What Happen To
Soulful R&B?
Lately its been
feeling like Soulful R&B music has lost it way among audiences. There used
to be a time where R&B music left you in deep thought. The emotions of the
songs captivated your mind, heart and soul for a mere three to four minutes and
left you in a trance of memories. Whether you were almost in tears from a
broken heart or smiling cause you remembered a special moment, you would never
forget how it made you feel the instant it imprinted on your heart. It seems as
if I am not the only one feeling the drought of what R&B has become. Ever
since R&B became more Hip-Hop/R&B it has overshadowed the meaning of what
the music industry recognizes as soul music. Hip-hop/R&B has brought about
many great songs and collaborations to define a new genre, but it has
definitely limited the growth for more soulful sounds. Therefore, I did my own
digging to find artist that create music in resemblance to that old school vibe.
A great example that exemplifies the industry is missing soulful music is the
success of Tyrese most recent album Black
Rose. Tyrese has had several hit single’s that has hit decent numbers on
the charts. During an interview on The Breakfast Club he stated, “that R&B
has lost its way and the state of R&B is dead due to the lack of attention
from radio stations and fans not buying the music unless it has fifteen rappers
on it”. For the first time in his music career the release of his 2015 album Black Rose went number one on his independent label and this is said to be his
last album. The Black Rose album leading
single “Shame” has landed two Grammy nominations for Best Traditional R&B
and Best R&B song. The album has a real sultry soulful sound, and its kind
of reminiscent to the The Isley Brother’s.
