Do you have soul? That all depends...

I thought I would have my first post here by about one of the great American art forms: Soul Music. I’m not talking about modern R&B – though I will touch on that near the end of this entry – but the classic soul singers who were pioneers in both music and civil rights.
Soul, like most American – truly American – music had its roots in the blues and jazz. It would not be far off at all to call the early jazz singers like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan the forerunners of the great soul singers. Of course, right before soul you had the early Doo-Wop groups like the Mills Brothers, The Platters and The Drifters, just to name a few in a musical category that doesn’t get near enough respect.
When the great soul singers started appearing in the ‘60s, along with the folk scene and rock and roll, these musicians had an opportunity that many African-Americans didn’t at the time: the penetrated into the very heart of white suburbia. You had the crooners – Sinatra, Bennett, Como and Martin – and then these talented musicians, who were in many cases, the only interactions that white America had with black culture in an acceptable way. What Elvis and the emerging rock scene was doing was taking black music and morphing it into something totally new – and frightening – to many of the older generation. Soul however, through its popularity with all ages, allowed for black culture to get its foot in the door of white sensibilities.
So, what is so attractive about soul music? To begin with, there are the vocals, which drives the music. In almost no other genre of music will you find musicians with the vocal range and diversity that you find in soul. True, the artists have a tendency to have a common, velvety vocal sound, usually more smooth than anything, but that is by no means the norm. Listen to James Brown growl his way through “Papa’s Got A New Bag,” or Aretha Franklin’s tart, no-nonsense delivery of Otis Redding’s “Respect.” Still, there is something soothing and utterly beautiful about the genre. It is the way that these beautiful vocals mix with the lush music that often serves as a backdrop. The music behind soul is always beautifully driven by a fantastic beat – see The Temptations’ “My Girl” as a definitive example of this. The music that came of Motown played by The Funk Brothers is totally engaging and underrated. Some of the best love songs ever are soul songs: from Etta James’ “At Last” to Stevie Wonder’s “You Are The Sunshine of My Life” you’re not going to go to any kind of wedding or dance, without getting some soul played.
As much as this is one of my favourite aspects of soul music, this tendency toward love songs has hurt the genre, because many believe that’s all that there is to it. Those people aren’t playing close enough attention to songs like Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” and Marvin Gaye’s seminal album, What’s Going On. These musicians were using their music as a message of change and awareness long after the protest-folk music scene had died at Bob Dylan’s hands in Newport.
Since it’s heyday, soul has morphed over the years into funk, smooth jazz and R&B, and these style’s roots have a tendency to be forgotten. These tributaries from the River Soul certainly have their good qualities, but give me the classics any day.
Ever since its arrival, soul could be felt all over the musical environment, often in places that people would not expect. Sinatra and his lot certainly borrowed from it, and tell me you don’t hear the stirrings of soul in Elvis’ music. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones certainly kept the music of James Brown and Otis Redding in mind, and Van Morrison drops names like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Jackie Wilson on a regular basis in his music. Listen to Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis and you can literally feel the passion she had for making to great a soul-sounding record. The reggae of Bob Marley, especially on songs like “Three Little Birds,” is soul with a Jamaican spin. Imagine classics like Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young,” The Band’s “It Makes No Difference” and Jim Hendrix’s “Little Wing” and think of how easily – and beautifully – they would translate into soul songs.
In contemporary music, you have the emulators who are trying to bring the sounds of old soul back – the best of the lot include John Legend, Musiq Soulchild, Alicia Keys and Corinne Bailey Rae – and those who have taken soul and blended it into their own sound. Listen to “I’m Gonna Find Another You,” the last cut on John Mayer’s Continuum and tell me he didn’t get that from an old Smokey Robinson album, or the music of My Morning Jacket, particularly on the albums It Still Moves and Z, which fuse soul with southern blues and progressive rock. Artists like Amy Winehouse and Duffy are taking the soul sound that Dusty Springfield was trying to create and giving it a modern, British twist. Modern crooners like Michael Bublé regularly dip into the soul songbook and hip-hop artists like Kanye West, Common and Lupe Fiasco regularly sample from soul standards, as did Run D.M.C. and the other early hip-hop artists. Comedy acts, like the brilliantly talented Flight of the Conchords from New Zealand parody to great effect Marvin Gaye’s social music on “Think About It.”
Soul is a genre that has withstood the test of time, not only with class and style, but with a staying power that puts it echelons above much of what is considered “classic music.” For something that reaches into you and changes you, makes your heart skip a beat or appreciate a summer’s afternoon, there’s nothing like soul.

Here’s a list of soul classics and what makes them stand as towers of the genre:

“Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)” – Ray Charles Sextet (1960) – Ray Charles

Charles’ delivery on this heartbreaking song is what makes it hit like a sledgehammer. The song begins with Charles using his signature, Nat King Cole-esque over a beautiful piano and a simple background of bass and drums. The saxophone and piano solo in the middle hardly prepares the listener for the vocal bomb that Charles is about to drop. With the second two verses, Charles’ voice becomes an aching wail, gravely and so emotional it hurts; this is a song from a man who has firsthand experience in what he is singing about: loss and hard times – the song’s name is not an accident.

“The Track of My Tears” – Going to A Go-Go (1965) – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

This song is one that anyone who has been burned by love can relate two. Robinson sings in his creamy voice about a man putting on a charade of being happy and moving on after a break-up, but as he sings, “Look closer and see the tracks of my tears.” The music behind him is swelling and lush, the perfect blend of poetry and music, with the Miracles hitting all the right notes on the background vocals. This is one of the group’s biggest hits, and once again showing the power of soul, had a profound impact on rock. Pete Townshend – the genius behind The Who – became so obsessed with the way Robinson sung the word “substitute” that he wrote a song to celebrate it, according to Rolling Stone magazine. If one word can have that kind of power, imagine what the whole song can do.

“Crusin’” – Where There’s Smoke… (1979) – Smokey Robinson

There’s nothing not romantic about this song. Listen to the lyrics about a man that doesn’t want just a one-night stand, but a whole life with a woman. Robinson’s vocals are both pleading and earnest, and the strings in the background make this a must for a romantic drive, a romantic dinner…essentially, a romantic anything. It’s no wonder that Gwenyth Paltrow and Huey Lewis’ version of the song for the film Duets was a hit: with material like this, its hard to imagine it being anything but.

“Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” – Let Me In Your Life (1974) – Aretha Franklin

Everybody knows Franklin’s unstoppable versions of feminine affirmation, “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman” and as such, this simple love song – written by Stevie Wonder - often slips though the cracks. The driving bass is beautifully counterbalanced a flute in the background, and fantastic backing vocals. As is always the case with anything by Franklin, Aretha’s voice is the driving force. She sounds determined in her determination to wait for her love to return to her. There’s no going back for her and after one listen, for the listener, either.

“My Cherie Amour” – My Cherie Amour (1969) – Stevie Wonder

The glittering flute intro to this gorgeous ballad by Wonder gives the listener right up front an idea of what is to follow. The lyrics are simple and heartfelt, as everything is by Wonder. The French flourish added to the song makes it a moving standout from other soul songs. It’s amazing how moving the repetition of “La la” can be when it is mirrored by a lone flute – only with Wonder’s voice could this effect be reached. For a man famous for writing love songs, this one is gold.

“That’s Life” – Gettin’ Down To It (1969) – James Brown

A standard that Sinatra made famous – among others – Brown, the Godfather of Soul, brings his gravely, gritty take to the song. The simple setting (piano, bass and drums) allow Brown’s voice to take the song and soar with it. The mildly fatalistic lyrics are met by delight and barely constrained laughter by Brown. He doesn’t sound for a minute daunted by the troubles that life is going to present, according to the song. Quite the contrary – he’s ready to “pick himself up and get back in the race.” There’s no chance of Brown quitting on this one.

“Let’s Stay Together” – The Right Stuff (1972) – Al Green

This song is musical manna. This is what musical perfection sounds like. A simple driving beat with occasional organ and horn flourishes drive the song, but it’s Green singing that makes it. The man is a wizard with that voice of his, and he reaches the peak of his powers on this number. The lyrics about sticking together through whatever life throws are given a moving immediacy in the song. Green knows exactly what he wants, and he’s going after it. “Let’s Stay Together” is a undisputable testament to the power of soul, of Green, and of love. Perfection.

“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” – Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (1966) – Otis Redding

Heartbreak has never sounded more soulful or powerful than on this song. All credit and praise goes to Redding, whose amazing voice drives the song. The music is all in the background, and the song would be just as powerful if he had done it as a solo piece. You can literally feel your heart ache along with Redding as he tries to hold on to a love that is slipping away. There is nothing but power in the song, and nothing but emotion in the voice: emotion that can stop you dead in your tracks.

“Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) – Sky’s the Limit (1971) – The Temptations

The throbbing bass and guitar lines that open up this song are quickly met by the Temptations lovely, wilting vocals – vocals that made them famous. The singer fantasizes with a gorgeous hopelessness and the strings behind him swing to great effect. There’s nothing not beautiful about this song, and it’s lyrics about dreaming about someone who doesn’t even know you are common, but set apart by the delivery here. There’s not much to do but let the song carry you away.

“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – What’s Going On (1971) – Marvin Gaye

One of Gaye’s great social awareness songs, the song’s intro hooks the listener right away with a catchy bass and piano line. Then you add Gaye’s lilting voice, moving in its fragility, but determined in it’s message: “this ain’t livin’.” About being overtaxed and overworked, the song builds in passion as Gaye brings more and more damnation upon modern society. Yet, rarely has condemnation sounded this lovely. Particular beauty comes out of flowing into a solo piano version of “What’s Going On” at the end of the song. Of course, all of this is a key aspect of the album What’s Going On which is one of the most powerful ever written. This song is a great example of what Gaye was trying to accomplish: use the sweet soul of Motown, but turn it into a method for change.

“A Change is Gonna Come” – Ain’t That Good News (1964) – Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke could do a spiritual or a love song like nobody’s business, but it’s with this anthem – referenced in everything from rock to hip-hop – that he made his mark. His voice is what heaven must sound like, and the lyrics are filled with a somber hope, reinforced by the deep horns and strings that pervade the song. The song’s lyrics “it’s too hard living, but I’m afraid to die,” ring true for everyone at one point – and tragic for Cooke, who died a year after recording this song. This is a Bob Dylan song – it was inspired by Cooke listening to “Blowin’ in the Wind” - from a soul king, and perhaps the best to ever come out of the genre. Just listen to it, and you’ll never walk away the same.