Neo-Soul

[cshadows2887]

I love songs I've heard from Maxwell, D'Angelo, Musiq Soulchild and Anthony Hamilton, but I'm an album guy. Where should I start for full albums in the neo-soul genre?

[pleasedontpanic]

D'Angelo - Voodoo

[cshadows2887]

D'Angelo - Voodoo

Gracias. It's like a dirty south Prince. Which is A-OK by me.

[kearn1tm]

Raphael Saadiq -- The Way I See ItThe album blends Big Band, Swing and Neo Soul together. It's great.

Rahsaan Patterson -- Love in StereoOne of the criminally overlooked gems of the late '90s.

The Roots -- Illadelph HalflifeI know everyone knows of The Roots, so this probably isn't much of a rec, but it's my favorite of their albums.

Cody ChesnuTT -- The Headphone MasterpieceThe Roots collaborated and creative song-writer behind The Seed (2.0), his ambitious two-discl album is great.

[kafe]

Not sure if they are "neo-soul" per se, but these are some great albums in the modern-soul genre
-Jamie Lidell - Jim (and Multiply but it's a bit more electronic than Jim)
-Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
and Raphael Saadiq like someone else meantioned.

[El_Jeffe]

Jamie Lidell really is great. From my searches into & around this genre, I think it's really wise to pay attention to what the girls are doing, most of my favourite albums have come from female artists around modern soul.

Me'Shell NdegéOcello - Plantation Lullabies (any of her albums are a great listen)
Hollie Smith - Long Player
Groove Theory - Groove Theory
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War (fantastic album/artist, but definitely not for everyone. often referred to as "the bjork of hip-hop", so expect... anything)
Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea (just released, but beautiful)


Also, Al Green's last album Lay It Down is a real treat, very modern sounding, obviously great vocals, ?uestlove from the roots on production.

[cshadows2887]

Jamie Lidell really is great. From my searches into & around this genre, I think it's really wise to pay attention to what the girls are doing, most of my favourite albums have come from female artists around modern soul.

Me'Shell NdegéOcello - Plantation Lullabies (any of her albums are a great listen)
Hollie Smith - Long Player
Groove Theory - Groove Theory
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War (fantastic album/artist, but definitely not for everyone. often referred to as "the bjork of hip-hop", so expect... anything)
Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea (just released, but beautiful)


Also, Al Green's last album Lay It Down is a real treat, very modern sounding, obviously great vocals, ?uestlove from the roots on production.

I love Al Green. I hadn't heard any of his new shit though. Good to know he's still making relevant music.

[El_Jeffe]

What do people think of Alicia Keys? I'm yet to make my mind up about her, every now & then she has a tune I don't mind, but she's yet to release an album I care for, or an album that even comes close to matching her potential.

I love Al Green. I hadn't heard any of his new shit though. Good to know he's still making relevant music.

Every song on the album is really solid & the album was definitely one of my favourites of 2008. I still play it quite often now, it's a great example of the 70's soul singer meets modern music & production without falling belly up.

This thread has actually got me jammin' to a lot of my modern soul albums myself haha.

[cshadows2887]

I've always loved Keys' singles. I have her catalogue, but there are a few dry spots on her records. Her newest one is by far her best though. She adds some really sweet synths and lets her Prince influences come out a bit, which is great. Only dead spot is the Beyonce collaboration.

But I love her big ballads, "Like You'll Never See Me Again" and "If I Ain't Got You" especially.

[kearn1tm]

Jamie Lidell really is great. From my searches into & around this genre, I think it's really wise to pay attention to what the girls are doing, most of my favourite albums have come from female artists around modern soul.

Me'Shell NdegéOcello - Plantation Lullabies (any of her albums are a great listen)
Hollie Smith - Long Player
Groove Theory - Groove Theory
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War (fantastic album/artist, but definitely not for everyone. often referred to as "the bjork of hip-hop", so expect... anything)
Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea (just released, but beautiful)


Also, Al Green's last album Lay It Down is a real treat, very modern sounding, obviously great vocals, ?uestlove from the roots on production.

I'm a huge fan of Erykah Badu, but I wasn't sure if her new stuff was "neo soul" but then, that designator is rather ambiguous (and actually was born of a Vibe review). She's great. I can't wait for New Amerykah 2 to drop this year.

[williek311]

The new Maxwell album is really good.

[cshadows2887]

The new Maxwell album is really good.

"Pretty Wings" is quickly ascending the ranks of my favorite songs by anyone. Something about that one...

[El_Jeffe]

I've always loved Keys' singles. I have her catalogue, but there are a few dry spots on her records. Her newest one is by far her best though. She adds some really sweet synths and lets her Prince influences come out a bit, which is great. Only dead spot is the Beyonce collaboration.

But I love her big ballads, "Like You'll Never See Me Again" and "If I Ain't Got You" especially.

Yea I can agree with that, always a few patchy moments on her albums. It tends to be when she goes for those quite intimate songs, they just don't seem to work with her electronic musical arrangements. On her last album, the tune "Distance & Time" is an example of that to me, I actually roughly stripped it back on the acoustic guitar & it sounded much better. Certainly not because of my dazzling guitar skills & undeniable vocals haha, but it just gave it that rawness & vulnerability the song needed. I'm not suggesting she busts out the 6-string haha, but keeping it simple with her arrangements sometimes would be wise.

I think she's at her best when she's "big", big songs, big emotions, big "moments", big vocals, with the right moments of restraint (which is what seems to divide the great from the good), she is capable of creating some great songs.

I'm a huge fan of Erykah Badu, but I wasn't sure if her new stuff was "neo soul" but then, that designator is rather ambiguous (and actually was born of a Vibe review). She's great. I can't wait for New Amerykah 2 to drop this year.

I doubt it is either, but yea that term definitely has become ridiculously broad in recent years. Same here, July I think it comes out, at last. Originally it was supposed to come out the same year as part 1, which I loved, so this has been a long wait.

[cshadows2887]

Yea I can agree with that, always a few patchy moments on her albums. It tends to be when she goes for those quite intimate songs, they just don't seem to work with her electronic musical arrangements. On her last album, the tune "Distance & Time" is an example of that to me, I actually roughly stripped it back on the acoustic guitar & it sounded much better. Certainly not because of my dazzling guitar skills & undeniable vocals haha, but it just gave it that rawness & vulnerability the song needed. I'm not suggesting she busts out the 6-string haha, but keeping it simple with her arrangements sometimes would be wise.

I think she's at her best when she's "big", big songs, big emotions, big "moments", big vocals, with the right moments of restraint (which is what seems to divide the great from the good), she is capable of creating some great songs.


Yeah. Much as I love her, she still has plenty of room to grow. Which is exciting.

[Wake Up]

11454106

[NotebookMusic]

I'm a huge fan of Erykah Badu, but I wasn't sure if her new stuff was "neo soul" but then, that designator is rather ambiguous (and actually was born of a Vibe review). She's great. I can't wait for New Amerykah 2 to drop this year.

Yeah, she's really good. My mom used to play her and Maxwell A LOT when I was younger. I can dig it.

[kearn1tm]

Dwele

6GkPIKO-PsA

Bilal

W4m59nVuIhc

The AP Phenomenon Miles Bonny

Eyv7hJI2XKo&feature=player_embedded

Raheem DeVaughn

nRxdecv8OeI

Aloe Blacc

iR6oYX1D-0w

Andreya Triana

NOH1W2X4qIs

Man, it's been a damn good year.

[nerdboyrockstar]

Dwele

6GkPIKO-PsA

Bilal

W4m59nVuIhc

The AP Phenomenon Miles Bonny

Eyv7hJI2XKo&feature=player_embedded

Raheem DeVaughn

nRxdecv8OeI

Aloe Blacc

iR6oYX1D-0w

Andreya Triana

NOH1W2X4qIs

Man, it's been a damn good year.

I was about to mourn the death of Neo-Soul but if you say all that was this year, I need to check it out. Only one I've heard is I Need a Dollar.

[kearn1tm]

I was about to mourn the death of Neo-Soul but if you say all that was this year, I need to check it out. Only one I've heard is I Need a Dollar.

It's far from dead. Sometimes, you just have to look a little harder.

[cshadows2887]

The Aloe Blacc album is great. Bilal didn't grab me on first listen, but it's something I can see growing on me.