Neo-Soul / New Soul Music

[choice_genes]

This thread is for general chat about the broad category of music known as neo-soul (I know, the tag 'neo-soul' has received some negative rap but whatever...)

I'm really into this music at the moment. I've been digging on people like:

* D'Angelo - Voodoo has probably been my favorite album for the past 3-4 years. Really looking forward to his new one.

* Ehryka Badu - Mama's Gun especially. Looking forward to her new shit as well.

* Amp Fiddler - Afro Strut is pretty hot.

* Dwele to some extent, although sometimes he comes across as a little lame

I've been meaning to get into some Jill Scott as well. Are there any other artists people can suggest?

[Superfunkycalifragisexy]

You can't go wrong with some Jill Scott, both her albums are pretty good, although not on Mama's Gun/Brown Sugar level. Some other artists & albums you might like are:

Amy Winehouse - Frankis pretty neo-soul/jazz, IMO Back to black is better but Frank is a very good album nonetheless.

Anthony Hamilton - Where I'm coming from is a dope album, his second one isn't as good.

Bilal - 1st Born Second is sick as well, it's a bit more contemporary sounding than other neo soul albums, it demonstrates where neo soul could have went.

DJ Jazzy Jeff - The Magnificent & The return of the magnificent. Although not strictly neo-soul (there's more rapping than singing) it still has that neo-soul sound.

Joy Denalane - Born & Raised, not really sure if this can be classed as neo-soul as such, it's more hip-hop soul in the vein of Mary J Blige, but it's definitely worth a listen.

Maxwell - Urban Hang Suite, Classic Neo soul.

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators - Keep Reachin' Up, More neo-funk than neo soul, but its a sick album, sounds like something Curtis Mayfield would have made.

Raphael Saddiq - Instant Vintage & As Ray Ray, Both dope albums.

I think that's enough for now!

[choice_genes]

Thanks super..., those suggestions should keep me busy for a while!

Yeah Raphael Saadiq is a great producer. I dig both those albums, love the music and he has a great voice, but his lyrics suck! Haha

I agree with you about Amy Winehouse too. I was pretty underwhelmed by Frank, but I am really diggin on Back to Black. Mark Ronson is a great producer (so is Salam Reimi [sp]).

Also, anyone been to any good neo-soul gigs? I saw John Legend about 2 years ago, and he was pretty good. He had a great band behind him. Also in a similar vein, Lyrics Born and Common both have awesome live bands behind them. I have really enjoyed their live shows.

I would have loved to have seen D'Angelo's Voodoo tour. I have that bootleg of the concert in Stockholm, shit is amazing!

[thelaststarfighter]

lucy pearl

obvious choice....

van hunt

both albums are fucking great... the first is more neo soul, the second has a more psychedelic/hendrix vibe...

martin luther's rebel soul music

steve spacek album's.

i wasn't really impressed with his new one, but the older albums are good. the dilla collab was the best track... 'dolla'

platinum pied pipers - ppp

album is amazing. easily the best neo-soul album in the past few years... say five even. it skirts the line between detroit neo soul & straight up hip hop. the sa-ra feature is gold....

while on the ppp subject, i'd suggest also, if you can find it-

waajeed vs. the jazz cats - marvin gaye vs. wjd

Waajeed and fam take stabs at a few marvin gaye tracks... the result is space funk broken beat neck snap mastery... vinyl promo release only.

(and when his new album War drops, get that)

yesterday's new quintet

so much to choose from... any of Madlib's alter ego's really.

you'd be hard pressed to define this in any genre, let alone neo-soul, but he's got elements of it all in here...

I'd recommend you start at the first album, Angles without Edges, then move onto the tribute albums (Stevie, et al.) and then into his more off the wall shit, Sound Directions, etc....

just off the top of the head.... if i remember some more shit i'll come back through with an edit... enjoy.

[Superfunkycalifragisexy]

Choice, How come you think Frank was Underwhelming? I thought it was pretty cool myself.

I went to a Dwele gig not too long ago, I didn't like his album that much, but him and his band are pretty amazing live. I'd recommend seeing Dwele live to Everyone.

Thelaststar, who are the platinum pied pipers? never heard of them before. You got good taste with them Madlib albums, I forgot all about them.

Another album to check out would be Sa-Ra - The Hollywood Recordings, It's futuristic sounding neo-soul.One of my albums of the year so far.

[thelaststarfighter]

platinum pied pipers is Waajeed & Saadiq.

Waajeed is from Detroit, and a long time affiliate of Jay Dee.

One of the founding members of Slum Village.

Produced a few joints on Dirty District, did La La & Star on Trinity, and co-produced several joints on the Dilla's classic Welcome To Detroit.

Siddiq is his long time instrumental collaborator.

I would recommend annnnyone who likes soul, hip hop, rnb, or anything really, to get this on the double. It's incredible front to back.

[EMM EASY]

Try . . .

Anthony Hamilton .

Angie Stone .

Cody Chesnutt .

India Arie .

Jaguar Wright .

Joss Stone .

Lauryn Hill .

Melky & Day .

Musiq Soulchild .

Hope that helps !

[choice_genes]

Super... haven't listened to Frank for a while, but from memory I wasn't that impressed by the production, overall the album just sounded a little flat. I am a big fan of the new one though.

I have seen a couple of youtubes of dwele live, it looks like a great show. Hopefully I'll be able to catch him sometime soon.

I have pretty mixed feelings about Madlib (and all his personas). He has made some fuckin dope beats - some of the stuff on Jaylib, Madvillainy, stuff for Dudley perkins, etc - but some of it is just too far out for me. Also I was really unimpressed with 'Stevie' - it just sounded like some hack messing around on keyboards and synths; his work on the rhodes was really average. Some of the ideas (IE the way he covered the songs) were good, but I thought it was executed pretty poorly (I know the back story and realise that most of these tracks were just leaked demo recordings, but I think they should have stayed that way - as demo recordings. IMO he shouldn't have released this as an official album). Generally I would rather just listen to Stevie's versions.

I've gotta get the new SA-RA album. I really dig their overall sound - really dirty synths and a really nice groove to the drums (they were probably pretty influenced by Dilla). However I get a bit pissed when they sing over their beats. Most of the time it just sounds wack! EG 'Glorious' - I love the instrumental, but can't stand the vocal version.

I'm also looking forward to the new PPP. Really dig some of the stuff on Triple P.

[thelaststarfighter]

lol i hear you the haphazard-ness of some of Madlib's work.

but that, in effect, is part of his charm as a producer/instrumentalist.

the man is a visionary, but he lacks the technical skill of his contemporaries.

some believe he more than makes up for it in pure ideas and imagination...

i am one of those people.

i mean, who else could cop an ounce of shrooms and disapear into a basement for a week and come out with a masterpiece like The Unseen?

hehe...

[arem]

[choice_genes]

Yeah I can dig what you're saying starfighter, madlib's certainly got some mad creative ideas. I guess it just annoys me sometimes that he lacks the technical skill to fully realise them. But he has a lot of fans regardless of that, as you were saying. To each his own, I guess!

Re sharon jones and daptone records etc more broadly, that stuff is kinda more retro-soul than it is neo soul. That is, they're trying to recreate the old soul production methods and sound; not so much using new production methods (such as hip-hop) to make new soul sounds. But fuck it, I ain't gonna discriminate, we can discuss retro-soul too (actually Amy Winehouse could probably be classed better as retro soul).

Arem if you're into Sharon Jones then you gotta check out the Bamboos (if you haven't already). They're a new deep funk band out of Melbourne, and they are fucking tiiiiight.

[arem]

I've been into the Bamboos stuff since the "Eel Oil" 45 came out back in 2001 or whatever it was. Definitely good music. I way prefer the deep funk or retro-soul stuff to neo-soul (if that isn't splitting hairs too much}. Dudes like Bilal and Cody Chesnutt get on my freaking nervers for some reason.

[choice_genes]

Ah a veteran! Yeah I love both of their LPs. I've gotta get off my ass and see them live though! I live in Melbourne too, they're playing pretty regularly...I'm just lazy

I actually really dug Cody's Headphone Masterpiece, although it might have just been the right music for that time in my life. If I heard it for the first time now I'd probably hate it! But I enjoyed the lo-fi aspect of it, the fact that he recorded it all on a 4-track at home. And there's some pretty funny lyrics on there - 'Bitch, I'm broke'. hah.

What else can you recommend in the way of deep funk and retro-soul, arem?

[arem]

Check out Poets of Rhythm (who were probably the first band doing the retro/funk thing) New Mastersounds, Speedometer, The Sugarman 3, The Soul Investigators, Breakestra, and there are loads of bands who are putting out 45's as well.

Honestly, while I like the bands I've named, that whole scene of pretending that you are the Meters or the JB's is a bit silly at the same time, and if I want to hear really funky music I tend to reach for the original records more often than I do the new stuff.

[Addicted 2 Fresh]

[Sayword]

This thread is fucking awesome

Click this to hear some next level Neo-Soul

Georgia Anne Muldrow

This chick does her own beats, I swear she's like the female dilla. It's going to be weird to you at first, but thats what this genre is all about, NEW SHIT. Give it a listen (or in my case many consecutive listens) cause this shit is HOT

[Sayword]

I don't want to sound like her promoter, but this is what I mean when I say female dilla (she reps stonesthrow btw...)

Click the Pic

[Sayword]

.....

yesterday's new quintet

so much to choose from... any of Madlib's alter ego's really.

you'd be hard pressed to define this in any genre, let alone neo-soul, but he's got elements of it all in here...

I'd recommend you start at the first album, Angles without Edges, then move onto the tribute albums (Stevie, et al.) and then into his more off the wall shit, Sound Directions, etc....

just off the top of the head.... if i remember some more shit i'll come back through with an edit... enjoy.

excellent list you got esp. YNQ, yall should check that if yall haven't (also stonesthrow, they got the indie lable game on lock)

Choice, The new ynq is experimental, but it's a good listen imo, some very smooth ass joints on there "like one for the monica lingus band" (worth a listen, get at me if you need it)

Bilal gets on your nerves? haha, yea I know his voice can get pretty high. I think he can wield that thing like no other, "Soul sista", everything with common, he even had a pretty good one with the clipse. I'm gonna have to upload something of his.

[NESK]

acording to the OP, d'angelo has something in the works? can anyone confirm that for me? i just broke my nose with my boner (no homo).

[Ichigo100%]

Sayword,

Georgia Ann Muldrow is BOMBBBBB!!

But im defenitely Feelin Goapele, Dwele, Urban Mystic, Maxwell and Eryka Badu

[choice_genes]

Sayword - agree 100% with georgia. She is the shit. I look forward to hearing her do some production work for other artists as well - not that her own stuff isn't already incredibly dope.

NESK: Questlove leaked a track from D'Angelo's new album on Aus radio earlier this year. Couldn't find a better link than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8D-xTiIVyE&mode=related&search=

Shit is dope. Very very very much looking forward to this album. Last I heard it was gonna be released later this year, or next year. It's been waay too long.

[arem]

Georgia Anne Muldrow is definitely NOT the new J Dilla, her music is too unfocused and rambling. A better comparison would be to Madlib's Yesterday's New Quintet records, because both projects sound like someone figuring out how to make records, not a fully developed artist.

I don't dislike her music, but she has the same problem that a lot of "neo-soul" types have, namely, she can create a decent mood or vibe, but there is no songwriting to speak of at all, no melodies that grab your ear and stick with you. Can you hum one of her songs to yourself, or even remember the chorus to any of them? She's still pretty young, and I think that as she matures she may make some really strong records, but great soul music (IMO) needs to be melodic and you should be able to sing along with it. That's what seperates a lot of the newer artists from the greats like Stevie Wonder or Curtis Mayfield or whoever.

[arem]

double post

[the_state]

in my opinion, the quintessential neo-soul album:

[arem]

I'm not a Studdard fan, but at least he's trying to work in the tradition. The more I think about it, the more I think neo-soul is for people who don't actually like soul music.

[the_state]

i guess i should have added a sarcasm meter to my post. sorry to those who were confused.

[SelfEXplanatory]

huge fan of Erykah Badu. and Bilal

D' angelo

Floetry

Dwele etc.

Sa-Ra

Corinne Bailey Rae

Georgia Anne Muldrow

This chick does her own beats, I swear she's like the female dilla.

wouldnt quite say dilla. Madlib maybe. love this woman!!! 2nd album was better then the 1st though.

althought arem has some good points. i still think she is a solid artist.

Can you hum one of her songs to yourself, or even remember the chorus to any of them?

i sure can.

anyone remember Christion?

witht hat single "Full of smoke"

i think they were signed to Roc *shrugs*

shits hard though.

[choice_genes]

I love Corrine Bailey Rae, she has a beautiful voice and the accent is sex IMO. But most of the production on her album is so fucking mediocre. It feels really compromised - like I think she's a great song-writer ('put your records on' is one of the catchiest pop songs I've heard in a while), but she's been let down by the production that was probably forced on her by her record company. Hopefully she has a bit more freedom on her next album. Would be great to see her do a Badu and get the soulquarians to produce the album, or something like that.

Arem you raise some good points about Georgia, but I still love her for what she is - she's got her own sound, and she's doing something that's kinda new.

[SelfEXplanatory]

soulquarians

mmmmm classic.

[choice_genes]

^^ damn right ^^

the shit they were producing in the late 90s/early 00s has been pretty much my favourite music for the past 4 years. great music.