NEO-SOUL-LESS?

Hi,

I'm a huge R&B fan and I was wondering what happened to all the very promising 1990s neo-soul singers.

I would especially like to know if Lauryn Hill, D'Angelo, Eric Benet or Maxwell are planning to release any new material.

Thanks,

Christos
Germany

Hi Christos,

Lauryn Hill and Maxwell are aiming to release new material later this year, but release dates aren't official yet for their projects.

D'Angelo was recently pleaded guilty to charges of marijuana possession and driving under the influence of alcohol. He has been working on the follow-up to 2000's "Voodoo," but no release date has been announced.

Eric Benet has only made news in the past year when he and former wife Halle Berry divorced. The status of Benet's upcoming recording projects is unknown.

Good questions. Speaking of neo soul, does anyone know where these neo soul artists from the 90's are? After reading Nick's questions, it got me to thinking where are these artists?...and BET's Planet Groove, Out The Box, and Video Soul used to play all the new stuff back then ..(anyone besides myself miss these shows?)

Davina - She had a impressive CD out in 1997 called "Best Of Both Worlds". It was mellow R&B with a touch of jazz fusion. She also did a cool version of M.J.'s "I Can't Help It". The entire Cd had a sexy, MeShell vibe to it. Then she just disappeared.

Xaiver - He kind of looked like a cross between Maxwell and Marlon Wayans. But he was talented and played acoustic guitar. Vibe Magazine started calling him "the next Prince" and had a cool song called "Cinnamon Girl" (not the Neil Young tune). His 1996 CD never came out and was never heard from again.

Olu - His debut CD in 1999 was very cool and had a badass track called "Baby Can't Leave It Alone". He played almost every instrument on the CD and BET played his video a lot..then he disappeared.

Christion - 2 brothers that were on Jay Z's label.. they had a cool debut CD that came out in 1997. The CD at times sounded like 1972 Marvin..well a little too much like Marvin. There's one song where they pretty much take Marvin's live version of "Distant Lover" and steal it down to the female screams..then they vanished. Jigga said they had a new CD coming out in 1999, but it never happened.

Myron - Had a CD out in 1998 called "Destiny". He had a single called "We Can Get Down" and the video (and the tune) strangely vibed off of D'angelo's "Lady". Spinderella (Salt & Pepa) made a rap cameo in the video. BET played his videos a lot and then he vanished.

Dorothy, I think you just answered my question....over saturation!!! (lol)

SPYZFAN1 said:

I have their first (and apparently only) CD. Their cover of "I Wanna Get Next To You" wasn't bad. I haven't listened to it in awhile.

SPYZFAN1 said:

Do you mean a cd other than X Factor (1995)? I have that one and still listen to it fairly often. His Cinnamon Girl is one of my favorites.

SPYZFAN1 said:

One of the brothers, Allen Anthony was supposed to be finally launching a solo career a year or so ago. He had a single out and had a small write up in VIBE but it looks like he came and went, again.

SPYZFAN1 said:

Have his "Soul Catcher" CD and really dig it. One of my favorite nighttime albums back in college. Loved "High Desert Woman."

Also, where's Grenique? She had the single "Black Butterfly" back on BET in the late '90s and just dropped off the face of the earth.

SPYZFAN1 said:

One half of the duo, Allen Anthony, surfaced in 2003 and had minor success with his Roc-A-Fella track "Alright," which he also performed alongside rapper Freeway.

Ah yes, my realm of expertise...NEO SOUL...

Well, funny thing about Neo Soul = NO ONE BUYS IT. Flat out. That's why it's hard for these artists to get some airplay. You can also blame radio for saturating the airwaves with gimmicky stuff like "Crunk 'N' B" (WTF?) and the weak rap music that prevails these days.

But here's a list of Neo Soulsters you can check out either via Amazon.com or your neighborhood record store:

Bilal
Amp Fiddler
Ledisi
Goapele
Maya Azucena
Davina
Leelah James
Briggette McWilliams
Alison Crockett
Van Hunt
Martin Luther
Chico Debarge
Rahsaan Patterson
Geno Young
Dwele
Donell Jones
Heather Headley
Lathun
Donnie
Carmen Rodgers
N'Dambi
Kindred The Family Soul
Hil St. Soul
Cherokee
Amel Larrieaux
Trina Broussard
Glenn Lewis
Javier

So don't let radio dictate what you wanna hear...go out and BUY these guys as opposed to dowloading them Give them their due by giving them their money for their efforts.

By the way, Benet has a single coming out soon called "I Wanna Be Loved" and look for Leelah James - SMOKIN'!

Thanks for the updates folks. Yeah,Grenique had some major push behind her debut CD and she vanished too. Wasn't she on Motown? Didn't know Xaiver's CD came out back then. I searched for it, but never found it. A lot of those artists you mentioned Neo are smooth, but Davina was my fave. Remember AmberSunshower? It'll be interesting to see what Eric Benet has up his sleeve. I kind of figure his next CD will be all about Halle. Wasn't crazy about his last CD, but his 1st one "True To Myself" was pretty good.

Eric Benet's CD "Hurricane" drops June 21.

Neo, do you remember an artist by the name of Nicole Renee? She came out in 1999 and had a song called "Strawberries". She got lumped in with that whole "neo" group. She was being tagged (by Vibe of course) as the "female Prince". Then she vanished.

So many artists, so little info.

I liked that song by Allen Anthony.

I liked some tracks from Eric Benet's first album but lost interest in everything thereafter. I admit I'm curious about Hurricane tho.

What about Omar? He's been out for like a hundred years and still barely known with the backpack crew.
[Edited 6/1/05 15:47pm]

SPYZFAN1 said:

Yeah, I recall her. She dropped a CD in late 98. Not much fanfare around her release though and I barely remember her song "Strawberry". I saw her CD at Amazon for a whopping 1 cent. So I scooped it! LOL!