Dig The New Breed: Four Young Artists That Are Bringing Real Soul Back

In a world gone pretty well mad, it's comforting to take note of the all-too-occasional instances in which sanity prevails. Perhaps that's why a handful of new recordings that stir echoes of classic soul's past have been met with such enthusiasm. Somehow, almost miraculously, a few lovely blooms of taste, restraint and honest-to-goodness soul have risen from the morass of modern-day R&B. It may not be much but, these days, any reason to celebrate should be embraced fully and joyously.

Let us, then, dig the new breed:

Joss Stone

Soul singing is, above all, a matter of making the right choices. When to play it cool, when to let it rip...these are the decisions that separate the great from the ordinary. What makes Otis Redding or Al Green or Aretha Franklin so special isn't just the majesty of their instruments, it's their ability to use them wisely. Alas, for the past two decades or so, "soul" has come to mean "the ability to emote wildly, often in multiple octaves". Thus, we've been at the mercy of the Whitney Houstons and Mariah Careys of the world (and let's not even get started on Michael Bolton).

Which brings us to young Ms. Stone. By now you've no doubt heard the story -- 16 year old English girl flies to Miami, goes into the studio with Betty ("Clean Up Woman") Wright, and makes a bestselling record. Yep, it's a great story. And yeah, she's got a voice that doesn't possibly seem as if it should belong to a 16 year old. But what makes Joss Stone so utterly special -- and why she may very well go on to have a long and truly great career -- is her decision-making as a singer.

I can't imagine what it must be like to be a teenager and have that set of pipes, but I do know that 99% of young 'uns with voices like that would be dying to get behind the mike and go nuts. Let's face it, the teen years are rarely fraught with restraint. Somehow, whether through her own uncanny maturity or the iron hand of Betty Wright (or, most likely, a combination of the two), Stone's debut recording, The Soul Sessions, is almost without fail packed with beautifully phrased, powerful and innovative vocals. Almost every choice Joss makes is the right one, and she does it all without slavishly aping soul singers of the past. It's her own sound, utterly unique, and yet instantly embraceable. She is, in short, the real deal.

The first 15 seconds of The Soul Sessions set the tone. An almost-accapella Stone teases the listener with a brief, swooping moan but, just as you anticipate a Mariah Carey-like explosion of bombast, she takes it down to a sexy growl that calls to mind a young Aretha or a more tender Janis. It's a bit of singing that would be as startling coming from a 50 year old woman as from a 16 year old girl. From then on, it just gets better. "Super Duper Love" is one of the singles of year, and her reading of Jack White's re-titled "Fell in Love With A Boy" is the rare cover version that truly brings something utterly new to an already great song. There are a few small missteps (does the world really need another version of "Some Kind of Wonderful"?) but they're entirely forgivable.

One more bit of props due to Ms. Stone & co. -- the song selection and Stone's performances are completely in line with what -- and how -- a 16 year old girl should be singing. When my 14 year old niece celebrated a birthday recently, I gladly and unreservedly sent her this CD, knowing that a) she'd love it and b) her mom wouldn't be mortified upon hearing it. In an age where prepackaged teen stars are little more than lip-synching strippers, it's wonderful to welcome a real artist who all about art, not silicon.

Ricky Fante

After leaving the Marine Corps, Ricky Fante followed his dream of soul stardom to Los Angeles, where his Otis Redding-meets-Terence Trent D'Arby voice caught the attention of some record industry bigwigs, leading to a major label deal. His debut album "Rewind" has been met with some critical coolness from taste-arbiters who find his style, songs and arrangements a bit too slavishly in step with old-school soul records of the past. (These reviews, undoubtedly, were sandwiched between unreserved raves for "buzz" bands that have stolen, wholesale, the sounds and looks of artists like the Gang of Four, Velvet Underground and the Stooges. But we'll save the discussion of such double standards for another time.)

Yeah, Fante doesn't quite yet have his own sound, but he does have marvelous taste and warm, rich voice. He won't send chills down the back of your spine the way Joss Stone will, but his record is filled with songs that are ideally suited to provide a soundtrack to an afternoon at the beach or a warm evening on the back porch. And that, quite simply, is good enough for me. I mean, are we really that overloaded with good new soul music that we can afford to bitch about a guy with a great voice singing utterly agreeable songs in arrangements that eschew drum machines, sampling and heavy orchestration for an organic sound that celebrates sixties' Memphis?

I have no idea whether Fante's career will amount to much, but he's already created an album that gives more pleasure than the vast majority of stuff I hear from so-called "important" artists, so ignore the critics and pick up "Rewind". As soon as the warmth of Fante's take on the first track, "I Let You Go", hits you, you'll feel like you're in a familiar, comfortable and happy spot. It may not be new territory, but it's a place well worth hanging out for a while.

Van Hunt

While Joss Stone and Ricky Fante celebrate the polished sounds of Philly and Memphis, Van Hunt digs into grittier sources of inspiration for his astounding self-titled debut. The urban heart beating through this record finds its energy in the music of inner city auteurs like Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Curtis Mayfield and Sly Stone. Hunt's all about the funk, but not in the cartoonish manner of those who've listened to a bit too much George Clinton. Nothing's forced or shrill, but the underlying groove is flat-out unstoppable. At his best ("Dust", for example) Hunt's an understated singer (very much in the tradition of Wonder and Hathaway) who's more interested in the overall sound, not in showing off his chops. He's an extremely versatile vocalist and songwriter, able to conjure the ghost of Curtis Mayfield one moment ("Seconds of Pleasure") and channel Paul McCartney the next ("What Can I Say"). Somehow, though, for all his eclecticism, he maintains his own identity throughout. That's a pretty remarkable feat for a an artist with exactly one album under his belt.

While it can be argued that Ricky Fante's record suffers from a certain superficiality, and is perhaps more of a commercial endeavor than an artistic one (even if I don't personally buy that argument) no one can doubt Hunt's motives or the originality of his music. This is the work of a stone-cold fanatic, and the sound pours effortlessly out. As such, even though the style is different, I was somehow reminded of those great Shuggie Otis records of the early seventies. I get the feeling Shuggie and Van would get on rather well.

And one more thing -- Hunt plays almost every instrument on the record and either wrote or co-wrote every song. This, folks, is a major talent unleashed.

Anthony Hamilton

Many classic soul fans would gladly rub a genie's lamp and make it as if hip-hop never happened. Rap and hip-hop are regularly blamed for wrecking R&B and soul (actually, the real culprits are the hacks who came in the wake of a true talent, Prince, and turned R&B into a barren dessert of drum machines, synthesizers and bloodless grooves, but again, that's a story for another time.)

Me, I'm good with hip-hop. Sure, much of it is junk, but so is much of rock, country and jazz. And even classic soul fans have to admit that there was plenty of dross floating around Memphis, Detroit and Philly back in the day. Regardless, a bias against hip-hop is out there amongst soulsters. Perhaps that's why some have had trouble warming up to the sound of Anthony Hamilton.

Slickly produced by Jermaine Dupri (Mariah Carey, Whodini, Snoop Dogg), "Comin' from Where I'm From" is a long, long way from Motown or Stax. This is thoroughly modern music, which owes as much to former Hamilton compatriots Tupac and D'Angelo as it does to The O'Jays or Bobby Womack. But make no mistake, this is a soulful, soulful record, packed with expressive singing and irresistible grooves. Hamilton digs deep into a well of emotion and brings back pain and joy that all but jump from the speakers.

As much as any record I've ever heard, "Comin' from Where I'm From" demonstrates that soul music can be a relevant and creative force for the future, not simply a well-preserved museum piece that celebrates the "good old days". Here's hoping more young hip-hop fans get turned onto the soul music of their parents and decide to create their own exciting hybrids.

Four distinctive performers, each with their own style, outlook, influences and purposes, all releasing marvelous soul records within the same year. Yes, the world's gone crazy, but sanity still maintains a foothold. Soul is back, and a new breed is at the helm. Dig it.

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