Most middle-aged men I know seem to love to ramble on about how rock is dead and how there hasn't been a decent rock record since John Bonham died. Now I'll debate them about rock, but this statement is certainly true for another genre, Rhythm and Blues. It's hard to pinpoint when R&B turned from soulful bliss to commercial gloom, so maybe a timeline will help.
1950's=great, Fats Domino, Ray Charles is starting to hit his stride
1960's=the pinnacle of soul, Otis Redding, Aretha, and Wilson Pickett
1970's=starts out great, but the beginning of the end
1980's=irrelevant
1990's=coming back but in a bad way
present=the charts are ruled by commercial products like Chris Brown, Neo, and Brandy
Damn R&B was great back in the day with Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Ray Charles. But nowadays when people think R&B they think of this overproduced, shallow music that I am unfortunately exposed to everyday at my gym. All these artists seem the same, like they are produced in some factory.
Now soul fans don't panic, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Soul birds like Sharon Jones (playing at ACL this Saturday) and Ruthie Foster have both released albums last year and have proven themselves as soul heavyweights.
Download: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings: "Tell Me" and "Nobody's Baby"
Ruthie Foster: "Heal Yourself"
Wilson Pickett: "Ninety-Nine and a Half" and "Mustang Sally"
Aretha Franklin: "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Think"
Marvin Gaye: "Right On" and "Inner City Blues"
Otis Redding: "Don't Mess With Cupid" and "Ole Man Trouble"
Ray Charles: "The Right Time" and "You Be My Baby"
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