I used to frequent the recently defunct Topper's Music record store on Broadway in Uptown. Mike, the owner, was a veritable musical encyclopedia, with a particular focus on vintage soul and R&B. Many times I'd hear his clientele come through the door, looking for a particular song, and more often than not Mike was able to help them locate said tune. Inevitably, in trying to describe the song, they'd say that the singer sounded like someone else, Minnie Riperton or Al Green, and with that simple point of reference the search was narrowed down to a handful of choices. Such comparisons (or sometimes contrasts) also aid in reviewing music.
Take the self-titled debut disc by Van Hunt (Capitol), for example. In addition to some of the more obvious comparisons, such as Terence Trent D'Arby ('Seconds Of Pleasure,' 'What Can I Say') and Sly & The Family Stone ('Highlights,' 'Out Of The Sky'), the disc also reminded me of some of Van Hunt's contemporaries such as Kenna ('Dust,' 'Hold My Hand'). Even with all of these associations, Van Hunt emerges as his own (soul) man, and songs such as 'Hello, Goodbye,' 'Down Here In Hell (With You),' 'Precious,' and 'Her December,' are a memorable introduction to a new and soulful force.
Alicia Keys had a daunting task before her with the release of her second album The Diary Of Alicia Keys (J). Her debut disc, Songs In A Minor, was a top-selling album (one of the first for Clive Davis's new J Records label), as well as a Grammy Award winner. Keys' sound was an amalgam of the female R&B vocalists who came before her, and yet managed to sound unique and original. Like Aretha Franklin, Keys is a gifted pianist, and that separates her from many of her contemporaries. The piano continues to play an important role on The Diary … as you can hear on the disc opener, piano number, 'Harlem's Nocturne.' Keys' key-work is a constant throughout the disc which has a strong retro feel via covers of classic soul, such as 'If I Was Your Woman,' as well as new numbers that respectfully update the past, such as 'You Don't Know My Name,' 'If I Ain't Got You,' 'Dragon Days,' 'Wake Up,' 'Samsonite Man.' Keep an eye out for the import version of the disc, which includes the hip-hop flavored track 'Streets of New York.'
It's nearly impossible to listen to Soulful (J/19), the debut disc by American Idol competition winner Ruben Studdard without hearing the through line to him from Luther Vandross. The similarities are chilling. Whether, like Luther, he's covering 'Superstar' or other vintage classics such as 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart' or 'For All We Know,' or making a full-fledged reference to Luther as he does at the end of the new song 'Take The Shot.' Of course, it is on the newer tracks where soulful loses its edge, illustrating that these songs simply can't hold a candle to the classics, no matter who is singing them.
Simple Truths (Alligator) by The Holmes Brothers is another story altogether. The bluesy trio, in existence for several years before releasing their first CD in the early '90s, have such a rich musical history, that practically anything they touch glows and smokes like a cigarette ember. On their last few albums, The Holmes Brothers, like the Blind Boys Of Alabama, have been including more contemporary songs from the rock, pop and country world in their repertoire. The outcome is a wonderful expansion of their audience, via covers of songs such as 'Shine' (Collective Soul), 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' (Hank Williams), 'Everything Is Free' (Gillian Welch), and 'Hey Baby' (Bruce Channel).
It's not easy to reconcile the 1999 Kelis of 'Caught Out There' fame (remember the 'I hate you so much right now' chorus?) with the present-day sex kitten Kelis of 'Milkshake' renown. Once again working with The Neptunes, as well as Dallas Austin and Raphael Saadiq, among others, Kelis blurs the line between hip-hop and soul on the aptly titled Tasty (Star Trak/Arista). Less interested in her predecessors, than establishing her own following, Kelis's suggestive style ('In Public,' for example) makes Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual Healing' sound as tame as a textbook-guided sex-ed class.
Sisters Kim and Kandy Johnson, of the duo JS have their say on their CD Ice Cream (DreamWorks), which was co-produced by R. Kelly, among others. Anthony Hamilton and Dave Hollister try to enter the fray with their albums Comin' From Where I'm From (Arista) and Real Talk (DreamWorks), respectively. Longtime soul standard-setter Al Green returns to his secular Hi Records style on the catchy I Can't Stop (Blue Note).
No column about soul music would be complete without a bow to the '70s, the period in which soul music came into its own. The forthcoming three-disc box set, Superstars of Seventies Soul (Shout! Factory), being released in time to coincide with March 2004 PBS broadcast of a filmed concert, includes everyone from The Chi-Lites, The Staple Singers, The Jackson 5, The Spinners, Chic and The Isley Brothers to Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight & The Pips, La Belle and The Pointer Sisters to Teddy Pendergrass, Isaac Hayes, James Brown, Bill Withers, the late Curtis Mayfield, and the above-mentioned Al Green.
Ending in 1970, the significant double-disc set Night Train To Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues (CMF/Lost Highway) takes the road less traveled and introduces listeners to the country music capitol's rich history of soul and R&B music. Beginning in the mid-1940s with selections such as 'Nashville Jumps' by Cecil Gant, 'Buzzard Pie' (which must be heard to be believed) by Rudy Green & His Orchestra, and the swing of 'Skip's Boogie' by Kid King's Combo and continuing through the '50s and '60s (Etta James, Ruth Brown, Joe Tex and Joe Simon), this is one night train worth riding.
