Music Picks of 2006
We're already halfway into 2006...and now is a good time as any to look back into some of the better R&B and Soul albums of the year (so far).
Here are some Blues/Soul 101 reviews for the current year:
Van Hunt: On The Jungle Floor
As the funky neo-soul heir apparent to Prince, Van Hunt returns with a follow-up to his 2004 Grammy-nominated debut that is as stylish as it is ambitious.
http://bluessoulmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/VanHuntOnJungleFloor
Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere
It's difficult to define the sound of Gnarls Barkley. Alternative R&B? Experimental Soul? Eclectic Funk? The new album St. Elsewhere is all the above and more.
http://bluessoulmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/gnarls_barkley_st_elsewhere
Amel Larrieux: Morning
It's just about impossible not to like the irrepressible Amel Larrieux. The progressive R&B vocalist's third solo album, Morning, is a pure example of unbridled soul.
http://bluessoulmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/amellarrieuxmorning
Anthony Hamilton: Nobody Worryin'
It seems that every time I'm ready to give up on today's Soul music and dust off some classic Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, along comes someone like Anthony Hamilton.
http://bluessoulmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/BringingBacktheSoul
Goapele: Change It All
It's hard to knock an artist such as the talented and lovely Goapele (pronounced Gwa-pele). Hailing from the San Francisco Bay area, Goapele (the child of a Jewish mother and a South African father) is part of a new wave of neo-soul artists producing original music that is firmly distanced from the mainstream's notion of what R&B should be.
