hit in the U"S" Hot +hocolate, a sol;fn! band $ith roc! and pop inflences, $as never hge in the U"S" their only big hits on the American side of the Atlantic $ere @o Sexy 2hing@ and <=>'s @Every <'s a inner@" 7onetheless, they had a strong follo$ing in the U"C" and $ent do$n in history as the finest British solsters of that era" 2he '>0s also gave s Hi*2ension, a British fn! otfit $hose inflences inclded Cool the %ang, Earth, ind 1ire and Brass +onstrction" Althogh little !no$n in the U"S", Hi*2ension recorded a note$orthy self* titled ) for #sland in <=>" 2he early to mid*'0s $as $hen England's &B scene really exploded ** that $as the era that gave s ma/or hits by -nior, #magination, Billy .cean, oose Ends and Sade" Americans $ho listened to rban radio dring that time are li!ely to remember -nior for @3ama Used to Say,@ #magination for @-st An #llsion@ and oose Ends for @Hanging on a String@" +omparing .cean and Sade really nderscores the diversity of British &B in the '0s .cean had +aribbean inflences, $hile Sade broght /aDD sensibilities to hits li!e @Smooth .perator@ and @2he S$eetest 2aboo@ ** and yet, both of them are part of British &B" .ne of the most ris!*ta!ing British rban;pop grops of the '0s $as the Style +oncil, a band that $as fonded by pn! icon )al eller" Before the Style +oncil's formation in <=, eller $as part of the -am ** a famos British pn! band of the late '>0s and early '0s" #nflenced by sol, pop and /aDD, the Style +oncil $as a radical departre from eller's $or! $ith the -am 4/st as )blic #mage $as a serios departre from singer -ohn ydon's $or! $ith the Sex )istols5" 2he Style +oncil $eren't sol prists and never claimed to be, bt they $ere certainly npredictable and ambitios" #n fact, some British roc! critics felt that they cold be too ambitios and eclectic for
their o$n good ** that creatively, they sometimes bit off more than they cold che$" Another fre9ent complaint abot the Style +oncil $as that their sociopolitical lyrics cold be preachy, bt all things considered, eller's band bilt an impressive catalog in the '0s" Althogh the Style +oncil had their share of British hits, rban stations in the U"S" $ere generally nreceptive to their eclectic approach" 7ot that the Style +oncil $as ni9e in that sense ** many of England's rban, dance*pop and neo*sol artists of the '0s and '=0s $ere probably too eclectic for rban radio in the U"S" 7onetheless, American listeners have heard a fair amont of British &B and dance msic on the radio ** gems li!e )rincess' @Say #'m or 7mber .ne@ in <=6, &ic! Astley's @7ever %onna %ive o Up@ in <=>, Sol ## Sol's @Ceep on 3ovin'@ in <== and isa Stansfield's @All Arond the orld@ in <==0" 2he '0s also gave s plenty of British artists $ho $ere more pop than &B bt still had a definite sol inflence, inclding hamF, %eorge 3ichael, +ltre +lb, the Erythmics, Everything Bt the %irl, S$ing .t Sister and Simply &ed" +ltre +lb's 3oto$n*inflenced @+hrch of the )oison 3ind,@ the Erythmics' @3issionary 3an,@ Simply &ed's @Holding Bac! the ears@ and hamF's @+areless hisper@ aren't the $or! of sol prists, bt they are the $or! of pop artists $ho have a healthy appreciation of American &B" #n the early '=0s, veteran os Angeles 2imes roc! critic &obert Hilbrn traveled to ondon and $rote an article abot a @ne$ British invasion@ ** and this time, the @invaders@ that he $as describing $ere &B*oriented instead of roc!*oriented" Hilbrn $as inspired to $rite the article by the $ave of British &B artists $ho emerged in the late '0s and early '=0s ** a $ave that inclded, among others, Sol ## Sol, +aron heeler 4$ho $as a Sol ## Sol participant before she became a fll*time solo artist5, 3ica )aris, the Brand 7e$ Heavies, +athy 8ennis and isa Stansfield 4$ho has often been described as the most convincing $hite &B singer to come along since 2eena 3arie5" 3any of the British artists $ho emerged dring that period had a neo*sol otloo! and $ere able to blend inflences from different eras" Stansfield, for example, combined a strong Barry hite inflence $ith a high*tech rban;hip*hop prodction style on her debt albm, Affection, $hich inclded her brea!throgh hit @All Arond the orld@" Sol ## Sol leader -aDDie B", mean$hile, $as inflenced by +hic bt $as also inflenced by everything from hip*hop and hose to African msic" hile Sol ## Sol, )aris and Stansfield $ere the essence of neo*sol, the Brand 7e$ Heavies favored a totally retro approach on their '=0s albms" #f yo didn't !no$ for a fact that their self*titled debt albm $as recorded in the early '=0s, it $old be easy to assme that it $as recorded in the '>0s ** their sond $as right ot of the era that gave s 2o$er .f )o$er, &fs;+ha!a Chan and the Average hite Band 4$ho came from England's neighbor Scotland5" 2he Brand 7e$ Heavies $ere never innovative or grondbrea!ing, bt they
$ere still great at $hat they did and had a /e$el of a lead singer in 7'8ea 8avenport 4$ho $as featred on the U"C" hits @8ream +ome 2re@ and @Stay 2his ay@5" 8avenport, an American vocalist $ho had moved to England, sbse9ently left the band and prsed a solo career" .ne can only speclate on $here &B in general $ill go in the G
http://randb.about.com/od/rb12/p/NeoSoul.htm
What is Neo-Soul?
L
P P P P P
&ds2 Neo Soul $usic Ne% $usic +ip +op $usic Sound of $usic =a $usic rtist &ds Des!ar%a la me9or m:si!a greenobile.Md.co.co or seana lo e:or del reggaeton 2escarga a@u. 68 "PM "e!ords %%%.classicEGs.co large, daily updated catalog of vinyl EGOs fro the 89G7Os-97Os. &((,NG &rtists %%%.culturalsouls.co
Neo-soul is a usical genre that fuses conteporary R&B and 8967sstyle soul %ith eleents of hip-hop. s its nae !ne%-soul" iplies, Neo-Soul usic is essentially odern-day soul usic, %ith conteporary attitudes and sensibilities. t differs fro conteporary R&B in that itOs obviously ore soulful, and it also tends to have deeper essages and eanings than R&B. n general, neo-soul has reained alost e'clusive to R&B outlets such as urban radio and Blac( *ntertainent elevision. ,ts /ri%ins2
he actual ter Qneo-soulQ is believed to have originated %ith #edar $assenburg of $oto%n Records in the late-8997s. he genre itself ho%ever, is considered to have originated in the id-8997s %ith the %or( of Raphael Saadi@Os forer band, onyA oniA onA and %ith QBro%n Sugar,Q 899G debut albu of singer 2Ongelo. n 8996, $oto%n artist *ry(ah Badu released her debut 3, Badui, the success of %hich paved the %ay for $assenburg to shift uch of $oto%nOs output to%ard BaduOs style. (imited &ppeal2
o date, the Neo-Soul artists to a(e the largest ipact on the ainstrea have been 3auryn +ill and licia #eys, %hose debuts %ent on to sell illions of copies %orld%ide. +o%ever the a:ority of NeoSoul artists have yet to crossover to ainstrea erican usic listeners, partially because the usicOs sound generally focuses on artist e'pression, rather than popular appeal. (a1elin%2
$any usicians in the genre ho%ever, disli(e the ter Neo-Soul and have disassociated theselves fro it, calling it nothing ore than a shallo% ar(eting tool. $any of these artists refer to theselves siply as Soul usicians. perfect e'aple of this is the singer =aguar Wright, %ho entitled her second albu Divorcing Neo to Marry Soul. Popular &rtists2
P P P P P P P
*'aples of current popular Neo-Soul artists include =ohn 3egend, =ill Scott, $a'%ell and 3eela =aes. Su%%ested "eadin% he B)s of R&B he 0rigin of Soul We Want the
httpT//randb.about.co/od/rb8D/a/NeoUSoul.ht
Neo-Soul: What Is Neo-Soul? 2efinition & 0rigin
L
&ds2 Soul $usic Sound of $usic R&B $usic op $usic Ne% $usic +ip +op “
”
P P P P
&ds Musi! (i1rary Great Musi! %%%.Stoc($usicSite.co E77,777V +ot rac(s M $usic 4enres Royalty
8997s %ith the %or( of Raphael Saadi@Os band onyA oniA onA and %ith 2OngeloOs 899G albu Brown Sugar . n 8996, $oto%n artist *ry(ah Badu released her debut albu, Baduizm, the success of %hich paved the %ay for ne% $oto%n chief #edar $assenburg to shift the direction of uch of the copanyOs output to%ards BaduOs style, %hich he dubbed neo-soul. o date, the neo-soul artist to a(e a largest ipact on the ainstrea is 3auryn +ill, %hose 899 The Miseducation of Lauryn ill %as a critical and coercial sash and %ound up %inning five 4ray %ards. s its nae !ne%-soul" iplies, Neo-Soul usic is essentially odernday soul usic, %ith conteporary attitudes and sensibilities. t differs fro conteporary R&B in that itOs obviously ore soulful, and it also tends to have deeper essages and eanings than typical conteporary R&B. n general, neo-soul has reained alost e'clusive to R&B outlets such as urban radio and B*J ost of its artists are unfailiar to ainstrea audiences, and its sound generally focuses on artist e'pression rather than pop orientation. While these artists have found a:or success in those venues, they generally have yet to crossover to ainstrea erican usic listeners. $any usicians in the genre, ho%ever, prefer to disassociate theselves fro the tag and siply refer to theselves as Soul usicians. *'aples of popular Neo-Soul artists include *ry(ah Badu, $usi@ Soulchild, ndia.rie and Raphael Saadi@.
