I'm half-listening to "Later With Jools Holland" on the television and it's some kind of neo-soul special.

Every bloody song sounds the same.

It all just sounds like jazz-funk but with Hip-Hop vocals - you know, counter-pointed against the melody and sort of staccato?

i'm with you on that. it's shite, except for van hunt and alicia keys. and why have people started wailing, or whatever it's called? i think that kind of started with mariah carey but some people over do it. i like christina aguilera but she over does it sometimes.

Never liked much of any of it.

dancerella said:

it's called melisma and it makes me want to buy stock in advil.

What about Jill Scott?

Erykah Badu is considered neo-soul
& I am so not over her.

VoicesCarry said:

Jill Scott is in a league of her own, I love her.

Neo-Soul is good, but I don't see what's so "neo" about it. Most of it is just the same. Just this laid back, mellow, almost -missing-the-downbeat, type shit.

Classic Soul music was influenced by gospel and had more intensity and jump to it. Listen to The Isley Bothers "Shout" and compare that to something like Bilal or Lizz Wright. See what I mean?

Folks...it's all music. I personally don't like "classifications" like neo-soul or acid jazz or new age or whatever the hell. I just like music. With that said...that so called neo-soul as you call is actually quite good. You could call Maxwell, Jill Scott, Van Hunt, Amel and D'Angelo neo-soul but I bet most of us or all of us have every last one of their albums in our collection.

BinaryJustin said:

fuck this!

there once was a time where everyone seemed to like the music that was labled "neo soul"--
now it seems to be a trend to talk about how tired you are of that so called "neo soul" music.

yes, there seemed to be a lot of artists or industry folk that wanted to profit from the sudden
rise in popularity of modern day soul music. this eventually resulted in an overkill of "neo
soul". but come on, i watched that show too last night:

IT WAS AWESOME!

let's see, the list from when i tuned in (the soul part):
- d'angelo with "brown sugar" from 1995 (the first dude to make it big in this genre);
- badu with "on and on" from 1997 (the uncrowned queen of the genre back then);
- jill scott with "gettin in the way" from 2001 or so (the genre might've been dead around this
time, but this woman definitely brought something undescribably fresh to the table);
- the roots with "you got me" from 1999 (whatever man, this is a classic crossover hiphop
tune, especially cause of that drum n bass ending);
- alicia keys with "fallin" from 2001 (well, i don't think this is "neo soul", but this sure as hell
was a fine tune performed by a fine woman);
- india arie with "brown skin" from 2001 (well, undeniably a second generation child of the
genre, but still, she can sing this wonderful tune--it's just the image that was too "neo soul",
you know?)

well, those come to mind at this moment. these artists all had kick ass live bands. so, how can
you not like this? especially those early performances from when the genre was fresh. you're
just out to piss on the genre. i don't really mind though. i just thought i'd bring this up--it gets
discussed so many times. just remember the period when you DID like it and why you liked it.
cause that "jools, hiphop and soul" show was dope as hell. and i didn't even discuss the hiphop
performances by the fugees ("fu-gee-la") and dynamite ("ms. dynamitee"). hell, i even
enjoyed blackstreet's performance of "don't leave me".

don't deny it, it was a good special.
[Edited 10/2/04 6:48am]

I'll side with SteamForest, NWF and purpleone.

Back in the early-to-mid 90's, a lot of people would say, "whatever happened to the MUSIC part of black music? why do all the so-called R&B acts sound like rappers? why can't the young brothers and sisters (and others) play like they used to?"

Well, then brand new heavies, Me'Shell, D'Angelo, Maxwell, and Erykah came along. Followed by folk like Remy Shand, Amel Larrieux, India, Res, Bilal, Dwele, Donnie Lewis Taylor and of course, Jill Scott. Now people want to hate on them not because their music is bad but because they're not EWF, Al Green, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway et al. Now the rap is the music all sounds the same. Even if that's true -- and to a large degree, it isn't -- WHO CARES? They're playing, they're good (often brilliant) at what they do. So if you don't dig'em, that's fine. But they're only giving us what we asked for.

Give me Jill, Erykah & Meshell any day...

BinaryJustin said:

Alright, I got to give my . Why is it that when a Black artists performs music other than hip-hop they try to call them neo soul when they are just performing plain soul music?
It seems like society has found Black music to be too vast so they have to find so way to label it these days. All these labels given to Black Musical artist just shows how racist society is in general (US & UK). Music is Music and people need to see past color line and enjoy for what it is. Good Music
[Edited 10/2/04 16:46pm]

I still like it.

Hotlegs said:

There is a definite difference between what used to be classed as "soul" back then and what's classed as "soul" right now. Same as with any genre... The only problem is that "soul" hasn't progessed since the early 90s. The sound as a whole has literally been a stuck record.

What's differentiates something like Sunshine Anderson's 'Heard It All Before' from most of Jill Scott's new album? The greatest irony of "neo" soul is that it isn't "neo" or new at all. The Brand New Heavies were doing this shit in London warehouses over ten years ago.
[Edited 10/2/04 18:20pm]

BinaryJustin said:

Exactly.

BinaryJustin said:

True...and there were a whole host of musicians doin it YEARS before the Brand New Heavies.

SteamForest said:

I agree with you. The masses forgot to acknowledge the Brand New Heavies.

BinaryJustin said:

Was there life after the first Mica Paris album?
Was there life after the first The Young Disciples album?
Was there life after the first Jhelisa album?
Was there life after the first Angie Stone album?
Where is Soul II Soul?
Where is Caron Wheeler?

namepeace said:

for you and purpleone.
[Edited 10/24/04 13:51pm]

psykosoul said:

Cool new avy!

As with any marketing classification, you have to be selective with artists the media has thrown under the marketing term Neo Soul. It's just Soul music by this generation's recording artists, but the powers that be thought it would sell better if the "old" Soul category was updated to attract younger buyers.

On the one hand I agree that very few of those artists are swinging for the fences and hitting it out of the park. But that's the case with any genre today.

On the other hand, we've turned into our parents.

They said our favorites don't come close to being equal to the icons of their generation. And our granparents did the same thing with mom and dad. Now as adults most of us are continuing on with that ... generational thing.

Let me (try to) make myself clear: every generation has its mere performers, and talentless clowns. But every generation also has those who turn out to be the real deal legends.

Sometimes I think some of us are so jaded by the music that shaped us as we grew up that now we listen with different ears, so to speak. Maybe we're just not as open and attentive as we were when we were younger because we're using a less open-minded measuring stick.

I don't think this is a golden age of Funk and Soul, like it was back in the late '60s thru the '70s, not even close. But I do think some of us tend to sleep on some real talent. There are some artists of merit who have the Neo Soul albatross around their necks.


,
[Edited 10/24/04 14:29pm]

oh fucky U....I loveeeee it.


I would have erykah badu's baby if I could and we would call it 8 or nike

Me'Shell Ndegeocello,Jill Scott,Floetry,Angie Stone,India Arie,Amel Larrieux,Conya Doss,Lauryn Hill,Jaguar Wright,Erykah Badu,Res,Goapele,Dionne Farris,Kindred the Family Soul,Maxwell,Bilal,Musiq,D'Angelo,Raphael Sadiqq,Van Hunt, give me anyone of them any day over


Beyonce,Bk2,Christina Milian,Usher,and that ugly lil "Southside" boy critter from Murder Inc.

Supernova said:

One problem with these neo-soul artists is they take forever to come out with new music! D'Angelo comes out with an album every five years...Remy Shand is missing in action...Maxwell's last album came out,what,three years ago?...Erykah Badu admitted last year that she suffers from writer's block...


It becomes frustrating to support artists who give you new music only a few times each decade

DavidEye said:

oh hush David Where's Esther or Madonna...

DavidEye said:

I disagree!! I love the fact that I am not drowned with music. Let the artist take his/her time and speak from their heart.

I will anxiously await to hear what each artist in the above group has to say, makes me appreciate the effort and the journey they took to release it all the more.

Wasn't neo soul like a counter attack on New jack swing? If so, then like NewJack, it's day will pass.....I hope soon aswell really!

Mind u at the time of 1995, I only got as soulful as R Kelly, then Fugees came in etc.....they ain't neo soul r they? Dame were they they overhyped or what?

Like Raphael Saadiq has in his inside album cover, "R.I.P. Neo Soul"