The R&B / Soul / Funk Thread

[Manic]

Here it is, a thread for discussions of all things R&B, Soul, and Funky.

Everything from the Temptations to Jodeci!

From Diana Ross to Jill Scott!

From Stevie Wonder to John Legend!

From Parliament to Tony Toni Tone!

Yes, even the stuff the kids are listening to, like Chris Brown or Beyonce. If we have to.



To get the ball rolling, I'll create a few sample topics:
-What the hell happened to New Jack Swing?
-Why aren't more people listening to Raphael Saadiq or Kindred?
-Robin Thicke, Joss Stone, and today's Blue Eyed Soul acts
-Ne-Yo & Keyshia Cole: Why aren't today's young singers talented?
-Wait... Brandy released a new CD in December?

 

[chamber-music]

New Jack Swing the forgotten music genre.

I watched the 50th anniversary motown with Martin Freeman the other night. It was quite intresting.

If you like Blue Eyed Soul you should check out Sam Sparro's Black and Gold, Daniel Marriweather is great too.

I wonder what happened to Unklejam

Since Estelle was moaning about the british record companies not knowing how to handle black female singers a whole bunch of them got deals last year.

Anita Blay, aka The Cocknbullkid
I'm Not Sorry- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CuvIZJDHx5M
On My Own- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Hro4ocfkM5E

V.V. Brown
Crying Blood- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zdOB8OilKUE
Bottles- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jdVZ68FVJko

Ebony Bones
We Know All About You- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=59ubuccEXsc

 

[Manic]

You know, I've heard Ebony Bones before. She's unique, but definitely not my style. At all.

 

[Manic]

It figures I'd start the only DOA music genre thread.

This thread needs some new life. It needs Jungle Love!

 

[PyroChamber]

Some of these newer singers are talented, they just choose to focus more on their image.

Here's a question, whatever happened to R&B groups altogether? Particularly ones that were a band.

 

[Manic]

I think most R&B groups (especially the ones that don't play instruments) have a habit of going bankrupt. They have no musical talent themselves, so they end up paying a bunch of other people to write their music and lyrics for them. Then when the album sales come in, they have to split the remainder 3-5 ways (depending on how many singers are in the group).

I watched a special about New Edition on TV once. They made so little money for themselves, they were still living in the projects after their first couple of hits. Whatever money they made, it came from touring all the time. That's why every time they've reunited since the mid-90s, all they've done is tour.

That doesn't really explain why record companies aren't signing them anymore, though. I feel like the R&B scene has a vacuum that needs to be filled by a sultry and/or spunky all-woman trio/quartet.

 

[chamber-music]

Here's a question, whatever happened to R&B groups altogether? Particularly ones that were a band.

Do you mean like boys 2 men type groups or R&B bands that play insturments?

I think they have kind of gone out fashion at the moment.

 

[AndThePickles]

I miss r&b groups

Some of my favorite artists are Van Hunt, Calvin Richardson, Donell Jones, Brian McKnight, and Musiq Soulchild. I'd say I slightly prefer neo-soul to r&b, and I hate current r&b.

I think what I miss the most that is absent from today's popular r&b (which frankly, can barely be considered r&b ) is passion and love. I miss all the poetic slow jams

 

[knowsbleed]

Donell needs a new album. I'm looking forward to that new Joe album coming out this year... going back to what his original sound was like. More babymaking music.

 

[AndThePickles]

I love Joe, didn't know he had a new album coming out. Yessss.

 

[knowsbleed]

Yeah, Joe's last album to me was very "meh"... but it had 4 or 5 snippets from his new album coming out in February... I think. Those snippets were greater than anything he's put out since My Name is Joe imo. Though I think that All That I Am is still his best album.

But Joe, Donell, Brian... those guys hold it down for me as R&B is concerned. Babyface fell off a while back when he tried to go the pop route. Tried to come out looking like a poor man's Q-Tip... didn't work and he hasn't been the same since.

 

[Darknightnomis]

Old school Funkster here and I was going to start a thread about this but I might as well ask it here: ARE FUNK BANDS DEAD??? Did HIP HOP kill funk???

 

[Manic]

I don't think hip-hop killed funk. I think funk just slowly faded away throughout the 80s. You can still find it in a few places, nowadays. Raphael Saadiq comes to mind.

 

[LastSunrise1981]

I'm more into heavy metal music. However, when it comes to the R&B, Soul, and Funk sounds it's all about the old school in my opinion. Rick James, Isley Brothers, Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Commodores, The Jacksons, Luther Vandross, Prince, and Stevie Wonder is where its at.

This new stuff that's being played today is nothing compared to the old school.

 

[Manic]

The old school R&B singers were so great, today's R&B singers all sound like pale imitations of them. Even the Neo-Soul community, as much as I love it, is packed with dudes who all sound like they're doing their best Stevie Wonder impressions.

I guess it's not their fault, though. Most people learn to sing by singing along to their favorite songs. In theory, there's just a lot of guys out there who grew up singing along to Stevie.

That said, I can only assume Trey Songz listened to a lot of R. Kelly as a kid.

 

[chamber-music]

I don't think hip-hop killed funk. I think funk just slowly faded away throughout the 80s. You can still find it in a few places, nowadays. Raphael Saadiq comes to mind.

Funk has gone indie. Alot of bands from the late 70s and the 80s like Gang Of Four took funk and disco rhythms and made Dance-Punk from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_punk

 

[knowsbleed]

People trying to sound like Stevie is a million times better than people trying to sound like R. Kelly.

 

[LastSunrise1981]

In my opinion this is what it's all about:

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[YT]Tg1TJ4obivA[/YT]

[YT]0NnXIxSAa1Q[/YT]

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[Manic]

People trying to sound like Stevie is a million times better than people trying to sound like R. Kelly.

I'm not gonna argue with you there. I just remember hearing Trey Songz for the first time and thinking it was an R. Kelly song.

Now I fear a group of singers who all sing threw the nose like Keith Sweat.

 

[The Chairman]

Stevie Wonder's the greatest. No one can top him. I saw him live in 2007 (with Tony Bennett and Prince as guests), and he still blows his contemporaries away.

That being said, this thread is severely lacking in Barry White:

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[Darknightnomis]

I don't think hip-hop killed funk. I think funk just slowly faded away throughout the 80s. You can still find it in a few places, nowadays. Raphael Saadiq comes to mind.

Interestingly that you mention Raphael, I recently picked up his latest album and it's certianly a throwback to the old Stax/Atlantic records sound.

But Raphael is one of the last of mainstream R&B artist that's trying to keep the genre (funk) alive, especialy when he did his LUCY's PEARL project in early 200s and in the 90s with Tony Toni Tone'.

And I know there are a lot of artist playing the funk out there such as Van Hunt, Nikka Costa, Andre 2000 (his solo stuff), Mishelle N'DegeOcello, Maxwell (if he makes another album),etc.. but you have to find them on certian shows college stations or web sites.

My problem is that they are not readily avaiable to the mass audience of anyone who love the genre. R & B radio isn't playing them in prime time and they certianly aren't been shown on any music television as redily as rap and hip hop artist.

It's a shame that such great genre of music is being second string in must R & B artist nowadays.

 

[November Rain]

I think most R&B groups (especially the ones that don't play instruments) have a habit of going bankrupt. They have no musical talent themselves, so they end up paying a bunch of other people to write their music and lyrics for them. Then when the album sales come in, they have to split the remainder 3-5 ways (depending on how many singers are in the group).

I watched a special about New Edition on TV once. They made so little money for themselves, they were still living in the projects after their first couple of hits. Whatever money they made, it came from touring all the time. That's why every time they've reunited since the mid-90s, all they've done is tour.

That doesn't really explain why record companies aren't signing them anymore, though. I feel like the R&B scene has a vacuum that needs to be filled by a sultry and/or spunky all-woman trio/quartet.

this is the case with most 'bands'

money is made from touring and apperances, not from single sales etc...

 

[November Rain]

real r 'n b died in the 90s

nothing these days compares to 'no diggity'

most soul singers are also switching to the house music genre because r n' b's targeted audience (black folk) don't buy singles so there's a shift in their main audience

put a decent beat behind a r n b song and you get a decent house record, infact that's what most hip hop used to be in the 90s, sampling.

 

[Manic]

Interestingly that you mention Raphael, I recently picked up his latest album and it's certianly a throwback to the old Stax/Atlantic records sound.

But Raphael is one of the last of mainstream R&B artist that's trying to keep the genre (funk) alive, especialy when he did his LUCY's PEARL project in early 200s and in the 90s with Tony Toni Tone'.

Saaqid is still producing music for a few people here and there. Joss Stone's Introducing... album was probably all done by him. It was probably Stone's best release, too.

And I know there are a lot of artist playing the funk out there such as Van Hunt, Nikka Costa, Andre 2000 (his solo stuff), Mishelle N'DegeOcello, Maxwell (if he makes another album),etc.. but you have to find them on certian shows college stations or web sites.

What the hell happened to Maxwell, anyway?

I remember when MTV (at a time when they were respectable) was promoting the hell out of Nikka Costa as a new artist to look out for. "Like A Feather" was all over the place, but it's like her music just didn't catch on.

real r 'n b died in the 90s

nothing these days compares to 'no diggity'

most soul singers are also switching to the house music genre because r n' b's targeted audience (black folk) don't buy singles so there's a shift in their main audience

put a decent beat behind a r n b song and you get a decent house record, infact that's what most hip hop used to be in the 90s, sampling.

Wait... who switched to house?

 

[Darknightnomis]

Saaqid is still producing music for a few people here and there. Joss Stone's Introducing... album was probably all done by him. It was probably Stone's best release, too.[/qoute]

Yeah, I have all of Joss Stone stuff and Introducing... is by far the most funkiest of the three. She really tears it up on the song 'Put your hands on me'! Love how she brings it on that song.

What the hell happened to Maxwell, anyway?[/qoute]

You got me, Manic. Last I heard he was supposed to have been making some kind of trilogy with three release in the same year, but that was supposed to have happen last year.

I know. I love all her stuff. her latest is the most fukiest of all of them. And she's even better live!

She is a victim of a time when funk is just not appreciated or considered "old school" by the majority of music buyers today. Which is why I initally asked did Hip Hop kill funk music.

Ironically my older brother used to say Funk music killed Soul music.

But when I was a teen you could here the music of such funk bands as THE TIME, ZAPP, GAP BAND, CONFUCTION, OHIO PLAYERS, LAKESIDE, RICK JAMES and STONE CITY BAND, PRINCE and the REVOLUTION (the only version with dez Dickerson and Andre Cymone) along with the new forming rap genre on the radio and on MTV and BET.

But now it's only hip hop or rap.