Neo Soul Today

Still Alive

2006-05-06T19:13:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive. Fatherhood and career have been consuming me since my last post. But, hey; here at Neo Soul Today it's not about quantity, it's about quality. So, stay tuned. However, just to keep it fair and balanced, I have been formulating my next post. My hope is that it will be just as thought-provoking as my last (Are Neo Soul Listeners Elitists?). Since you've been so loyal, I'll let you know what I plan to title it: "Overall, Do Overseas Listeners Appreciate Neo Soul More?" I plan to incorporate some intriguing commentary from some listeners from around the globe to see if the question answers itself.

Speaking of my last post, what's up? Where's the opinion? Agree, disagree? I want to hear your thoughts.

Also, for those of you who have attempted to click an audio link in one of my past Neo Soul Sound Sessions, I apologize for them not working. The web hosts where I store the audio for them are located in various countries around the world. Some of them are here one day and gone the next. I will restore that audio as soon as I can.

In the meantime, my hobby hasn't waned. Whenever I've found a free moment, I have been trying to catch up on researching for new, underground neo soul artists or new upcoming albums. When you have time, check out these artists:

1. Debórah Bond (website - cdbaby)
2. Vanessa Freeman (website - iTunes)
3. Carol Riddick (website)

Finally, if you don't keep up with the world of underground music, you may have never heard of J Dilla. J Dilla was an outstanding Hip Hop producer whose sound has its own unique, underground signature. His reach and body of work includes contributions to projects by artists too numerous to list. Unfortunately, on Febrary 10, 2006 he gave way to an incurable blood disease and lupus leaving behind massive numbers of mourning underground artists and listeners worldwide. Just to give you a sense of his contribution, take some time to listen to this commemorative compilation courtesy of toddkelly.net (WARNING: explicit lyrics).

-- Sean

Are Neo Soul Listeners "Elitists?"

2006-02-18T23:16:00.000-05:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I ask myself if I'm a "music snob." I mean, really. Do I think I'm superior to others because I love music that a majority of the world's population doesn't even know exists; and am serious about it? Do I think I'm better than even those who listen to neo soul (or whatever you choose to call it), but are less serious about it?

There was a very good October 17, 2003 Boston Globe article by Renee Graham entitled "Neo Soul Movement Stirs Soul Feud." Graham's article discussed how neo soul artists -- for all of their original promise -- had not continued to make a major impact. It postulated that, at the end of 2003, the "neo soul movement" had retreated to the underground and was trying to regain mainstream attention with artists such as Anthony Hamilton. Also, the article went into how artists, such as Hamilton and Lizz Fields, were (and still are) ambivalent toward the term "neo soul" -- virtually a requirement for any literary work on the subject. It reviewed how neo soul was all but on its way to the mainstream and was more than just a paradigm shift in music. Rather, it was a "movement and a mind-set;" out of which even a movie, "Love Jones" (1997), was born targeted toward this so-called "neo soul mind-set" market and thereby perpetuating the movement. Unsurprisingly, Ms. Graham goes on to propose that neo soul's initial failing was "the media-created label itself -- a term that the artists, whom it was meant to represent, generally rejected." Well, if you're a regular Neo Soul Today reader, this irony central to the music is not news to you. So what, then, makes this article so interesting? Consider, if you will, the following excerpt from Ms. Graham's article:

"Reveling in a music-first ethic, the neo-soul movement could seem a little sanctimonious. It was soul music for smart people, with a tangible elitism and self-importance that some may have found off-putting."

Wow. Is she right? Keep reading.

Late last year, I came across a blog named "The Soul Movement" with a well-written post entitled "Soul Music: A Serious Contender to Hip-Hop's Economic Throne?" by freelance writer and underground soul artist publicist Gabriel Rich. The post cites some astounding statistics about the so-called the "neo soul mindset" market from studies conducted by market research think tanks TMG and Edison Media Research. Ponder this from Rich's post:

It is estimated that "the (Neo) Soul mindset market represents 50 million consumers with a mind-boggling $65 million in buying power"
"The median age of the (Neo) Soul consumer is 32.2"
"60% of females list (Neo) Soul as their favorite music compared to 39% of males"
"African-Americans comprise over 60% of the Soul music’s listeners. Whites make up around 20%."
"The average income of the (Neo) Soul listener is $85,000"
"4 out of 5 (Neo) Soul listeners have college experience or hold college degrees"

Very interesting. I've been in touch with Gabriel and he confirmed that these numbers are authentic and accurate and that his sources are credible. Based on these statistics, he concludes that "Soul is the music of the mature adult." I've always held that sentiment and these numbers simply quantify it. However, do these numbers also support Ms. Graham's claim that the neo soul movement is "sanctimonious," "for smart people" with a "tangible elitism" and sense of "self-importance?" Well, I can confidently infer that "the majority" of serious neo soul listeners are educated, established, affluent, predominantly black, and predominantly female.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Many marketing departments in corporate America appear convinced as well. You may have noticed this yourself when watching TV, reading a black magazine, or observing billboards in urban areas. For instance, in 2003, Coke launched its "Real" advertising campaign as part of a broader marketing strategy to reinvigorate the brand by increasing its share of the young adult market. This campaign is most notable for its TV ads featuring everyday people in everyday situations. The third TV ad to launch in the campaign featured Mya and Common performing a duet about staying "real and true to one's self." Subsequent spots featured both mainstream and undergroud artists including Angie Stone, Musiq, The Roots' Scratch and ?uestlove, Amel Larreiux, Aaries, and Donnie. A 2003 EURweb article quoted Hussein Warmack, Coke Classic brand manager, as saying "We’ve chosen to go with artists from the neo classic soul music genre" because "neo soul is about being true to yourself. Being real. They write their own lyrics, sing their own music, dress how they want to dress." Baileys' "Get Together" marketing campaign offers print and billboard ads featuring mature, late-20s to late-30s adults (more women than men) getting together and socializing while drinking Baileys Irish Cream. Baileys and Coke are only two examples of companies apparently targeting this $65 million "neo soul mindset" market of affluent, young, educated adults who know what they like and have an easily-identifiable trait in common -- a love for neo soul.

So clearly, more evidence is surfacing suggesting that many (not all) serious neo soul listeners have a common mindset supported by similarities in economic status (affluent), race (majority black), gender (more women than men), age (late-20s to late-30s), and education (mostly college-educated). Coincidentially, I obviously love neo soul and I match in every characteristic except for one -- gender (I'm 100% male).

So, although I always try to avoid generalizations, I can understand Ms. Graham's claim that the so-called "neo soul movement" consists of "smart people" with a "music-first ethic." However, I'm still struggling to understand where the claim that a "tangible" sense of "elitism" exists amongst neo soul listeners.

Recently, when doing a Google search on the phrase "neo soul," I ran across a bulletin board thread at digital-djs.com entitled "What's Wrong With the Term Neo Soul???" In fact, this thread was how I discovered Ms. Graham's article. The thread, begun by Digital DJs' DJ Melodic, reprised the article and posed the question, "Are we witnessing the downfall of this soul movement??? What can we do to make this music more mainstream???" The thread began and peaked over a time period from June 2003 to October 2003 and consists of interesting intellectual analyses (some overly analytical, some tangential) of Ms. Graham's article. However, the first person (codenamed "SaSkWatch") to reply was also intrigued by the paragraph containing the "elitist" reference, in particular. I highly recommend reading DJ Melodic's thread in its entirety.

In a nutshell, the most intriguing and honest replies appear to come from serious neo soul listeners who candidly admit that their rare musical tastes bear on the side of elitism and "musical bigotry." While these particular posters' candidness about their elitist tendencies is admirable, they also appear to struggle internally with it. They appear to struggle with the fact that their exclusive tastes may, just may, be one of the reasons why the neo soul artists they dote over struggle (no pun intended) to manufacture but one album, struggle to break into the mainstream, struggle to fill the house for a single concert, or, frankly, struggle to make a decent living. Below are some quotes from the thread relevant to the "elitism" claim that I found to be the most telling:

"I personally think that two of Soul Artist's greatest enemies have been the artists and the fans themselves...I have to look at my own self in the mirror and admit I too presented an elitist attitude regarding music. I have been called everything including being a 'musical bigot'. I would go on these self-important rants about why...Jill Scott is better than Ashanti, etc. This self-importance is pertinent to who, the 10 people that bought the Bilal LP? It sure is not important to the million plus that buys Nelly records. We complain about why [our artists] don't reach mainstream success, but its not like we endear ourselves to the mass market. The Roots and Jaguar Wright [make] a Coke commercial and you scream bloody murder. Common stands next to Mya, and you are like WTF? If we don't re-evaluate our thinking then we might be witnessing the end of a great musical renassiance. How can our artists afford to live, raise families, etc., when they can only get small venue shows, and the chosen few are buying their CDs?"
--SaSkWatch
"The common consensus is that in some way we have all been deemed elitists and bigots because of our very stringent opinions. I consider myself an intellectual, and I will admit that I like that I'm into music that [a] majority may not like or know about. It kind [of] confirms my belief that [my]mindset is different (like my third eye is wide open...). But at the same time, I love the artists and their musical innovation -- and I want them to succeed and get the recognition they so rightfully deserve."
--SongByrd1"
Some of these posts, prompt me to ask if folks like the music they claim to listen to or rather are they just trying to be different/fashionable/hip or whatever by claiming they like certain artists?"
--Jonathan
"You have people who have dedicated their lives to music...They study it, live it, breathe it, perform it, and collect it like it was the sweet nectar of life. Conversely, I think you have people that look at music as a simple distraction...Ya know, its not that serious for them. Maybe its that commitment level that drives people to Soul, creates that elitist atmosphere or thought process, and lead people to sites like these. Let's face it, Soul Music is special music. I personally think that music has a higher purpose in a person's life. It can make people get "happy" in church. It gives you the goosebumps and/or gives you a feeling of euphoria. It can control your mood and your mindstate. Something that powerful should be looked at seriously and that wisdom needs to be shared...BUT... Just because we listen to special music, that doesn't make us special people."
--SaSkWatch

So what is my take on this proposal that serious neo soul listeners are essentially self-important elitists who think they are smarter than the masses? As of today, February 12, 2006, I identify the most with SaSkWatch's sentiments three years ago. I, too, am struggling with the underlying dichotomy of my passion for neo soul music and its artists. See, I still cannot go as far as to say I wish neo soul and its artists would go mainstream. It is the music's fundamental rareness, genuineness, and uniqueness that drives me to love it and the artists that make it. Yet, simultaneously, I'm pained by the fact that many of these artists have to struggle to live as a result of remaining independent and not going mainstream. Nestled within my DNA is an appreciation for going against the grain and being somewhat different than the masses when it comes to certain preferences (e.g., rare music such as neo soul). I truly believe, without any direct evidence, that many people who love neo soul also share this desire to be different. See, everyone has a set of preferences. Of those preferences, I'm sure there are one or two that you believe you know more about than most people in the world. In my case, neo soul just happens to be one of them. However, I do not think I'm superior or elite because I think I know more about neo soul than most?

Perhaps the "elistist" reference is more about the assumed economic and educational position of those with the "neo soul mindset" and less about the music.

Please comment with your thoughts. What do you think? After digesting the information in this post, do you think serious neo soul listeners (or those with the "neo soul mindset") are elitists?

Soul Album Review: Days Ahead's "Turning Point"

2006-01-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Typically, whenver I'm leisurely listening to Liquid Soul Radio via live365.com, I'm doing other things simultaneously. Every so often, I hear a good, new soul song, switch to the Live 365 music player window, and note the name of the artist and song. For years, this has been my primary method of ad hoc underground soul artist discovery.

Over a year ago, I heard an incredible, upbeat, jazzy song, led by gracefully strong female vocals and backed by a live band. I immediately stopped what I was doing and checked the name of the artist/group and song. The group's name was Days Ahead and the song title was "You Move Me." I proceeded with the process I normally follow whenever I find a lead. First, I went to my reliable source, dustygroove.com, to see if they had it. No luck. Next, I checked my secondary source, iTunes. No luck. Finally, I checked my third source, cdbaby.com. No luck. "Oh well," I said to myself. Liquid Soul did it again: hit me with a fresh new artist so far underground that I couldn't find them anywhere. Not even a Google search yielded anything.

About two months ago, I heard "You Move Me" again when listening to Liquid Soul Radio and did another Google search. This time, (to my surprise and after nearly a year) via another site, I arrived at the Days Ahead website. I was happy to discover that their debut album, Turning Point (2005, Nightingale60 Publishing (BMI), Stephen Wright (BMI)), is now available. It was at their website that I listened to extended-length track samples to confirm that it was worth a buy. I must say, this album is very good.

Listen to my favorite tracks from Days Ahead's "Turning Point"

My Favorite 8 Tracks from Turning Point's 10 Tracks
1. You Move Me
2. Love Is Love
4. For the Love
5. Good Ole' Days
6. It's In Your Hands
7. Days Ahead
9. Don't Fall Too Fast
10. Courting a Fantasy

Out of my 8 favorite tracks above, I like You Move Me (track 1), For the Love (track 4), and It's In Your Hands (track 6; especially the chorus) the most.

Formally known as daysahead, the Atlanta-based band has such a unique sound. According to the band's website, they consider themselves an acid jazz band combining elements of jazz, soul, and rock. What caught my ear the most was the unmistakable soul interwoven in their jazzy music. What caught my interest the most was what they refer to as "maturity" and "diversity" in their sound.

A Little About The Band
Days Ahead is a 4-piece band consisting of guitar (electric and acoustic), lead vocals, bass, and drums. Amazingly, there are no keyboards. The band is led by the powerful vocals of Kim Leachman supported by Steve Wright (guitarist and producer), Brandon Gilliard (bassist), and James Barrett (drummer). There are also other contributing backup members for each of the different instruments.

Buy it!
I highly recommend buying "Turning Point" from iTunes or cdbaby.com.

Neo Soul Today Album Rating

4 out of 5 stars

Soul Album Review: Eric Roberson's "The Appetizer"

2005-11-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Ever since releasing his underground soul classic, "The Vault Vol. 1.5" (Steel Petal, 2004), Eric Roberson has been on a very short list of my all-around favorite artists. Last week, I purchased the Rahway, New Jersey native's latest CD "The Appetizer" (2005, Blue Erro Soul). Let's just say that my expectations were dangerously high and my disappointment was satisfyingly low.

Eric originally intended to make an E.P. of five new songs "to satisfy people's hunger, till [his] album came out next year." However according to his CD insert, "I couldn't settle on what five to choose from so I did ten...A range of old and new songs that show my growth, my soul, and my love for honest music." And that he did.

"The Appetizer" takes the listener through a pleasant journey of different sounds, styles, and subject matter. The vibes range from a modern soulful freestyle with Floetry's Marsha Ambrosius (Track 1), works reminiscent of the best of DJ Jazzy Jeff and Pete Rock (Tracks 2, 9 and 10), a smooth ballad (Track 5), early 90s-centric slow jams reminiscent of Aaron Hall and Guy (Track 8), and more.

Listen to my favorite tracks from "The Appetizer"

My Favorite Tracks from "The Appetizer"
(NOTE: I've included the excerpts of Eric's liner notes for each track as they tell a story)
1. N2U (feat. Marsha Ambrosius) - "If you've been to my show you know I like to freestyle. Well this song we sang completely off the head. One take each... No protocols, auto tune, etc... Marsha is my heart man. We did this the same night as 'She Ought To Know'. She heard it and the rest is history."
2. What I Gotta Do? - "Kev [Brown] and I are building an amazing musical partnership. Not only is he one of the craziest visionaries behind the MP, but the most humble cat you'll ever meet."
5. Just A Dream - "I wrote this song in college one lonely Saturday night sitting with my guitar. Years later when Larry Gold asked me to be on his album I dusted this baby off and gave it to him. One of my greatest musical memories was walking into the studio and hearing Larry's 18 piece orchestra playing to my song."
6. Softest Lips - "This song was one of the million we recorded during my years recording and developing myself at A Touch of Jazz Studios. Out of all the producers there at that time I bonded musically with Vidal the most."
8. The Moon - "I did this song when I was a sophomore at Howard University & an artist on Warner Brothers back in 93-94. I left school, shot a video, went on tour, moved to a big apartment, and thought I was a star... Well I also went broke, lost my deal, humbled myself, went back to school and GRADUATED, and became a much better preson than I thought I was then."
9. We Can't Pretend - "Another key joint that I wrote with my boy Pete. That's right a co-write with someone... I do that sometimes. Yo Pete has developed into a great writer and dope artist so keep a look out for Peter Hadar."
10. For Da Love Of Da Game (feat. Raheem DeVaughn and V) - "This song means so much to me because it involves two of my favorite singers & writers. V, who inspired me to follow the music in my heart and Raheem, who reminds me of me when I was younger."

Buy it!
I highly recommend buying "The Appetizer" from dustygroove.com, cdbaby.com, or directly from Eric's website (http://www.ericrobersonmusic.com).

Neo Soul Today Album Rating
4 out of 5 stars

The "Neo Soul" Debate: Enough is Enough; Let's Just Move On

2005-10-31T18:34:00.000-05:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Enough is enough.

I don't disagree that the term "neo soul" was created by a marketing executive (Kedar Massenburg). So what. As a listener, I understand both sides' point. Nevertheless, I don't see what the big deal is. Since launching Neo Soul Today, I have realized three truths:

1. That the term "neo soul" (as controversial as it may be) has stuck
2. That this music (today's soul) is truly different than anything else that's out there (in sound and substance)
3. That the split over the term "neo soul" will never go away and that both sides have a valid point. Quoted from Wikipedia:

"Many musicians who create what is considered "neo-soul" prefer to disassociate themselves from the tag, due to the term's buzzword-like usage. These artists argue that many record labels, hoping to cash in on the success of the "neo-soul" style, simply had A&R departments take R&B singers, give them a bohemian look, and have them state Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, or Marvin Gaye as their favorite artists. Instead of using the "neo-soul" tag, many artists simply refer to themselves as soul musicians."

I've also learned since launching this blog that music artists and marketing go together like oil and water. Nevertheless, the harsh reality is that both need each other and I believe most artists understand this. Here's why I believe this to be the case.

Consider two 2002 interviews with Rapheal Saadiq. In one interview with Sacramento News and Review, Saadiq said, "I don’t believe neo-soul really fully describes my music. I prefer to call it 'gospeldelic’--that term seems much more encompassing, particularly since I come from a gospel background." In the other interview with VH1, Raphael Saadiq said he thinks the term [neo soul] is 'wack.'" However, he also went on to say "I understand why they do it for marketing reasons." I found that last statement enlightening.

Consider another example from a Honey Soul audio interview with one of my favorite artists, Julie Dexter. When discussing being mentioned in the same sentence as artists such as Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, she used the term "neo soul." She said, "...that term is quite redundant. You know, I don't consider any of us neo soul. You know, you write soul or jazz or whatever you are. It's not necessarily new." However, she went on to say, "But people have to put a name on our music, I guess, at least to categorize what we do so when you go to a store looking through a thousand CDs, you can go to that section to find what you want to find." That's all I'm saying. Julie and I think exactly the same way. I'm not the greatest fan of the term "neo soul" either and soul definitely is not new. Yet, today's flavor of soul (and all of its sound variants) is clearly different than anything out there and without some way to isolate it, how will listeners be able to find it in the record store when they don't have a particular artist in mind? A "soul" section would be too broad. I don't care what you call it. Just call it something.

With all of that said, my September 5 opinion on Raheem DeVaughn not being what I originally considered to be a neo soul artist has been my most controversial post to date. However, it was taken totally out of context by a few. If you've consistently read the content at Neo Soul Today, all opinion pieces are presented in a respectful manner and focus on the music and the artists that make it. Contrary to what some may believe, I love DeVaughn's music. I bought his album and will likely buy his next. I just learned that his music is more diverse than I, at first, thought. The post was neither a diss nor criticism. His diversity is to his credit. I just had the wrong expectation (that he was a neo soul artist) when I purchased the album (and I know for a fact that I'm not alone from my personal circles). My next purchase will just come with a different level of expectation as to the brother's sound.

Let's Just Move On
Admittedly, I'm exhausted with the debate over the term itself. I say let's just get on with enjoying the music. I would even rename Neo Soul Today to "Soul Today" (http://soultoday.blogspot.com), but it's just not worth the time and effort (similar to trying to undo calling "neo soul" "neo soul"). Get in where you fit in. If you want to call it "soul," call it soul (because it is soul). If you want to call it "neo soul," then call it "neo soul" (because since the mid 1980s, soul went dormant -- click here for more info). We all know what music I'm talking about; so let's stop kidding each other and being so sensitive about the subject. If you find my thoughts and analyses to be nonsensical and unintelligible, then I'm sure there are other blogs out there that are a better use of your time. I created this blog to connect with others who like this music (whatever you want to call it).

Neo Soul Sound Session: The Alternative Rock Sound - Vol. 1

2005-10-18T01:32:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

This Neo Soul Sound Session introduces a series of exclusive Neo Soul Today mixes containing songs that have what I refer to as the alternative rock sound.

Many are unaware that a handful neo soul songs have an alternative rock flavor rich with elements of acoustic or electric guitar, the treble of cymbals, all uniquely combined with modern soul. Some may even question it. That's understandable since the sound is fairly abstract and difficult to articulate in words as I've attempted to do in earlier posts on the different sounds of neo soul. Well, now with Neo Soul Sound Sessions @ Neo Soul Today, you can let your ears be the judge. Give these tracks a listen and then let me know if you see where I'm coming from now. (For more background on my perspective on the different sounds of neo soul, see "Neo Soul Lexicon: Sound.")

I love this rare aspect of neo soul. I wish more artists would make some songs that delve into this sound. Among these seven tracks, my favorite is track 1, Rise, by Ian featuring Robin McElhatten from the 2002 compilation album Organic Soul Vol. 1 (Soul Brother Records).

I hope you enjoy it and I welcome your feedback via comments.

Listen to "The Alternative Rock Sound - Vol. 1"

"The Alternative Rock Sound - Vol. 1" Track Listing
1. Rise - Ian (feat. Robin McElhatten), Organic Soul Vol. 1
2. Voyager - Les Nubians, Princesses Nubiennes
3. Don't Disturb the Peace - Ladybug Mecca, Trip the Light Fantastic
4. They-Say Vision - RES, How I Do
5. Dust - Van Hunt, Van Hunt
6. Golden Boys - RES, How Do I
7. You Never Get Over It - Ladybug Mecca, Trip the Light Fantastic

Sound Off: What Do YOU Think of the Term "Neo Soul?"

2005-10-06T00:25:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

"Sound Off" is a series of posts specifically designed to allow our readers to sound off on a controversial topic. The intention is to guage the overall sentiment about a topic and to put readers' opinions and thoughts on center stage. "Sound Off" posts are of no value without you, the reader, voicing your opinion by posting a comment. As the number of comments grows, I will highlight a number of hard-hitting ones that are characteristic of the overall sentiment (which can range from vastly one-sided to split down the middle). Thus, please post a comment with your thoughts on the topic at hand.

Topic: I knew the term "neo soul" was controversial. However, since starting Neo Soul Today back in June 2005, I've learned that it is much more controversial than I once thought. I knew a sizeable population of artists were not too fond the term. However, I didn't know how strongly they detest the term until now. Merely from conversations within my social circles, it was clear to me that listeners didn't care either way what it was called; so long as they can easily identify it and know where to go to find it (e.g., in brick-and-mortar or online record stores). Obviously, my current sentiment is that although "neo soul" (or whatever you want to call it) is indeed "soul," its sound is distinct enough for it to be classified (or sub-classified) differently just for the sake of isolating the artists whose sounds and vibes are characterized by this style. However, am I wrong? Neo Soul Today was founded with the intention of connecting and sharing with people who hold this sentiment. Nevertheless, some comments on this blog have led me to believe that there is even a sizeable population of listeners who detest the term "neo soul" just as or more passionately than many artists do.

Sound off: Who's right? Is "neo soul" a misused marketing term for what is really just good soul music that does not conform to mainstream standards? Or is it an ancestor of soul that is distinct enough to be called something else (i.e., "neo soul") so listeners can easily identify it when they hear the term or see it on the music racks?

The power is in your voice. Please post a comment now to sound off on this topic. Your comment may just be featured!

The Jazzyfatnastees' Album Available for FREE

2005-10-01T15:07:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

After a three-year hiatus from the music business, The Jazzyfatnastees are back with their new upcoming album entitled "The World Is Coming." They're so excited to be back that, for a limited time, they're making the entire album available FREE for a limited time! As of the date of this post, the album's ten tracks are still available for download in MP3 format from their official website at jazzyfatnastees.com. I urge you to download them now as it is uncertain how long they'll be available for free. The liner notes for "The World Is Coming" are available in Mercedes' September 12, 2005 journal entry.

Where Have The Jazzyfatnastees Been Anyway?
If you've been wondering where The Jazzyfatnastees have been since their last release, "The Tortoise and The Hare" (2002, Coolhunter), read Mercedes' June 21, 2005 journal entry. It offers a candid and very interesting peek inside the innerworkings of the music industry and the plight of a non-traditional group.

Post a comment and let me know what you think.

projectVIBE: New Source for Soul Listening

2005-09-28T13:38:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Please check out projectVIBE.net (The SOUL of Internet Radio). I recommend adding this to your portfolio of sources for discovering neo soul songs and artists that you may have never heard before. Below is an exerpt from projectVIBE which describes their offering.

"projectVIBE is growing to become the world's standard for representing the best of soul-influenced music online. From Neo-Soul rhythms to Deep House, from Jazz to Classic R&B...if it has SOUL, You'll hear it right here!"
--projectVIBE.net

Thus far, I've been impressed with their song selection and sound quality. The projectVIBE Music Player is easy to use and provides different streaming options (Windows Media, RealPlayer, Winamp, iTunes, and others). The player also works behind a firewall if you want to listen during the day while in the office.

I believe our Neo Soul Today subscribers are part of the market of listeners that projectVIBE believes will enjoy their music the most. You can find a link to projectVIBE.net throughout Neo Soul Today to your right under "Neo Soul Listening Links." I'd also like to thank Elliot -- projectVIBE.net founder -- for visiting Neo Soul Today and commenting on our July 17, 2005 post "Neo Soul Lexicon: Neo Soul Artists vs. Contributing Artists".

Please post comments and let me know what you think.

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2005-09-27T11:51:00.000-04:00

Neo Soul Today Poll: Do you think "neo soul" should be classified separately from classic soul?

2005-09-26T23:31:00.000-04:00

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Click here if you cannot see this poll.

Neo Soul Sound Session: Contributing Artist Mix - Vol. 1

2005-09-23T11:34:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

This Neo Soul Sound Session introduces a series of exclusive Neo Soul Today mixes called Contributing Artist Mixes. These mixes are devoted entirely to artists that we do not consider to be neo soul artists. Rather, they are artists from other genres that contribute to the neo soul art form every so often (For more background on the distinction between neo soul artists and contributing artists, see my July 17, 2005 post entitled "Neo Soul Lexicon: Neo Soul Artists vs. Contributing Artists.")

My intention for this first volume of the Neo Soul Today Contributing Artist Mix is multi-faceted. First, I wanted to create a carefully-crafted compilation of scintillating tracks that span the different sounds of neo soul. Second, I wanted to pull together some neo soul tracks that connect with the soul in different ways (ranging from inducing the urge to stand up, dance, and sing to yourself aloud to sitting back and reflecting on relationships). However, thirdly (and most importantly), I wanted to pull together these tracks to reinforce the notion that many great neo soul songs are not always made by neo soul artists. All of the tracks in this mix are made by artists whose core competency is in other genres such as mainstream R&B, hip hop, and house/dance.

I must admit, this is one mean mix! I hope you enjoy it and I welcome your feedback via comments.

Listen to the Neo Soul Today "Contributing Artist Mix - Vol. 1"

"Contributing Artist Mix - Vol. 1" Track Listing
1. No Tears - Pete Rock (feat. Leela James), Soul Survivor II
(neo soul sound: R&B)
2. Hop, Skip and Jump - Pete Rock, The Surviving Elements (From Soul Survivor II Sessions)
(neo soul sound: hip hop)
3. Pimp Strut - Pete Rock, The Surviving Elements (From Soul Survivor II Sessions)
(neo soul sound: hip hop)
4. Twisted - Ultra Nate, Twisted - Single
(neo soul sound: electronic)
5. Believe - Raheem DeVaughn, The Love Experience
(neo soul sound: R&B)
6. Falling - Gaelle, Transient
(neo soul sound: house)
7. Free - Jaguar Wright, Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul
(neo soul sound: R&B)
8. Show The World - Ladybug Mecca, Trip The Light Fantastic
(neo soul sound: world)
9. Willing & Waiting - Mary J. Blige, Love & Life
(neo soul sound: R&B)
10. If I Need to Move On (Sometimes) - Ladybug Mecca, If I Need to Move On (Sometimes) - Single
(neo soul sound: hip hop)
11. Let No Man Put Asunder - Mary J. Blige, Mary (Limited Edition)
(neo soul sound: house)

Neo Soul Sound Session: Antoinique's "Introducing Antoinique"

2005-09-18T00:41:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

This first Neo Soul Sound Session @ Neo Soul Today is solely dedicated to Antoinique's 2003 debut album, "Introducing Antoinique." Coming from a picky neo soul collector, this album is clearly one of the greatest neo soul albums ever made. Just consider the magnitude of that statement. When one considers the best neo soul albums ever made, these must include Maxwell's "Urban Hang Suite," Erykah Badu's "Baduizm," Jill Scott's "Who Is Jill Scott?," Peven Everett's "Studio Confessions," and Eric Roberson's "The Vault: Vol. 1.5" among a very few others. "Introducing Antoinique" garnered 5 out of 5 stars in my August 5, 2005 Neo Soul Today Album Review and has remained in my CD rotation since then. Out of the CD's 14 tracks, I like 13 of them (tracks 1-13) and have provided those for your listening pleasure in this sound session. Enjoy; and we hope this session leads you to buy it.

Listen to Antoinique's "Introducing Antoinique"

We welcome your comments.

Introducing Neo Soul Sound Sessions @ Neo Soul Today

2005-09-17T19:54:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

I am pleased to introduce Neo Soul Sound Sessions @ Neo Soul Today. Neo Soul Sound Sessions are streaming audio sessions comprising entire albums, partial albums, or mixes of interest here at Neo Soul Today for your listening pleasure. These sessions will be used to accompany Neo Soul Today posts as well as to allow our readers to listen to what we're talking about in a post or to simply get an idea of what we're currently listening to.

I am extremely excited about this new capability offered by Neo Soul Today and we hope it brings us closer to you. Enjoy.

Features
Antoinique's "Introducing Antoinique"
Neo Soul Sound Session: Contributing Artist Mix - Vol. 1
Neo Soul Sound Session: The Alternative Rock Sound - Vol. 1

Raheem DeVaughn A Neo Soul Artist? Not So Fast.

2005-09-05T13:20:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

To-date, this has been my most challenging post to pull together in terms of piecing together research and drawing conclusions -- thus, the reason for the length of time between this and my last post. Enjoy and please post comments.

"An artist offering mature, conscious, and/or innovative soul-rooted music is not always a neo soul artist."
--From the July 17, 2005 post, "Neo Soul Lexicon: Neo Soul Artists vs. Contributing Artists"

Many may jump at the opportunity to consider Raheem DeVaughn a neo soul artist. If you fall into this category, please consider this post objectively. Also, please remember always that Neo Soul Today is positioned for current or aspiring neo soul listeners. Thus, this discussion comes purely from the neo soul perspective in order to give neo soul listeners more information to make purchasing decisions and to avoid confusion.

Setting the Stage for Discussion
I like Raheem DeVaughn and his music -- enough to write this post. I have been following DeVaughn since 2003 which included seeing him live with some friends at Suite 450 in Philadelphia. Since then, the man has been impressively inching his way onto the midstream scene with the release of his debut album entitled "The Love Experience" (2005, Jive). He is a prime example of why it is not wise to draw conclusions about someone who wears cornrows and baggy clothes. Indeed, DeVaughn's music is intriguingly mature, raw, articulate, vintage, and conscious. "Every scab is peeled fresh and every open wound is salted," remarks his bio on the album's website. However, you may or may not be surprised to know that DeVaughn's overall sound does not fall within the neo soul sound range. This is not to say that none of his songs would be fine additions to a neo soul compilation album or your neo soul playlist. He just is not a neo soul artist by trade.

After Listening to DeVaughn's Debut Album, You May Think He is a Neo Soul Artist
Solely considering the 14 non-interlude tracks from "The Love Experience," I consider half of them to be neo soul (italicized below) based on their sound (take a listen for yourself).

2. Love Experience (neo soul sound: R&B) - Listen
3. Guess Who Loves You More (neo soul sound: R&B) - Listen
4. Who (neo soul sound: none) - Listen
5. Where I Stand (neo soul sound: R&B) - Listen
6. Breathe (neo soul sound: R&B) - Listen
7. You (neo soul sound: R&B) - Listen
8. Sweet Tooth (neo soul sound: none) - Listen
9. Ask Yourself (neo soul sound: none) - Listen
10. Believe (neo soul sound: R&B) - Listen
11. Is It Possible (neo soul sound: R&B) - Listen
12. Catch 22 (neo soul sound: none) - Listen
13. Until (neo soul sound: none) - Listen
14. Cadillac (neo soul sound: none) - Listen
15. Green Leaves (neo soul sound: none) - Listen

A 50% ratio of neo soul tracks to non-neo soul tracks on DeVaughn's debut album is not significant enough to consider (or not to consider) him a neo soul artist. Especially with a new artist, a fairly high ratio (at least 70% or 7 out of 10) on a debut album is needed to initially consider him a neo soul artist with relative confidence. So why, then, do I not consider DeVaughn a neo soul artist when half of the songs on his debut album have a neo soul sound? Please read on.

Assessing DeVaughn's Previous Underground Work Suggests Otherwise
Although DeVaughn considers himself new to the industry side of the music business, he has actually been making music for a while. A few years ago, he along with vocalist Tennyson Richards and multi-faceted producer Omar Retnu founded Urban Ave 31 -- a Baltimore/D.C.-based underground group of musicians, vocalists, and artists. Prior to "The Love Experience," DeVaughn hosted, was the lead singer on, or collaborated on seven CDs released by the ensemble (listed below).

1. "The Healing - Daily Dosage" by Urban Ave 31
(Universal People Improvement, 2002)
2. "The Antidote - The Healing Volume 2" by Urban Ave 31
(Universal People Improvement, 2003)
3. "Limited Budget, Unlimited Quality" by Crossrhodes
(Urban Ave Music, 2004)
4. "The Street Experience - Volume 1" by Urban Ave 31
(Urban Ave Music, 2004)
5. "The Street Experience - Volume 2" by Urban Ave 31
(Urban Ave Music, 2004)
6. "The Street Experience - Volume 3" by Urban Ave 31
(Urban Ave Music, 2004)
7. "The Invitation: Crossrhodes Volume 2" by Crossrhodes
(Urban Ave Music, 2005)

Although DeVaughn was not the lead singer for all of the tracks on these albums, he contributed to most of them. I urge you to take some time to listen to these albums' tracks (full-length audio available at the Urban Ave 31 web site). A track-by-track analysis of these CDs shows that although some of the songs' sound fall within the neo soul sound range (particularly, Hip Hop and R&B), most do not. Of these works, only the two Crossrhodes CDs (in conjunction with W. Ellington Felton) have the highest ratios of neo soul tracks to non-neo soul tracks involving DeVaughn. The remaining CDs have ratios well below 50%.

The Takeaway
Raheem DeVaughn is not a neo soul artist. Rather, he is a talented individual who contributes to the art form. Admittedly, before conducting the research for this post, my first impression was that he was a neo soul artist. See, most of the tracks on DeVaughn's debut album under Jive are purely enhanced, re-releases of tracks that were already on Urban Ave 31's "The Street Experience" mixtape series. Most of what I previously heard was either from Volume 3 of "The Street Experience" (which features somes of the original tracks on his debut), XM Channel 61 (The Flow), and Liquid Soul Radio. This led me to believe he was a borderline neo soul artist. Thus, I'm glad that I put the work into writing this post for you because it turns out that he is not and hopefully you will not be as confused as I was after discovering that he is not.

DeVaughn is definitely an intriguing artist. His work is extremely diverse from a genre perspective. When someone's work is this diverse, I err on on the side of not considering him or her a neo soul artist. It takes a body of work to draw a sound conclusion. As I said in my July 17, 2005 post on neo soul artists vs. contributing artists, "a neo soul artist is defined as such by a combination of the sound of the songs he makes and the general consensus of mature, rational neo soul listeners." The post goes on to say, "A neo soul artist is not defined as such by himself, record labels, the media, or any other party." DeVaughn's bio on the official website for his debut says, "Forget about placing Raheem DeVaughn in the neo-soul category." This is one time where I agree.

I hope this post helps you in assessing DeVaughn as a neo soul artist in the future and whether to make a purchasing decision based on this assessment. We will definitely keep an eye on him.

Please post your comments.

Related Neo Soul Today Content
Neo Soul Lexicon: Neo Soul Artists vs. Contributing Artists
Neo Soul Lexicon: The Controversial Phrase "Neo Soul"

Related Internet Content
"The Love Experience" Official Web Site
The Urban Ave 31 Web Site
Watch DeVaughn Perform on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live (high - low)

Neo Soul Today Music @ Last.fm

2005-08-19T20:41:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Earlier this month, I discovered a new, free, web-based music service called last.fm. Last.fm was formerly known as Audioscrobbler amongst hard core music enthusiasts and deep within the blogosphere. So what is it exactly? I'm getting an idea of what it is, however, here's their definition of what they are:

"Last.fm is the flagship product from the team that designed the Audioscrobbler system, a music engine based on a massive collection of Music Profiles. Each music profile belongs to one person, and describes their taste in music. Last.fm uses these music profiles to make personalized recommendations, match you up with people who like similar music, and generate custom radio stations for each person"

"After picking a username and signing up, you would typically install an Audioscrobbler Plugin for your media player (iTunes, Winamp etc..) which sends the name of every song you play on your computer to Last.fm. Over time, this list of songs grows larger and larger - you can see your personal listening charts on your userpage. Last.fm automatically finds people with a similar taste, and generates music recommendations for you."
--Last.fm

It's quite a creative concept. You see what neo soul music I'm listening to right now. I essentially let iTunes play a portion of my neo soul collection. It is an excellent way of getting a real-time idea of what we're up to from a music perspective. Most of all, if you trust our taste in music here at Neo Soul Today, then you can consider this as a new source for discovering new neo soul music and artists. It lists the tracks I've just listened to, all of the total tracks I've listened to, as well as the artists. Last.fm also has the capability of streaming a Neo Soul Today radio station consisting of these neo soul songs. However, I haven't found this to work reliably because most of the music I listen likely too underground. When the radio feature becomes more reliable, you'll be the first to know. Truth be told, I'm still kicking the tires on Last.fm's capabilities. However, it seems that I'm onto something here.

Please visit the Neo Soul Today User Page @ Last.fm regularly to remain up-to-date.

Please feel free to comment on what you see and hear. We hope you discover something and/or someone new.

Neo Soul Lexicon: The Artist Sound/Visibility Rating

2005-08-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

This fifth installment of the Neo Soul Lexicon Series is devoted to establishing a quick and easy-to-understand rating system for neo soul listeners to use when searching for and learning about neo soul artists. This rating system is called the Artist Sound/Visibility Rating.

For neo soul listeners, the Artist Sound/Visibility Rating is intended to:
1. Enable us to quickly identify neo soul artists whose primary sound matches our individual tastes
2. Enable us to quickly get a sense of how accessible a neo soul artist is through mainstream online and brick-and-mortar record stores, television, newspapers, periodicals, websites, and other channels
3. Assist us with making informed purchasing decisions
4. Give us the highest likelihood of attending live performances that we will enjoy

For neo soul artists, (based on listener consensus) the Artist/Sound Visibility Rating is intended to:
1. Give you an impression of how your overall sound is perceived by neo soul listeners
2. Give you an impression of how accessible you are through mainstream online and brick-and-mortar record stores, television, newspapers, periodicals, websites, and other channels

For recording industry entities, the Artist/Sound Visibility Rating is intended to:
1. Give you an impression of how your neo soul artists' overall sounds are perceived by neo soul listeners
2. Give you an impression of how accessible your neo soul artists are through mainstream online and brick-and-mortar record stores, television, newspapers, periodicals, websites, and other channels
3. Allow you to streamline your neo soul artists' offerings to the appropriate market segments

Vocabulary Prerequisites
Before describing the Artist Sound/Visibility Rating and to prevent any confusion or misinterpretation, it is worthwhile for you to know what we mean by the following terms: neo soul, neo soul artist, contributing artist, sound, and visibility. When using the term “artist” in this installment, we are referring to neo soul artists as opposed to contributing artists.

The Problem: Discovering New Neo Soul Artists is Time-Consuming
Although audio tools such as niche Internet radio stations, track-sampling on the web, and in-store CD listening have taken some of the guesswork out of the discovery process, it can still be quite frustrating when you can't find anything. Another popular route to discover potential artist matches for your taste includes reading articles, reviews, and interviews at authoritative sources on the web such as Neo Soul Today. However, the truth is that it is frustrating to read review upon review and interview upon interview just to discover that a particular neo soul artist's sound and style does not agree with your taste. Then you have to start the process all over again.

The Solution: The Artist Sound/Visibility Rating
In terms of reading content on the Internet, there must be a quicker and easier way to get an idea of whether you'll like an artist you discover before investing the time in reading reviews, interviews, or artist profiles. The solution is the Artist Sound/Visibility Rating.

The Artist Sound/Visibility Rating (or the Artist S/V Rating) is a tool created here at Neo Soul Today -- for use by all -- for quickly and easily getting a sense of a neo soul artist's sound and visibility characteristics. Sound and visibility are the two key attributes that capture the basic essence of a neo soul artist.

Sound is the essential attribute that describes the auditory characteristics of neo soul songs, artists, and the artform itself. In this context, we're interested in a neo soul artist's primary sound. The 8 sound categories of neo soul in order of increasing eccentricity are hip hop, R&B, jazz, house, alternative rock, electronic, British, and world. This attribute is useful for evaluating whether an artist's primary sound is one that you even like.

Visibility is the essential attribute that describes how accessible a neo soul artist is to listeners, the media, and the general public. The three artist visibility levels in order of decreasing visibility are mainstream, midstream, and underground. This attribute is useful for evaluating not only how easy it is to find an artist's music, but also to get a sense of the type of audience an artist is reaching at a given point in time.

(Visibility is an interesting attribute. In order to keep this topic focused, I expound on why in a comment if you'd like to read more.)

The figure below graphically illustrates examples of the Sound/Visibility Ratings for some neo soul artists. These are only examples and do not represent all neo soul artists as there are obviously many more.

Click to view larger image

Other Examples of Artist Sound/Visibility Ratings
India.Aire (R&B/Mainstream)
Goapele (R&B/Underground)
Antoinique (Jazz/Underground)
Maysa (Jazz/Midstream)
Gaelle (Electronic/Underground)

At Neo Soul Today, you will see Artist Sound/Visibility Ratings used frequently; especially in artist profiles, opinion pieces, album reviews, and interviews.

As always, we welcome your comments. What do you believe the S/V Rating is for other neo soul artists not mentioned here?

Neo Soul Today Album Review: Antoinique's "Introducing Antoinique"

2005-08-05T21:37:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Artist S/V Rating: Jazz/Underground
(What is this?)

Discovering incredible neo soul artists and music is by no means a science. It is more of an art. Granted, over time, one can become quite savvy at neo soul discovery and we hope that Neo Soul Today can be one of the tools in your toolbox for finding great artists and music. However, there is a high degree of luck involved as well. It was by pure luck that I came across Antoinique and her debut album, "Introducing Antoinique" (2003, X Records).

See, I was killing time at the mall in the For Your Entertainment (FYE) store while my wife was looking for some maternity clothes. My first observation was that -- in this particular store -- they categorized R&B, Pop, and Rock under one category on the shelves. Being a discriminating neo soul collector with particular taste, this was a bad sign. Still, I proceeded. It's difficult when you're in a commercial outlet with broad categories and you're not looking for anything in particular. Thus, I just walked to the back and randomly stopped at the "M's." Flipping through the names, I surprisingly came across Ladybug Mecca (who I'll be featuring in an upcoming review). I decided to buy it. Next, I walked back to the "D's" and, again, was surprised to see they had Raheem DeVaughn's "The Love Experience." That I decided to buy as well. Being satisfied with two neo soul CDs, I headed toward the check-out counter.

And Then I Found a Diamond in the Rough
On my way to the check-out counter, I happened to glance down to my right and saw a tab with the name "Antoinique" on it. I knew Antoinique [Parker] was a neo soul artist, but couldn't recall any of her work. I picked up her CD case -- which has a beautifully low-budget cover -- and scanned its barcode for a listen. The rest was history. Simply put, I was blown away by the work of the former background singer for Monifah. "Introducing Antoinique" is an impressive portfolio of classy, modern, mature, jazzy, and smooth neo soul tracks.

"Introducing Antoinique" has 14 tracks in total. For my favorite track, there's a tie between Blackwater (Track 2) and Krazy (Track 5). The CD gets off to a sharp start with, Blackwater, the first full-length track on the CD. Krazy is a song I remember being played on XM Satellite Radio Channel 61, The Flow, in late 2003-early 2004. Listed below are all of my favorite tracks on the CD.

My 13 Favorite Tracks (I will link these to audio samples when some become available):
1. Intro
2. Blackwater
3. Phenomenon
4. Fell In Love
5. Krazy
6. Antoinique
7. Someday
8. Blue
9. Good Love
10. Sweeter
11. The Sweetest
12. Hearsay
13. Firstname

In other words, I like 93% of the album. This is unprecendented; essentially flawless. While acknowledging that most of us listeners have differing tastes, with a success ratio of 93%, it is highly unlikely that you'll dislike this album. I absolutely love it.

Why Now If It Was Released in 2003?
According to the neo soul underground word-of-mouth circuit, although "Introducing Antoinique" was released on December 16, 2003, the album did not enjoy a formal release nor was it appropriately marketed. Although I cannot confirm the authenticity of this information, an anonymous comment posted this on November 30, 2004 at funkjunkiez.biz in response to an October 27, 2004, 4.5 star review (out of 5) of the album. The tone of the comment makes it appear to have been posted by someone close to the situation. The person consistently used the phrase "the people to whom [Antoinique] is signed" rather than the name of her original label. The comment says, "['Introducing Antoinique'] has performed better overseas than in the states mainly due to the underground circuits of people who love and know what real music is all about, and made it's way to internet radio stations around the world." The comment goes on to say, "She has MUCH more material ready to go, even hotter than the debut album, but she must first resolve contractual and financial issues with the people to whom she is signed."

While conducting my research after purchasing her debut, finding two distinct websites for Antoinique (http://www.introducingantoinique.com/ and http://www.antoinique.com/) had me confused. Given this, the comment gained some credibility when it said "Keep your eyes on www.introducingantoinique.com for all of the info" and that "http://www.antoinique.com/ is owned by those to whom she is currently signed, and not really to be used for anything officially related to Antoinique." At different online music outlets, you'll see different release dates (2003 and 2004) and label names (X Records, X Records/Malaco, X.O. Records) for "Introducing Antoinique." X Records appears to be the independent label affiliated with Antoinique as opposed to the one she is allegedly having contractual issues with. We hope that these issues do not withhold her from releasing more wonderful music.

Neo Soul Today Album Rating
5 out of 5 stars

For more information on Antoinique, visit:
Introducing Antoinique - The official Antoinique web site
antoinique.com The (allegedly) former official Antoinique web site

We welcome your thoughts.

New Artist Alert: Jasmine Jones

2005-07-28T01:41:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Artist S/V Rating: R&B/Underground
(What is this?)

It is difficult to discover a neo soul artist you've never heard of, heard, or seen before on iTunes. There is simply too much new and old music to search through. One can quickly grow tired of listening to one 20-second sample after another in search of something or someone new. Over the last 3 years, my first resort for finding new and emerging neo soul artists has been Liquid Soul Elements at Live365.com. When I had XM radio in my car, my second resort was The Flow on channel 61. However, on a regular basis, I still check iTunes to see if I happen to stumble upon a new neo soul artist, album, or song.

It was sometime around June 14, 2005. It was one of those times when I happened to be browsing through the R&B/Soul section of the iTunes Music Store. I wasn't looking for anything in particular; just checking to see if they had any new or emerging neo soul artists, albums, or songs. That night turned out to be my lucky night. There was an intriguing looking sister named Jasmine Jones exclusively billboarded atop the main R&B/Soul page featuring her newly-released album entitled "Battery Proper" (2005, Nickel City). So I proceeded to clickthrough to her album page to listen to some track samples. I was pleasantly impressed and surprised by what I heard; impressed enough to have had it in my rotation for a month and a half.

What immediately impressed me was the sheer sound quality of the tracks. There are many veteran neo soul artists whose song quality comes nowhere near that which was achieved on "Battery Proper." However, "intriguing" is the word that describes my first impressions of the independent Jasmine Jones' work on this album. Each track offers a completely different sound and flavor. Many of them I would place within the R&B sound category along the neo soul sound range. Yet, there are elements of hip hop beats that weave their way throughout the CD as well. Although Jasmine is just getting her career off the ground, my first impression is that she is a neo soul artist. However, it is too early to tell whether she'll ultimately be a neo soul artist or a contributing artist. She has a soft, unique voice with an apparently wide octave range. Her lyrics are easy to understand as she sings which makes the songs easier to experience.

"Battery Proper" has 15 tracks in total; all of which she wrote the lyrics for. Impressive for a first album. My overall favorite track is number 15 (Bonus Track) which is a reprise of track 6 (Everything) consisting simply of Jasmine's vocals and a piano paced by a rimshot, high hat, and bass drum to set the metronomic tempo. This song is nearly flawless. Listed below are all of my favorite tracks on the CD.

Audio Samples of My 8 Favorite Tracks
3. Detour Ahead
4. Brand New
6. Everything
9. My Prayer
10. Hold It
12. Sigh
13. Come On
15. Bonus Track

Admittedly, I only purchased and downloaded 8 of the 15 tracks from iTunes; which means that if I physically bought the CD from the store, I would be doing a considerable amount of track-skipping. Nevertheless, I'm more impressed with the fact that an independent neo soul artist's first-ever album has 15 tracks (with 8 of them still keeping the CD in the rotation). Given my stringent music tastes, this is a testament to the hard work and focus that went into making this CD.

As with any independent neo soul artist's first album, distribution of "Battery Proper" appears to be a challenge. As quickly as the album was featured on iTunes, it was no longer available there. Likewise, I find it surprising that the album isn't available at dustygroove.com or cdbaby.com, two of the world's major staples for purchasing independent neo soul music. The only legitimate outlet I found where the CD can be purchased is at amazon.com.

Jasmine Jones is definitely an emerging neo soul artist to watch. And if you're an early adopter like me, then we recommend that you purchase it today! You won't regret it.

Neo Soul Today Album Rating
4.5 out of 5 stars

For more information on Jasmine Jones, visit:
Nickel City Music
Purchase and download Battery Proper tracks at emusic.com
Artist Profile for Jasmine Jones at music-mp3.net

We welcome your comments.

Neo Soul Today Poll: Do you think "neo soul" is dead?

2005-07-27T13:12:00.000-04:00

Please participate in this Neo Soul Today Poll.

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Neo Soul Today Album Review: Angela Johnson's "Got To Let It Go"

2005-07-20T01:00:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Artist S/V Rating: R&B/Underground
(What is this?)

“Got To Let It Go” (2005, Purpose Records) is Angela Johnson’s sophomore album. The release of Angela’s (we hope it’s alright if we call her Angela) debut album, “They Don’t Know” (2002, Purpose Records), came after being the lead vocalist and keyboardist of the veteran, NY-based, underground-favorite band Cooly’s Hot Box for roughly 10 years. Angela produced, wrote, and arranged all 12 songs on “Got To Let It Go.”

The Album: A Story of Two Halves
We’re just going to cut to the chase. As a whole – and in a weird way – we love “Got To Let It Go.” We love the album in a weird way because the second half of the album is incredible. Thus, we’ll focus most of our attention there. Tracks 6 through 12 are a carefully crafted, diverse combination of neo soul songs featuring elements of the R&B sound and elements of that British sound characteristic of Cooly’s Hot Box.

We have consistently listened to tracks 6 through 12 on the CD without skipping past a single one. Our favorite track is Early Bird; track 8. It is this track that prompted us to research the album and ultimately make the purchase. Early Bird is a flawless collage of that unmistakable Roy Ayers soul sound combined with the British flavor of the neo soul sound range. What’s even more creative is that Angela switched roles with her friend and normal background vocalist, Tricia Angus. Tricia took the lead on this smooth, soul-soothing track while Angela handled the keyboards, percussion, and string arrangement. This song is also backed by other robust, live instruments including a horn arrangement (Jacques Schwarz-Bart), trumpet (Matt Shulman), violin (Pauline Kim), congas and triangle (Ernesto Abreu), bass (Justin Wallace), and guitar (Jeremy James).

Audio Samples of our 6 Favorite Tracks (courtesy of cdbaby.com)
6. Let’s Get Together (featuring Jeremy James)
7. You’re Here With Me
8. Early Bird (featuring Tricia Angus)
9. Tell Me
10. Where’s the Love
11. Home Away From Home
12. Whatever It Takes

As for tracks 1 through 5, we do not dislike them. We simply would not place them in the “incredible” category as is the case with tracks 6 through 12. Nevertheless, it is always difficult to come across a neo soul album where more than half of the songs are very good. Furthermore, it’s almost impossible to come across one where all of the very good songs appear consecutively without the need to skip tracks. Overall, we recommend “Got To Let It Go” as a definite buy.

Neo Soul Today Album Rating
4.5 out of 5 stars

For more background on Angela Johnson, visit her official website: http://www.angelajohnson.com/.
For more information on Cooly’s Hot Box, visit their official website: http://www.coolyshotbox.com/.
For more information on Purpose Records, visit their official website: http://www.purposerecords.com/.

We welcome your comments.

Neo Soul Lexicon: Visbility

2005-07-17T00:57:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

This fourth installment of the Neo Soul Lexicon Series is devoted to categorizing the different levels of visibility attributed to neo soul artists.

Vocabulary Prerequisites
Before delving into visibility and to prevent any confusion or misinterpretation, it is worthwhile for you to know what we mean by the following terms: neo soul, neo soul artist, and contributing artist. When using the term “artist” in this installment, we are referring to neo soul artists as opposed to contributing artists.

Visibility
Visibility is the essential attribute that describes how visible a neo soul artist is to listeners, the media, and the general public. An artist generally falls into one of 3 well-defined artist visibility levels. These 3 artist visibility levels are collectively called the artist visibility range of neo soul. The neo soul artist visibility range is a continuum of the levels of visibility of neo soul artists ranging from the least visible to the most visible. In order to easily classify the visibility of neo soul artists for the purposes of more effectively finding, promoting, and reporting on them, we have isolated 3 discrete levels along the artist visibility range.

The 3 artist visibility levels of neo soul, listed in order of decreasing visibility, are:

Mainstream: Mainstream neo soul artists are easily known by and accessible to mass audiences of listeners, industry players, and the media. They are highly accessible through mainstream online and brick-and-mortar record stores, television, newspapers, periodicals, websites, and other channels. Mainstream artists include, but are not limited to, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Maxwell, and D’Angelo.
Midstream: Compared with mainstream neo soul artists, midstream artists are not as easily known by and accessible to mass audiences of listeners, industry players, and the media. However, they remain somewhat accessible through mainstream online and brick-and-mortar record stores, television, newspapers, periodicals, websites, and other channels. They are highly accessible through specialty channels. Midstream artists include, but are not limited to, Leela James, Les Nubians, Van Hunt, and The Brand New Heavies.
Underground: Underground neo soul artists are not easily known by and accessible to mass audiences of listeners, industry players, and the media. They are somewhat accessible to midstream audiences. They are primarily accessible through specialty and niche online and brick-and-mortar record stores, television programs, periodicals, websites, and other similar channels. Underground artists include, but are not limited to, Eric Roberson, Peven Everett, and Julie Dexter.

We welcome your thoughts.

Neo Soul Lexicon: Sound

2005-07-17T00:41:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

This third installment of the Neo Soul Lexicon Series is devoted to categorizing the different sounds of neo soul.

Vocabulary Prerequisites
Before delving into sound, to prevent any confusion or misinterpretation, it is worthwhile for you to know what we mean by the following terms: neo soul, neo soul artist, and contributing artist. When using the term “artist” in this installment, we are referring to neo soul artists as opposed to contributing artists.

Sound
Sound is the essential attribute that describes the auditory characteristics of neo soul songs, artists, and the artform itself. Although, each artist realistically has her own unique sound, it generally falls into one of 8 well-defined sound categories. These 8 sound categories are collectively called the sound range of the neo soul artform. The neo soul sound range is a continuum of the different sounds of neo soul ranging from the least eccentric to the most eccentric. In order to easily classify neo soul sounds for the purposes of more effectively purchasing, marketing, writing, producing, remixing, and matching of tastes, we have isolated 8 discrete categories along the sound range. While these sounds can be categorized any number of different ways, we thought it important to strike a balance between isolating sound categories that are most identifiable to people, not missing key ones, and keeping them down to a number that is easy enough to remember. We believe confusion will set in if the number of neo soul sound categories exceeds 8.

One or more neo soul sound categories can be used to characterize individual songs, artists, or the artform itself. When characterizing artists, obviously for many, each of their songs has its own sound. Many neo soul artists are enormously talented and have songs with vastly differing sounds. Nevertheless, each artist has what we call their primary sound. An artist’s primary sound is that which applies to the majority of all of the work she has ever done.

The 8 sound categories of neo soul, listed in order of increasing eccentricity, are:

Hip Hop: Neo soul infused with elements of the hip hop genre such as rap and beats. Artists include, but are not limited to, Bahamadia and Ladybug Mecca.
R&B: Neo soul infused with elements of the rhythm and blues genre. R&B has the most overlap with neo soul since classic soul and R&B have the same roots. A majority of neo soul artists have R&B as their primary sound. Artists include, but are not limited to, Jill Scott and Eric Roberson.
Jazz: Neo soul infused with elements of jazz. Ledisi’s album “Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue” (2002) is entirely devoted to this sound.
House: Neo soul infused with elements of deep house. Ever After from Seek’s “Venus and Mars” album (1999) falls into this sound category.
Alternative Rock: Neo soul infused with elements of alternative rock such as acoustic and electronic guitar and more treble than bass. Artists include, but are not limited to, Res and Van Hunt.
Electronic: Neo soul infused with elements of electronic and computerized instruments. Artists include, but are not limited to, Naked Music NYC and Amp Fiddler.
British: Neo soul infused with elements of the acid sounds from London such as acid jazz and drum and bass. Artists include, but are not limited to, Cooly’s Hot Box and The Brand New Heavies.
World: Neo soul infused with elements of sound characteristic from places around the world outside of the U.S. and England including Paris, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Artists include, but are not limited to, Les Nubians, Osunlade, and Zap Mama.

The figure below provides examples of 27 neo soul artists and what we believe their primary sound is along with any of their alternative sounds, if applicable.

We welcome your comments.

Neo Soul Lexicon: Neo Soul Artists vs. Contributing Artists

2005-07-17T00:40:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

This brief second installment of the Neo Soul Lexicon Series is devoted to what we refer to at Neo Soul Today when we use the terms neo soul artist and contributing artist. I believe it is important to articulate what these two terms mean before further delving into a lexicon (or vocabulary) for neo soul. I hope that this installment proves enlightening; especially in terms of who is not really a neo soul artist.

Neo Soul Artist
A neo soul artist is a person or group of people who sing, write, produce, remix, or play neo soul music as their primary music. It is common for neo soul artists to branch out and make songs (or even entire albums) within other closely-related genres. However, their core-competency is neo soul. To be objective, a neo soul artist is defined as such by a combination of the sound of the songs he makes and the general consensus of mature, rational neo soul listeners. A neo soul artist is not defined as such by himself, record labels, the media, or any other party. Using the power of blogging, Neo Soul Today strives to credibly represent the general consensus of mature neo soul listeners on numerous neo soul topics such as the various sounds of neo soul and who makes them. The table below contains examples of neo soul artists.

Examples of Neo Soul Artists
Singers	Bands/Instrumentalists	Producers/Writers	Remixers
Adriana Evans Alison Crockett Amel Larrieux Amp Fiddler Angela Johnson Bahamadia Bilal Carmen Rodgers Cody Chesnut Conya Doss D'Angelo Dwele Eric Roberson (Erro) Erykah Badu Fertile Ground Grenique Floetry Goapele India.Arie Ivana Santilli Jaguar Wright Jasmine Jones Jazmine Sullivan Jazzyfatnastees Jill Scott Julie Dexter Kim Hill Kindred "The Family Soul" Laurnea Ledisi Leela James Les Nubians Lizz Fields Maxwell Maysa Me'shell Ndegeocello Michael Johnson Musiq N'Dambi N'Dea Davenport Omar Peven Everett Pru Res Rhian Benson Shaun Escoffery Siji Van Hunt Vikter Duplaix YahZarah Zap Mama Zero 7	The Brand New Heavies Cooly's Hot Box Incognito Roy Hargrove Soulive	Eric Roberson James Poyser Kaidi Tatham (a.k.a. Agent K) Osunlade

Contributing Artist
A contributing artist is one from another genre who contributes to the neo soul art form occasionally by creating neo soul songs over the course of his career. It is very common for artists from other closely-related genres to branch out and make neo song songs either on their album, on a compilation, or as a collaborator on another’s album. However, their core-competency is not neo soul. To be objective, a contributing artist is defined as such by a satisfaction of the following criteria:

1. His primary sound is not in the neo soul sound range
2. The sound of one or more of his songs falls within the neo soul sound range
3. It is the general consensus of mature, rational neo soul listeners that the above criteria are true about the artist

A contributing artist is not defined as such by himself, record labels, the media, or any other party. Using the power of blogging, Neo Soul Today strives to credibly represent the general consensus of mature neo soul listeners on various neo soul topics such as artists from other closely-related genres that contribute to the neo soul art form. The table below contains examples (many surprising) of contributing artists.

Examples of Contributing Artists
Singers	Bands/Instrumentalists	Producers/Writers	Remixers
Alicia Keys Anthony Hamilton Beyoncé Common Destiny’s Child Glenn Lewis Jody Watley John Legend Kelis Kofy Brown Mary J. Blige Mos Def Q-Tip Raheem DeVaughn Raphael Saadiq Sweetback Talib Kweli Tweet Ultra Naté Vivian Green	The Roots	Pete Rock Jazzy Jeff	4 Hero DJ Spinna King Britt

Many of the examples above may come as a surprise to many. However, when using our evaluation framework which assesses the sound of the majority of their songs (which will be detailed more throughout the Neo Soul Lexicon Series), they are not neo soul artists. Nevertheless, it is a testament to their diversity that they are considered contributing artists to the neo soul art form.

Some of the names above are obvious as their primary genre is clearly not neo soul (e.g., Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Ultra Naté, or Jody Watley). Yet, some are not as clear-cut. I’d like to use the Philly-bred Vivian Green as an example.

The Vivian Green Story: An Artist Offering Mature, Conscious, and/or Innovative Soul-Rooted Music Is Not Always a Neo Soul Artist
Many are surprised to witness Vivian Green’s departure from neo soul with her self-titled sophomore album. Perhaps she was never a neo soul artist to begin with. Nearly everyone considered Green neo soul when she came onto the scene in 2002. She hit the mainstream singing mature, soulful lyrics with her debut single and video, “Emotional Rollercoaster.” The song hit the market with the typical neo soul positioning. However, out of 14 tracks on the debut album, “A Love Story,” the only ones that fell within the neo soul sound range were “What Is Love?,” “Fanatic,” (the track that actually led me to buy the album) and “Keep On Going.” I was disappointed not because it was a bad album (actually, it was a decent R&B album). Rather, I was disappointed because, as a consumer, I expected a neo soul product and got something else instead. However, it was not Green’s fault and it is debatable whether Columbia was fully at fault.

Prior to writing this installment and after my 2002 experience with “A Love Story,” using the evaluation framework articulated in the sections above, I didn’t consider Green to be a neo soul artist. Rather, I considered her to be a contributing artist. This assessment was validated after researching the facts. As “Emotional Rollercoaster” began to penetrate the market in 2002, Columbia Records merged with Sony Music. In response to a question during a June 2005 interview with Urban America News Network entitled “Vivian Green: The Truth about Ms. Green,” Green answered, “People based their image of me from my first single and video.” She went on to say, “I never had another chance to do another video and put out another single, because there were so many changes at Columbia…I don't think people really got to see the many styles and sides of me.” Green is a wonderful R&B artist with a limitless future (What can I say? She’s from Philly). However, she is not a neo soul artist and never was. She is a contributing artist. It just turned out that she was going through some painful issues during her first album.

We welcome your comments.

Neo Soul Lexicon: The Controversial Phrase "Neo Soul"

2005-07-17T00:39:00.000-04:00

By Sean
Editor-in-Chief, Neo Soul Today

Neo Soul Today is devoted to sharing information and opinion on neo soul music. The Neo Soul Lexicon series is devoted to establishing consensus around terminology to describe different aspects of the artform. Thus, we find it fitting to kick off the series with our position on the phrase "neo soul" itself.

The Origination of the Phrase "Neo Soul"
According to Wikipedia, the then Kedar Entertainment founder and Universal Records senior VP Kedar Massenburg coined the phrase "neo soul" in the late 1990s. However, according to a November 1998 Essence article titled "Brothers on the Move - Successful Black Men Under the Age of 40," the same Kedar Massenberg coined the phrase "neoclassic soul" to describe the then-budding R&B sub-genre during this same timeframe after discovering "original and self-contained" artists with "vision" such as D'Angelo and Erykah Badu.

"Neo Soul" or "Neoclassic Soul"
It turns out that Massenburg himself used both phrases -- "neo soul" and "neoclassic soul" -- interchangeably when interviewed about the new sub-genre by different media outlets. In a February 27, 2002 interview with The News Hour with Jim Lehrer on the eve of that year's Grammy's, Massenburg himself used both terms in the same interview. When asked by the program's Gwen Ifill to explain what "this neo soul movement" is, Massenburg did not correct her usage of the term and proceeded to characterize the sound, its current artists, and how they're reminiscent of older artists. After making comparisons of Erykah Badu to Billie Holiday and D'Angelo to Marvin Gaye he went on to say, "That's where you basically get the term from. You know, neoclassic soul. Because it's new soul music today from the classics."

So which one is it: "neo soul" or "neoclassic soul?" Granted, the phrase "neo soul" implies a new type of soul while the latter phrase, "neoclassic soul," is more specific and -- in our opinion -- more appropriate. Nevertheless, Neo Soul Today's investigation shows, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the two phrases were intended to mean the same thing. It is no secret that the "neo soul" moniker stuck. A simple analysis proves this. A Google search on the phrase "neo soul" returns over 219,000 hits compared to only 21 hits when searching for "neoclassic soul."

It is unclear to us exactly why the phrase "neo soul" caught on so strongly. In our opinion, it's rather unfortunate. However, in all fairness to Massenburg, we'll simply dismiss it as an honest oversight assuming that he didn't anticipate the impending controversy.

The Controversy Around the Phrase "Neo Soul"
Ironically, many of the artists who make neo soul what it is strongly dislike the phrase and dismiss it as merely a marketing label affixed to the artform by large record companies. Rather, they prefer for them and/or their work to be referred to as soul, art, music, or any other similar adjective that they deem appropriate. The following quotes are evidence of this.

"I know people are gonna categorize me as 'neo soul,' and I wanted to stay away from that as much as possible...I sort of came up with my own way of how it should be called. I don't think 'neo soul' fits me at all."
- Raphael Saadiq, VH1, June 2002
"Neo-soul is just another label...We don't make up those labels. Who knows where they come from? Probably from somebody who can make money by boxing it and selling it."
- Erykah Badu, Denver Post, February 2004
"Well nobody in Philly likes that term."
- Vikter Duplaix on the term "neo soul", Know The Ledge, April 2004
"I was really glad to hear her say that, although I've been saying the same thing for years...None of us like that whole 'neo-soul' tag. We understand that writers like these terms, and they pick them up. I'm a soul singer, period."
- Angie Stone on Chaka Khan adding her name to the list of artists critical of the term "neo soul", Nashville City Paper, September 2004

Love It or Hate It: The Music Will Always Be Recognized as "Neo Soul"
Our position on this issue should be obvious given the title of this blog. Love it or hate it: the music will always be recognized as "neo soul." It is what it is. While we agree with the artists' criticisms of the moniker "neo soul," we believe that this new artform is unique to the extent that considering it merely soul does it no justice. As (predominantly) generation X-ers who absolutely love this music and who purchase it mainly for its ability to reach the soul in a way that is fundamentally different from classic soul, a term is better than no term. We understand that the phrase is not a perfect one. However, without some way for listeners to distinguish it from classic soul (or all other R&B for that matter), we will have no access to it. Without access to the music means no listener access to the artists. Without listener access to the artists means empty seats at artist performances. Ultimately, this means no money in the pockets of the artists. Without money in the artists' pockets, there will be no more albums and the artform will fade away as quickly as the New Jack Swing fad of the late '80s-early '90s did.

It should comfort the artists to know that neo soul is a niche and its listeners are knowledgeable, mature, and conscious individuals around the world who know good soul music when they hear it. We love the music for the same reasons artists resist embracing the phrase "neo soul." So long as you don't succumb to the marketing pressures of supply and demand, we will still be here. Neo soul it is!

We welcome your viewpoints.