Apparently the news of R&B’s death was at least somewhat exaggerated. I couldn’t be happier because, growing up, Rhythm & Blues was my main musical love. It was heartbreaking to watch the tidal wave of rap wash away nearly the entire genre the last decade.
Adding insult to injury, the R&B that survived was an inferior variant that, in a perverse effort to appeal to the hip hop generation, put all the emphasis on the R at the expense of all the B. Which explains why classic Rhythm & Blues lovers dismiss the bulk of the modern form as “Rap & Bullshit.”
In recent years, some have pointed to the successes of John Legend and Alicia Keys as signs that things are turning around. Others simply attribute their ascendancy to tokenism (the industry always seems to keep one R&B male popping at any given time, see: Babyface, Aaron Hall and Brian McKnight for past examples) and cronyism (starmaker Clive Davis marketed Keys as aggressively as he had once pushed his fallen superstar Whitney Houston).
But lately, more and more fans are sensing that change is in the air. It’s too early to be certain I guess, but the fact that a handful of younger artists have released gratifying R&B albums the last few months must be pointing toward something.
Starting from a slow burn, soulful singer-songwriter Robin Thicke broke through the charts in a big way this past winter with “The Evolution Of Robin Thicke.” The album went top five on the Billboard 200 chart and, even more impressively, hit number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, a feat not accomplished by a white male artist since George Michael in the late ’80s. The song “Lost Without U” carried the 30-year-old to the top of the R&B singles chart.
In recent weeks three new albums by solo female artists have kept the momentum going.
Imagine what it might sound like if a young Etta James cut an album singing modern day, R-rated confessional lyrics over ’60s girl-group-inspired musical production. Seems pretty great, right? Well, check out the sophomore release from 23-year-old British sensation Amy Winehouse (pictured below) for confirmation.
The perpetually publicly plastered tabloid covergirl scores with “Back To Black” (Universal), a knockout set of adult R&B tunes that chronicle a crumbling relationship. The lyrics, all co-written by Winehouse, are stacked with gripping lines like these from “Tears Dry On There Own”: “I shouldn’t play myself again/I should just be my own best friend/Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men.”
There’s not a tin tune among these 10 tunes, but the standouts are the defiant opener “Rehab” (“They tried to make me go to rehab/I said no, no, no”), “Me & Mr. Jones” (featuring a deliciously stacked vocal that turns Winehouse into The Chiffons) and “Love Is A Losing Game” (an original that sounds like a lost Ronnie Spector classic).
Winehouse’s better-known British contemporary Joss Stone is back with “Introducing Joss Stone” (Virgin), her misnomered third album. (She says the title reflects the fact that this album represents who she is as an artist, while the previous two were assembled under pressure from the label.)
“Introducing” was recorded in Barbados under the direction of Raphael Saadiq (Tony! Toni! Toné!) and features collaborations with Common and Lauryn Hill. The album has been accurately described as “a mix of warm vintage soul, ’70s-style R&B, Motown girl-group harmonies and hip hop grooves.”
Stone, who turns 20 on April 11, doesn’t come close to delivering an instant classic like “Back To Black,” but she hits a solid double. Key tracks on “Introducing” include bouncy “Girl They Won’t Believe It,” funky “Headturner” and gritty “Bad Habit,” which ends with a vocal breakdown that unmistakably draws inspiration from Donna Summer’s sultry “Love To Love You Baby.”
Macy Gray (pictured above) has also returned with a new studio album, after a nearly four-year hiatus. Her debut, “On How Life Is,” was a triple-platinum smash in 1999, producing the Grammy-winning single “I Try.” Although she’s experienced diminishing sales returns with each subsequent release, the helium-voiced singer is clearly gunning for “Big” (Geffen) success with her latest.
Under the able executive producer guidance of will.i.am (The Black Eyed Peas), Gray, 39, taps into a rich vein of commercial R&B that spans from lush (“Finally Made Me Happy”) to poppy (“What I Gotta Do”) to danceable (“Everybody”).
Current chart titans Justin Timberlake and Fergie lend their voices to “Get Out” and “Glad You’re Here,” respectively, while Natalie Cole adds soaring support to the aforementioned “Finally.” Stunt casting can often overwhelm artists, but Gray easily holds the spotlight on her winning return to form. |
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