There's been an unavoidable wave of soul music coming out of the UK these past few years and I can't conceive of any other label for it than 'neo-soul'. Obviously not the neo-soul one might equate with D'angelo or Erykah Badu but it's new, it's soul and most surprisingly, it's coming from across the pond. Historically, the Brits have had a habit of taking conventionally Black, American music, tweeking it and then sending it back our way. It happened in the 60's when they took Rock n' Roll and Blues and created bands like Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones and oh I dunno...the Beatles. It seems like the Union Jack has done it again, white folk singing black folk music...and once again...they're killing it.
Exhibit A: Jamie Lidell
Exhibit B: Duffy
Exhibit C: Amy Whinehouse
Good point. Great examples. But why do you think this happens--the tweeking of American black music by the British, and the subsequent feedback to the colonies?
ReplyDeleteBig Daddy Jazz
Great post Lew.
ReplyDeleteThis only adds to my own thesis that Brits are the best pop-soul artists in the world.
Exhibit D: Jamie Cullum
http://bit.ly/7blzz