I think these forums are in need of a Soul sub-category... I'd like to know what your favorite soul albums are.... Here are my old-reliables. You know what I'm talkin' about....

The Essential Gladys Knight & The Pips
Earth, Wind & Fire - The Promise
Sly & The Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On
The Meters - Funkify Your Life
The Very Best of Sam & Dave
Otis Redding - Otis Redding Sings the Blues
Al Green - I Can't Stop
Marvin Gaye - The Master 1961 - 1984
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
Wilson Pickett - A Man & a Half

The Dirtbombs - Ultraglide In Black

Is there anyone out there making good contemporary soul music? I came across Cody ChesnuTT's album "The Headphone Masterpiece" and whilst I quite liked the general sound I could do without the misogyny.

So any recommendations about modern soul artists which would be pleasing to the ears of a clueless middle-class white boy?

An R&B/Soul category would be a welcome addition.

I have to begin with Ray Charles because he would have been where I first discovered the music through a long out-of-print greatest hits collection on ABC I found gathering dust in my parents record collection. I can't think of many of classic recordings I wouldn't list, but I'm most partial to _Ray Charles and Betty Carter_. "Baby It's Cold Outside" was on that old collection and it's still a favorite.

Sam Cooke _The Man and His Music_
There are better and more complete collections of his music, but these are definitely the essentials from an essential artist.

Otis Redding _Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding_
I honestly don't know that he recorded a bad track in his whole, short life, so I have to go with these 96. He's right up there with Buddy Holly as one of the most profound losses in the history of American popular music.

Sly & The Family Stone _Anthology_
They put out some great albums, but I have to go with _Anthology_ because it's been a fixture in my collection and a regular spin on my turntable and CD player for so long. It's not just a great compilation, it's a great MIX and that's not always the case

Marvin Gaye _What's Going On_
I don't generally say the album speaks for itself, but the album speaks for itself. There's a reason I'm taking it to a desert island and you should too.

Those five only scratch the surface. Dozens of other artists, The Atlantic R&B box, Stax Box, and any of a number of Motown collections are never far from my CD player.

Now Playing: "Make Yr Life" The Butchies _Make Yr Life_ (Yep Roc)

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Originally posted by afx237vi:
So any recommendations about modern soul artists which would be pleasing to the ears of a clueless middle-class white boy?

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How about a middle-class white girl from the UK?

I spent a lot of time last year spinning Joss Stone's _The Soul Sessions_ and I'm awfully eager to hear what she does next. There are artists who make tracks their own and pretty much ruin anybody's chances of covering them effectively. I'm not saying I'll forget Aretha Franklin's "All the King's Horses" any time soon, but Stone is more than convincing and that's saying a lot.

Now Playing: "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do" Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band _Express Yourself: The Best of Charles Wright_ (Warner) <- not a bad addition to the discussion as well.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Joss Stone. I already like her cover of "Fell in Love with a Girl" so I might check her album out soon. Thanks for the reminder!

TV on the Radio and the aforementioned Dirtbombs are the most soulful groups around currently. Both are indie rock bands fronted by black singers with great voices. Actually, when I first Heard TV on the Radio, I kinda thought of Tunde Adebimpe as a more laid back Mick Collins.

Anybody who tries to be soulful today ends up sucking hard because the idea of soul today is so soulless.

I cannot believe no one has mentioned Curtis Mayfield. The man was a master.

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So any recommendations about modern soul artists which would be pleasing to the ears of a clueless middle-class white boy?

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I think D'Angelo's "Voodoo" is really rad. ?uestlove drums, and all the songs feature really tasteful live instrumentation. Often times, I get hung up on the squeky clean, cheeseball production of modern soul, but D'Angelo's records come across with a warm, honest vibe. And the vocals and songwriting uniformly fantastic.

Its probably not technically soul, but "Live from Mars" by Ben Harper walks pretty close it to it most of the time. LfM was the first Ben Harper album I picked up and I fell in love instantly. I was disappointed to say the least with his studio albums though; overproduced and lifeless.

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Originally posted by Member 27:
LfM was the first Ben Harper album I picked up and I fell in love instantly. I was disappointed to say the least with his studio albums though; overproduced and lifeless.

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I'll buy that. Ben's certainly soulful enough to qualify as soul. I'll also agree that LfM is his best effort. The acoustic disc is my favorite as it's less "jammy" and shows off his songwriting chops a little more. Perfect music for late summer nights when it's too hot to go to bed.

Actually, there's a huge amount of quality soul music still being made out there. The main problem is that the big labels don't really care at all, therefore ignoring real music and talent in favour of boobs and/or washboard stomachs.

Real soul is on the indie labels today.
excellent UK labels like Dome or Expansion are putting out some outstanding new stuff and especially Expansion are doing some great compilations and reisses as well (the recently released Phyllis Hyman set comes to mind here)

good artists currently doing it for me include:
Rachel Ferrel
Frank McComb
Rahsan Patterson
Gary Taylor
Will Downing (surprisengly, he still records for a major label)
more to come...

Jill Scott and Angie Stone are both very good. I thought the new Alicia Keys was actually quite good as well. As far as old-school goes, give me Al Green, The Four Tops, Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield, Sly, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Smokey Robinson, Ike & Tina, Fats Domino, Aretha, Isley Brothers, Prince, the Delfonics, the O'Jays, Bill Withers, The Jackson 5 and the Temptations!

Oh, in addition to all the great names being thrown around, lest we forget Gil Scott-Heron. "Pieces of a Man" is a really great record.