SOUL DISCOVERED

Soul music was born in the late 1950s and was a fusion of rhythm and blues, blues, rock and roll, and gospel music. Indeed, its emergence is often defined as the ‘secularization of gospel’. Like gospel music, Soul is characterized by two types of song – up tempo numbers sung collectively and made to move to, and slower, quieter songs of yearning and reflection. Many soul artists originated from the Southern states of America and cut their musical teeth in gospel groups. Controversially, these artists took gospel songs and changed the lyrics to more secular themes like love and personal struggle. The pioneers of soul include James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke – all featured in this collection. The origin of the term ‘soul’ has been hotly debated since its inception. In the 1950s, jazz musicians describing the essence that had been taken out of the genre after years of commercialization used the word. In the sixties, ‘soul’ and ‘essence’ became a powerful signifier of African-American identity in the Civil Rights Movement. In terms of racial integration in America, soul played a pivotal role. It gave black artists the opportunity to reach out to white audiences opening up a world of African American music to them. African American songwriter, Berry Gordy set up Tamla Motown as a hit factory aiming at white suburban American teens.  The development of soul as a genre also allowed for some truly racially integrated working practices and relationships. For example, one of the greatest soul labels, Stax Records in Memphis had seen black and white people working together from its very beginnings, as Stax historian, Rob Bowman explains: “…virtually from the beginning, Stax Records was racially integrated in the studio, in the front office, and by the midway point in its history, at ownership level. All this took place in Memphis, Tennessee, a city that as late as 1971 elected to close its public swimming pools rather than allow black and white kids to swim side by side in the scorching heat.”

Genres have to be dynamic to survive and soul is certainly no exception. There are many soul sub genres and styles, usually associated with the specific region in which they were produced and the labels that produced them. Some of the most important subgenres include Southern Soul, Chicago Soul, Detroit Soul, and Philadelphia Soul. Southern Soul or Deep Soul came out of the southern American States in what is referred to as the Southern Soul Triangle, comprised of Stax Records in Memphis, Muscle Shoals Recording Studios and Fame Records in Alabama, and Macon, Georgia. The sound of Southern Soul is often described paradoxically as shimmering and sultry, raw and yet refined, with vocals placed far back in the mix and horns often replacing backing vocals.  Chicago Soul is a diverse sound due to the sheer concentration of soul labels in the city at the time, but characterized by the output of key labels like Chess Records and Vee Jay Records.  Detroit Soul was rhythmic, gospel-inspired with powerful vocals, sometimes accompanied by hand clapping. The Motown label is synonymous with Detroit Soul and sought an unashamedly more mainstream, popular audience. Philadelphia – or Philly – Soul was characterized by a richer sound, with lush orchestral arrangements and doo-wop inspired vocal harmonies.  This collection invites you to sample some of the greatest soul artists in the genre. Your soul-searching journey starts here.