2018 has yielded many fantastic soul songs. Read below for our favourite twelve songs of the year. Click on each song to read the initial review and sound-off in the comments with your favourites!
12. ‘It Wasn’t Me’ – Alex Parvenu
‘We took a chance us young romancers‘
Alex Parvenu, a self-described ‘Black bohemian’, is a contemporary soul singer based in London. His debut release ‘It Wasn’t Me’ – a comedic tune about the father/boyfriend relationship – is inescapably catchy. The B3 organ and guitar blend together before the horn section powers through on this Motown-flecked arrangement. Bonus points for the hilarious music video too.
11. ‘Over You’ – Macy Gray
‘There are castles in my sand / I got a horn section in my band‘
Macy Gray whips up ineffable joy on ‘Over You’, a jazzy number from her latest album Ruby. She begins the first verse by celebrating her abstinence from alcohol. The pre-chorus bubbles with anticipation (‘Pick up, I’m calling, calling‘), before the chorus explodes.
10. ‘Call Me’ – Jamison Ross
‘Reaching out from the deepest connection, a spiritual place‘
Grammy-nominated jazz artist Jamison Ross sings with a buttery tenor and delicate phrasing. His latest album All For One, released at the start of the year, featured jazz covers as well as original compositions. On original song ‘Call Me’, Ross sings about his wife and the excitement he gets when she calls. With pitter-patter drumwork, and creeping licks of guitar and organ, the song gradually crescendos.
9. ‘Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand’ – Leon Bridges
‘Maybe I’m leaving, leaving here with nothing‘
Borrowing parts of the arrangement from Curtis Mayfield’s ‘The Makings of You’, ‘Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand’ opens Leon Bridges‘ sophomore album Good Thing. With lush strings and production, the ballad conveys Bridges’ thoughts on the inevitable end of a relationship. The arrangement is tender, as in Bridges’ vocal delivery. Beginning in his falsetto, he stretches in his full voice with yearning as the song develops.
8. ‘The Pepper Club’ – Judith Hill
‘Rosemary and sage fill up the room with sweet aroma / Ain’t nobody waking from this toxic funkacoma‘
Backing vocalist sensation and protégé of the late Prince, Judith Hill has a strong repertoire of original material under her belt. Her sophomore album Golden Child was retro but futuristic, classic but contemporary, stylish but sincere. Lead single ‘The Pepper Club’ depicts what Hill describes as a ‘cultural mecca’ – the ‘baddest cabaret in town‘ swimming with diverse personalities. An ear-worm melody is paired with a strutting funk groove.
7. ‘Keep On’ – Jackie Venson
‘High in the sky / Onto the next / Ride or die / Keep on keep on’
American singer/songwriter Jackie Venson, born in Texas, evokes the folksy sounds of Joan Armatrading and Tracy Chapman. Her uplifting jam, ‘Keep On’, shines for its reggae-flecked chorus and Venson’s airy, bouncy phrasing.
6. ‘Honey’ – Brother Zulu
This song, from BBC ‘artist of the week’ Brother Zulu, has ‘vibe’ dripping out of every pore. A guitar-laden composition with downtempo groove, the layered backing vocals and harmonies thicken the sparse arrangement. The melody is hypnotic, initially concealing the plaintive lyrics.
5. ‘State of All Things’ – Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics
‘In this state of all things / We keep believing / Love is that higher realm that we are seeking‘
A epic piece of symphonic soul from Atlanta-based ensemble Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics. Bookended with a symphonic motif, the song’s rumbling verses lead the way to an anthemic chorus. Velle sings about politics without proselytising.
4. ‘Progression’ – Kizzy Crawford
‘In a couple of years / After all of my tears / When I’m rid of my fears / That will be progression‘
‘Irrepressibly feelgood’ is how I described it in my review. And I was right. Welsh artist Kizzy Crawford wrote this song about the insecurity of her teenage years. ‘And I feel alive,’ Crawford sings in her sweet and melodious voice, against an equally melodious arrangement. The song is packed with escapist release and youthful charm.
3. ‘I’m Just Like You’ – Abiah
‘Is my skin too dark? / Is my nose too wide? / Are my lips too full? / Is my hair too coarse?’
This final track from ABIAH Sings NINA – the Ghanaian-American singer’s tribute to Nina Simone – is certainly the most moving. And to Abiah’s credit, it is an original piece – channelling and evoking Simone’s politically-charged writing. Written about the murder of Trayvon Martin, Abiah pleads for empathy and humanity from White America. With strings and piano accompanying Abiah’s sombre delivery, the ballad is both beautifully constructed and raw in its emotional honesty.
2. ‘Chasing Dreams’ – Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar
‘I’ve sown so many seeds I’ll never be able to reap‘
Toronto-based singer/songwriter Samantha Martin and her band Delta Sugar released the refreshingly throwback album Run To Me in April, recalling the likes of the Staple Singers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Janis Joplin. The finest song on the album is ‘Chasing Dreams’, written about the precariousness and loneliness of working as a musician. It is classic soul with simmering organ, punchy horns, and gravelly, impassioned vocals.
1. ‘Sometimes A Rose Will Grow In Concrete’ – Sy Smith
‘Sometimes a rose will grow in concrete / Sometimes the caged bird will sing‘
Sy Smith‘s ‘Sometimes A Rose Will Grow In Concrete’, from the album of the same name, is a powerful metaphor for black resistance and resilience. Though subtle and introspective, the song, in Smith’s own words, ‘[came] from a place of quiet/defiant resolution.’ With poetic cadence, the song meditates on the injustice and the striving, surviving mentality which characterises the black experience. ‘Sometimes the killers are so gentle / Sometimes survivors live in pain / Sometimes we’ll never get no answers / But still the questions will remain.‘ The melody swerves and swells, leading to Smith’s crying final note where the caged bird is freed.
