The Giants Of Soul Music - your favourites?

by **NothingFails** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:40 pm

Muzikritik wrote:Many a great artist listed here but for me, it will always be Stevie Wonder. He's a musical genius/prodigy/legend... able to convey emotion and musicality effortlessly and with incredibly skill and technique.

Same here. The older I get, the more I love the man and his music. Its a shame several generations now including the one I grew up in (I'm 31) think of him as "the guy who sang I Just Called To Say I Love You" when that song has next to no representation of what he's capable of. Yes, the song is an adequate catchy little tune, but when you consider the beauty he put into "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer", "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", "Visions", "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away", "Lately" and so many other ballads he recorded during 1971-1981, "I Just Called" sounds like an afterthought reading of a Hallmark card. He did write and record that song because Motown felt that the soundtrack to The Woman In Red was lacking a sure hit. Even "Overjoyed" on In Square Circle a year later is far closer to the real beauty of Stevie's music than that.

by **floria** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:47 pm

Soul..mmm

#1 Sam Cooke
#2 Sam Cooke
#3 Sam Cooke
#4 Sam Cooke
#5 Sam Cooke
#6 Sam Cooke
#7 Sam Cooke
#8 Sam Cooke
#9 Sam Cooke
#10 Sam Cooke

by **Muzikritik** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:49 pm

NothingFails wrote:
Muzikritik wrote:Many a great artist listed here but for me, it will always be Stevie Wonder. He's a musical genius/prodigy/legend... able to convey emotion and musicality effortlessly and with incredibly skill and technique.
Same here. The older I get, the more I love the man and his music. Its a shame several generations now including the one I grew up in (I'm 31) think of him as "the guy who sang I Just Called To Say I Love You" when that song has next to no representation of what he's capable of. Yes, the song is an adequate catchy little tune, but when you consider the beauty he put into "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer", "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", "Visions", "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away", "Lately" and so many other ballads he recorded during 1971-1981, "I Just Called" sounds like an afterthought reading of a Hallmark card. He did write and record that song because Motown felt that the soundtrack to The Woman In Red was lacking a sure hit. Even "Overjoyed" on In Square Circle a year later is far closer to the real beauty of Stevie's music than that.

Truth!!

I Just Called To Say I Love You is one of my least favourite tracks of his. I do think his 70's stuff is superior (what a decade) but his 80's work consists of Overjoyed and Ribbon In The Sky - two of my fave Stevie slow jams.

And Floria, also love me some Sam Cooke. I was at a funeral a few years ago and I'm known as one of the family whose into hardcore rap and hip-hop and my Uncle decided he had a whole new respect for me when I schooled him on Sam Cooke... backhanded compliment really, but I'll take it. Sam's the man.

by **Wayne** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:00 pm

I also don't think that it ranks amongst his best work, however without it, he'd be a whole lot less prominent outside of the USA. Lionel Richie has Hello, Luther Vandross has Never Too Much and Stevie has I Just Called...

by **Wayne** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:59 pm

A new case can be made for Yolanda, after her OUTSTANDING tribute to Whitney Houston. If you want SOUL, and nothing but SOUL, this is for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELyJdgio ... re=related

One of the greatest things I've ever heard.

by **Titan3510** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 12:21 am

See what you guys have to understand that the line betweeen blues, soul, R&B and gospel are very, very fine.

You can be a gospel singer who sings the more secular blues...and then, later transition into soul music. And then have a couple contemporary R&B hit singles, traditional R&B hit singles or even hit singles in the pop spectrum and not comprimise yourself as a gospel singer.

If it wasn't for black people (i.e. people of African or Afro-Caribbean ancestry), music as we know it wouldn't exist. At all. Music would still exist but it'd be very boring.

All of the Appalachian bluegrass, normal country-western, avant garde, Japanese folk melodies, grungy, metallic "your parent's garage" rock and European synthesized dance pop are cute for a little while but they get really old after a while...

There's nothing like the blues. And it don't get much better than gospel.

#BlackHistoryMonthSegment