William Bell Continues Creating Timeless Soul Ballads
Soul legend William Bell sings and writes about love and relationships in a traditional way that reveals the constancy of the need for human connections.
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Booker T. & the M.G.’s Defined Themselves with ‘Green Onions’
Soul/funk group Booker T. & the M.G.’s might have stumbled onto their best song with “Green Onions”, but this album defined the entire Stax Records sound.
Barbara Blue Sings the Blues for These Times on ‘From the Shoals’
Barbara Blue’s From the Shoals is your basic gutbucket, spill my heart on your sleeve blues, recreating Memphis blues with a cosmopolitan sensibility.
Rock ‘n’ Stroll: Robert Cray’s Blues Stormer ‘Midnight Stroll’
Robert Cray plays subtly with basic blues convention on Midnight Stroll, turning it into a brand-new face for listeners who have heard it all before.
Jarrod Dickenson Does More Than Talk the ‘Big Talk’
Jarrod Dickenson points the way to a better world over a country rock soundtrack. His music suggests we can all boogie to wherever life takes us.
Ruthie Foster Sings to the Choir and with Them on ‘Healing Time’
The desire for personal love, secular community, and religious redemption make for a powerful package on Ruthie Foster’s Healing Time.
Parliament’s Peak: ‘Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome’ Turns 45
The climactic album in Parliament’s space opera about Starchild, Dr. Funkenstein, and Sir Nose d’Voidoffunk, Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome, remains their best work.
British Jazz Artists Offer Takes on Blue Note Catalog with ‘Blue Note Re:imagined II’
Blue Note Re:imagined II 2022 showcases a diverse cast of young British soul, R&B, and jazz artists drawing inspiration from past masterworks.
Bruce Springsteen Goes Soul Searching on ‘Only the Strong Survive’
On Only the Strong Survive, Bruce Springsteen places his voice front and center, and his love for this timeless, joyous soul music is jubilant and infectious.
The Pinnacle of Soul: Al Green’s ‘I’m Still in Love With You’ at 50
Al Green in his prime was the greatest soul singer alive. He released I’m Still in Love with You 50 years ago in the middle of his trifecta of soul perfection.
Charlotte Dos Santos Unfurls Her Wings on the Exquisite ‘Morfo’
Morfo is an amplification of everything making Charlotte Dos Santos an entrancing artist: gossamer voice, luscious atmosphere, and a pervasive sense of wonder.
Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal’s “Mirrors” Waves Off Propaganda (premiere)
Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal’s “Mirrors” is a grooving vintage R&B track that rallies against modern propaganda.