Simple question: Who are your favorite soul artists? Still recording or no longer with us, soul/neo-soul, funk- who do you enjoy the most?

My list includes, in no particular order:

Al Green
Aretha Franklin
James Brown
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
Lizz Fields
Fertile Ground
Stevie Wonder
Isaac Hayes
The Spinners
Four Tops
Tempatations
The O'Jays
The Sytlistics
Earth Wind & Fire
War
Julie Dexter
Erykah Badu
Curtis Mayfield

Oh man... my list is by no means comprehensive (I have so many favorites that I probably would forget some) but I'll try...

Also in no particular order of preference:

John Legend
Alicia Keys
D'Angelo
Maxwell
India Arie
Erykah Badu
Tony! Toni! Tone!
Jacksoul
Color Me Badd
Keith Sweat

Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder
Barry White
James Brown
Kool & The Gang
Earth, Wind, & Fire
The Spinners
The Chi-Lites
The Delfonics
Sly & The Family Stone
Aretha Franklin
Roberta Flack
The Isley Brothers
The Temptations
The Jackson 5
The Righteous Brothers ("BLue-Eyed" Soul)
Minnie Riperton

Marvin Gaye ("Here, My Dear" was greatly underrated),
Isaac Hayes,
Prince (the greatest... Ever),
Sade (not exactly "Soul", but how would you classify her?)
Curtis Mayfield,
Al Green (the man's voice is the perfect sonic representation of the word "joy"),
Aretha Franklin,
Anita Baker (that voice),
Millie Jackson (before Kim and Fox, there was Millie),
Stevie Wonder,
James Brown,
Teddy Pendergrass,
Ohio Players (more Funk than Soul, though)
The Commodores/Lionel Richie
The Jackson 5/ Michael Jackson
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Ike & Tina Turner
The Isley Brothers
Otis Redding
Rufus & Chaka Khan
Smokey Robinson


Lauryn Hill (she'll be back)
Maxwell
Eric Roberson (a.k.a. ERRO. Music's absolute best-kept secret. This guy's amazing www.ericrobersonmusic.com)
Jill Scott (she is soul music)
Erykah Badu
Raphael Saadiq
Joi
Luther (and no, not just 'cause he's dead)
D'Angelo (once Prince's heir-apparent)
R. Kelly (before his last 2 albums, he was growing into his talent nicely)
Floetry
Jagged Edge (underrated, but great balladeers)
Alicia Keys (but we already discussed her)
Nayo (really underground, but awesome www.nayomusic.com is the only way I know to hear her stuff)
Les Nubians, Zap Mama (not exactly "Soul", but work enough in that realm)
Tweet (when produced right, she's amazing)
Carl Thomas (ditto)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: merqury,

quote:

Originally posted by merqury:

Sade (not exactly "Soul", but how would you classify her?)

Yes, I forgot to mention Sade...hmmm... she does indeed defy classification, but I do agree soul seems to be where she's at home best. Perhaps, Jazzy-Loungy-Soul? What do you think?

Works for me.

Great list so far! So many it's hard to think of who might be missing!
Angie Stone!
I'll just add her and Cody Chesnutt at this point, everyone should check out The Headphone Masterpiece, it is just that!

Missing?

Ray Charles

Ann Peebles Ya gotta have "I Can't Stand the Rain."

Sam Cooke I pulled the SAR Records Story off the shelf a month ago and have had it steady rotation.

Bobby Womack All too often overlooked.

I've also been spinning Bettie LaVette's latest from last year along with last year's Cameo Parkway collection from Dee Dee Sharp. Sharp's often lumped in with the girl groups, but she was as much soul as anything else.

Now Playing: "A Way to Say Goodbye" Mike Viola Just Before Dark

quote:

Originally posted by LinnTate:
Missing?

Bobby Womack All too often overlooked.

Yes...Bobby Womack. I agree.

Hmm...Cameo. Or at least pre red codpiece Cameo? Funk Funk is a killer track.
On the same wavelength Billy Ocean has a few good tunes before he got out of our dreams and into our cars.

Oh yeah...Bill Withers!
Wilson Pickett!
Natalie Cole...love her doing Sophisticated Lady!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Smenkharon,

quote:

I've also been spinning Bettie LaVette's latest from last year

How is this album LT? I had it my hand twice in the last couple weeks, but decided against buying it both times.

I'll add Nina Simone to the list, and Solomon Burke.

We used to have a couple good soul/r&b threads a while back. Is there any way to move those into the new section?

I picked up the LaVette album late last year and though I haven't played it much, I like what I hear, especially the covers of "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" (done a capella), Lucinda Williams' "Joy" and "Only Time Will Tell". I have on order a recently reissued cd of LaVette songs from the late 60s-early 70s entitled Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart. The samples I've heard are all amazing.

Many favorite soul artists I forgot I see mentioned above. I also need to give due to these other favorites of mine not yet accounted for:

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Cornelius Bros & Sister Rose
Rebirth
Maxine Nightingale
Luther Ingram
Billy Paul
William DeVaughn
Maya Azucena

All good choices! I'm gonna add some 80s obscure artists that may be hard to find nowadays but they're definetely worth searching if you like 80s r&b

Armenta & Majik
Juicy
Network
Gerald Mallory
Cashflow
O'Bryan
Beau Williams
Sherrick
Curtis Hairston (both with and without the BB & Q Band)
Rene & Angela (as in Angela Winbush who later married Ronald Isley and were responsible for producing Isley Bros in the late 80s & early 90s)
Gwen Guthrie
Modernique
Love Togetherness Devotion (originally Jeffrey Osborne fronted this group)
Serge Ponsar

I really could go on for days!!

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Billy Paul

Damn right. Can't believe we went that far without mentioning these guys.

I gots a question to ask.

Would anyone know of a few good compilations that collect great one-hit wonder singles from the soul and funk era? Stuff like "I'm a Girl Watcher" by The O'Kaysions and "It's too Late to Turn Back Now" by The Cornelius Brothers. There's a lot of those classic straggler-type songs floating around but the groups that produced them don't justify a full greatest hits comp.

So are there any good comps that collect those types of songs together successfully?

quote:

Originally posted by merqury:

R. Kelly (before his last 2 albums, he was growing into his talent nicely)

I agree... his earlier albums were his best work. The only 2 albums I thought were worth buying from R. Kelly were 12 Play and R. Kelly. But that's just my opinion. There were other songs on the other later albums that were okay, but I wouldn't buy the CDs.

"12 Play" is a pivotal early 90s album and on my personal top ten of albums of the decade. Kelly's 1995 selftitled had it's moments too ("Thank Good It's Friday" was a great cut) but after that something happened and it wasn't pretty. About that time I stopped listening to him and nowadays he's a shadow of his former self. His Jay-Zee collaborations are abominable and even his attempt at returning to "real" music with "Happy People/U Saved Me" came off as a parody rather more than anything else.

Actually, I thought he nailed it with Chocolate Factory. That was an R&B lover's album.

I have just downloaded the Corinne Bailey Rae Album and wondered what you all thought of her? Recently found a good interview on her too....

http://www.tunetribe.com/Article?article_id=598

She's that british newcomer right? I've seen some spots on MTV about her. The music has a kind of folk-soul feel to it. I haven't quite made my mind up about her just yet.

quote:

Originally posted by Carlito's Way:

John Legend
Alicia Keys
D'Angelo
Maxwell
India Arie
Erykah Badu
Tony! Toni! Tone!
Jacksoul
Color Me Badd
Keith Sweat

Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder
Barry White
James Brown
Kool & The Gang
Earth, Wind, & Fire
The Spinners
The Chi-Lites
The Delfonics
Sly & The Family Stone
Aretha Franklin
Roberta Flack
The Isley Brothers
The Temptations
The Jackson 5
The Righteous Brothers ("BLue-Eyed" Soul)
Minnie Riperton

I'm gonna have to add to my list this dude:

Eric Roberson

The dude spells F***in' talent.