LONDON SOUND IS REVIVING SOUL MUSIC
Sam Smith on Disclosure’s "Latch" was a pivotal moment in recent music memory. That voice. That soft electric melody. The mesmerizing pace set by the thumping beat beneath. Not to mention that DAMN VOICE! Sam Smith channeled the late Sam Cooke in that genre-defining performance. Although it already existed for some time, Sam Smith broke through with a sound that resonated with the masses. London Electric Soul was born.
(BTW totally trademarking London Electric Soul)
London has been at the forefront of a beautiful sound. Silky smooth vocals supported by bare piano and guitar arrangements—or more recently — comforting electric undercurrents, allowing the genre of "house" to really live up to its "homey" namesake.
Adele. Sam Smith. James Blake. Lorde. Jessie Ware. Sampha. Ellie Goulding. Jamie Woon. Lianne La Havas. Duke Dumont. I'd even throw CHVRCHES in. And a plethora more. These artists represent the "slice-like-butter" vocals that are laid perfectly on top of electric synths, acoustic guitar strums, and a good old piano riff. Throw in a Disclosure beat, a SBTRKT melody, a Calvin Harris arrangement, or a Jamie XX electric orchestration and you've got a bonafide hit.
Aluna George on “Lean On”. Jessie Ware on “Right Thing to Do”. Duke Dumont on “Ocean Drive”. Jamie Woon channelling Marvin Gaye on “Sharpness”. Examples of this sound are everywhere.
I can’t quite put my thumb on it, or articulate better than the actual music can express it: its really relaxing and beautiful music. One can say that it’s soul-caressing and soul-nurturing. Soft and silky, not in your face, with enough umph to make you bop your head to the 808s and tyko drums.
We're experiencing a soul-revival of sorts. One that would impress Arethra, Etta, Ella, Otis, and Sam Cooke themselves. The city of London is the new Motown Records, and hits keep coming. Human ears continue to evolve and yearn for different, expansive sounds. This being said, the high hats, synths, and programmed melodies now serve the roles that the good old sax, piano, and background vocals use to do for traditional soul-music.
As mentioned, many London singers and songstresses continue to push the boundary of this new-age soul. Adele, Sam Smith, Lorde, and James Blake have arguably some of the most timeless and ground breaking vocals to come to the spotlight in a very, very long time. It's quite a special time for this sub-genre that has large-genre scope and influence.
Sidenote: It’s worth mentioning that I truly believe Adele is a modern-day mash-up of Etta James, Nina Simone, & a sprinkle of Erykah Badu——but that’s just me. And the last 4 tracks on “25” are a masterpiece. Adele deserves her own separate article, just for her.
Getting back on track here, the North-American music industry has taken notice of this new-age soul, and American and Canadian artists have followed suit. Why did Drake do Hotline Bling? Why did Bugatti Biebz create a modern Gospel-R&B album in the form of Purpose, with Skrillex at the helm of a good amount tracks? Why does The Weeknd continue to ascend? Simple answer: London sound controls the radio waves and the general masses with its soft-soul-revival. And it works. Damn well too.
Another relevant sidenote: I'd like to throw out some artists I personally think have made great attempts to harness this sound, and are making strides to have this sound resonate stateside: SZA, Banks, Kiiara, Chet Faker(Australian), and an up-and-comer named Noah, amongst many others. Matter of fact, Noah is a great example of this sound breaking through stateside and influencing other genres.
With more than half a million plays and nearly 5k followers on Soundcloud, its evident that Noah’s on the verge of something pretty cool. Noah draws in the characteristics of the London soul-revival sound, with his aromatic vocals laid comfortably on top of Soulection beats that carry a quality of an Electric-R&B-Lullaby(TRADEMARKING THAT TOO). Not QUITE traditional soul, but to say Noah’s music has no soul would be blasphemous. He’s a perfect personification of London Electric Soul’s sound; it’s a clear-cut example of how London’s sound is starting to creep into different genres of music. He's really only missing the British accent. But he could do without.
He’s got a music video dropping November 24th by the way for “Airport Bar”. Check. It. Out.
Anyways, I digress. This sound is here, its pushing music forward, and it's going to be around for some time. Cheers to the London blokes who continue to craft it, and to the domestic artists that respect it and put their own spin on it. London Soul Revival in full effect. Now all thats missing is English Orthodox priests baptizing concert goers on the River Thames to the beat of Disclosure’s “Omen”. That’d be quite the sight.