There are a growing number of brilliant artists either representing soul music or fusing soulfulness with pop, indie, electronic and funk, creating something refreshing and new. So, I compiled 10 artists/bands from the UK in 2011; Adele, Clare Maguire, Corinne Bailey Rae, Bluey Robinson, Daley, Joss Stone, Sade, Plan B, Jessie J and Jaynee.
Adele
22-year-old North Londoner, Adele, has gained worldwide success from the moment she released her debut album, and this year, she's breaking records again. Her music couldn't be further away from the typical pop/dance scene populating the charts. She has such a powerful voice, singing emotional jazz and soul numbers like 'Someone Like You' and 'Rolling In The Deep'. Wikipedia notes, she is the 'first living artist to achieve the feat of two top five hits in both the UK Singles Chart and the UK Album Chart simultaneously since The Beatles in 1964.' That's a sobering achievement for the young soul singer.
Clare Maguire
Birmingham born Clare Maguire produces intricate pop music. It can't be described as soul music per se, but with a voice akin to Annie Lennox, it's hard not to describe Clare as soulful. Again, only in her early-twenties, she portrays a level of experience through her lyrics and her voice, as heard in the brilliant song, 'Strangest Thing.'
Corinne Bailey Rae
Leeds born Corinne Bailey Rae is a talented jazz singer/musician who grows in a different direction with each album. On her second studio piece, the song 'Closer', as when mixed with her signature vocals, is reminiscent of yesteryear, albeit, the 70s, and yet she still keeps it relevant. And then there's her 'The Love EP' featuring 5 covers, including Prince's 1979 hit, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover,' but not jazzed up, but more synthesised than even the original.
Bluey Robinson
Sweden born and London raised soul singer Bluey Robinson goes beyond the atypical soul music genre. He flawlessly mixes his style with funk and pop, and is not afraid to sing a cappella or acoustically. You can tell he is inspired by the old-school, but he definitely knows how to keep his music fresh and relevant for these times today.
Daley
Daley's voice is something like a hybrid, with Eric Benet's tone and Prince's falsetto, and yet, all on his own, he's still soulful and yet unique. So it's not a surprise that he got working on the pop song, 'Doncamatic' with virtual British band, The Gorillaz. With a very distinct visual style of his own, you can't help but feel this year or the next, he will become a household name.
Joss Stone
Joss Stone is an effortless performer of all things soul music. At only the age of 10, when school kids were into either The Spice Girls or The Backstreet Boys, the Kent singer's first ever CD was 'Greatest Hits' by Aretha Franklin (Wikipedia). This year, Joss Stone looks set to release her 5th studio album to date at only the age of 24.
Sade
It's great to see serious artists with the view of making music their life's work, and that's exactly what Sade has done. Sade, the artist and the band haven't changed the effect their music has on the listener. Their music is still compelling, riveting and soothing at the same time, and their latest album, 'Soldier of Love' is testament to their ability to modernise their sound whilst keeping true to themselves.
Plan B
Plan B, aka Ben Drew, aka Strickland Banks is a singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, guitarist, actor, and director. The fact that he has so many talents could have hindered his progress in the music industry, but last year, he focused all eyes on to his project, 'The Defamation of Strickland Banks', a soul album with a motown-esque retro feel about it, encapsulated with a story about a fictional character, as if the album was the soundtrack to a dramatic urban musical. If imitation is truly the best form of flattery, then the album is a stamp of old school soul music amidst a musical scene afraid of going back and beyond the 80s for inspiration.
Jessie J
If you haven't heard of Jessie J, even if you haven't heard her music yet, where have you been? My apologies. It's just that her name has been floating around like whispers, most likely because she's been working as a singer/songwriter, writing and co-writing songs for the likes of Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus for a little while now. But then there's her 2010-released debut album with two very different but notable singles, 'Do It Like A Dude' and 'Price Tag.' If anything shouldn't be overlooked, is her ability to sing, though like many artists in the MTV generation, the visuals can make you forget actually how good a singer she is.
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