When most think of soul artists, they hearken back to a bygone era. It was the 1960s, and the hair was shaggy, the bell bottoms were wide, the sideburns were mutton chops, men’s visages were mustachioed and the polyester-clad United States was celebrating its liberty from the restrictive 1950s. Artists like Otis Redding, Aretha Frankin, James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone dominated not only the genre, but also the billboard charts.
What about neo-soul? There are big label Maxwells and Raphael Saadiqs. Not to mention your D’Angelos singing sultry songs fit for a bear skin rug and hearth type of setting. Then there are the fashionable underground soul artists: Brooklyn-based Maya Azucena and Tara Priya come to mind. Maya is extremely versatile, blending soul phrasing with aspects of other genres such as pop, hip-hop, electronica and jazz. Tara Priya’s sound is reminiscent of musicians from labels such as the legendary Stax Records and Redbird Records, updating a storied soul sound with tinges of R&B and Motown.
Surrounded by lackluster pop trash on all sides, modern day soul musicians such as Maya Azucena and Tara Priya emerge as Motown and soul vixens easily accessible via a myriad of online venues. The landscape of music-how it is monetized, shared, publicized and developed-may be vastly different than it was in the 1960s, but the genre of soul music maintains its stronghold.
retro soul
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