I Know You Got Soul!!!

Currently Listening To :: Spooky :: Dusty Springfield

I had the privelage of attending the Arts Week opening last Monday night (well, actually, it was open to everyone, if they bothered to turn up), and part of the entertainment was this accapella group called The Elementals. Dressed in purple and black, I thought they were part of a Church choir who had lost their way into the University Club Bar on their way to practice. So imagine my surprise when they were called up on stage...

2 men, 3 women. All Caucasian. They introduced themselves, and told the audience how they were an accapella group, who's specialty was Black Gospel songs. Now if one of your eyebrows is raised already after hearing this, imagine both my eyebrows in disarray as they began to sing. Technically, I couldn't fault them; they hit all the right notes, and they had excellent harmony. Their soloists gave it their all, and I could tell they were just happy to be up on stage singing and doing their thing.

But, (and there's always a but), there was something lacking. Something small...impercetible at first, but with each song, it became increasingly clear what was missing.

They had no soul.

Now tempted as I am to reach for my dictionary or google the word soul, I'm resisting; I don't think the kind of soul I'm talking about will be there. These singers, while technically excellent, just couldn't tap into the soul of the song they were singing.

So before anyone starts to start that whole "only Black people have soul", let's get it straight. "Soul music" may have been pioneered by Black people, and I still think all the best soul music is by Black artists, but that doesn't make it exclusively a "Black" thing. If you say Nelly has soul, to me it really depends on if you mean Nelly "Whoa Nelly!" Furtado or "Country Grammer" Nelly. For me, Furtado wins hands down. And don't get me started on the whole "neo-soul" issue...

Just running quickly through my mp3 list, taking out, let's see...

Avril Lavigne - Complicated (soul clap)
Blue - Fly By (no dap)
Cecelia Cheung - A Different Me (no dap)
Jay Chow - Simple Love (soul clap)
Incubus - Are You In? (soul clap)
Nelly Furtardo - Shit On The Radio (soul clap)
Norah Jones - Don't Know Why (soul clap)
Sun Yan Zi - Beginning To Understand (soul clap)
Tenacious D - Tribute (soul clap)

Now while there is more clapping in the above list than anything else, you'll notice that none of them fit in the "traditional" chategory of soul music. But to me, those tracks that get a soul clap get the nod from me, while those that didn't...well, don't. Most of the artists in the above list are doing their own thing; not trying to copy anyone else, singing and playing in a way that works for them. And if they can for only one song, then they should hang up their record deal after that one song (which is where I think part of the phenom of the one-hit wonder comes from). I'm not saying these artists can't make decent music either; but to me, it's this difference that has me going to the store and buying that CD, or just ripping it to my mp3 player.

So while I think it's going to take some thinking trying to not associate "soul music" with "Black people" (as easy as it is to try not to associate "country and western" music with "White people"), I'm not trying to convince anyone out there. No one has to tell you that you're listening to soul music, because soul music is felt exactly there, and if you're feelin' it there, then you're feelin' it. If knowledge is food for the soul, then I think soul music is the warm sticky-date pudding on a cold winters night...indescribably good.

So to sum up my case, it's the Constitution, it's Mabo, it's the vibe, and...it's just the vibe.

I rest my case.

Ben sits down