Soul Music...

singing with the ugly face...

“Soul is singing with the ugly face.” Sharon Jones, a gospel-trained singer who started performing soul in the ‘70s can sing with sweetness and grace, but she says there’s more to it than that. “I think when you go soul, you got to get the ugly face.”

A newcomer to soul music is a young Eli “Paperboy” Reed who “knows how to sing ugly.” “My music sounds the way it does ‘cause everybody wears their influences on their sleeve...” he says. It is “marked by a passionate precision and raw intensity.”

According to National Public Radio writer, Ashley Kahn, “If you’re talking about music, soul is easy to define. It’s a gritty, vocal style, filled with a feeling straight out of the black church. Soul music was born in the ‘50s, took over the charts in the ‘60s, and remains alive and well today. Soul often has horn sections and sometimes strings, but it doesn’t like to be too dressed up with polished production: Soul is more about naked emotion and personal testimony.

“Soul music was born thanks to the innovations of a generation of post-war musicians who, essentially, turned gospel music into a secular form of art.” Ray Charles and Sam Cooke were two of the founding fathers, but there were many soul singers and groups who fostered the evolution of the mainstream black music into mainstream American music.

A stepchild of soul music was the “blue-eyed soul” singer—a white artist who performed the black music. Singers in the 60s like the The Righteous Brothers took soul music to the top of the charts. The ride for soul continues with music from a plethora of artists such as Michael McDonald, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse and Taylor Hicks.

Blue-eyed-soul singer, Taylor Hicks, told NPR Tapestry in a radio interview in 2005, “My music is derived from the old soul artists of back in the day…the high energy live performers like Sam Cooke and Marvin Gay, Otis Redding and a lot of the Stax soul review—energy that you would have if you saw those play back in the day.” He writes in his autobiography, “Heart Full of Soul,” of his early attachment to soul music growing up in an imperfect world…”....And all the while, I was listening to soul music - music where you can actually hear a man’s heart break. So it just really made sense to me - even at such a young age.”

Taylor Hicks has the voice…a gravely, whiskey tenor with the “passionate precision and raw intensity” described by Paperboy Reed. He performs his music with the intensity of a tent revival testimony. Taylor can sing with the ugly face…the face he wears when he “takes us to church”!

The new sound of soul by Taylor Hicks will take us to church on March 10 when “The Distance,” is being released on his own label, Modern Whomp Records.

Soul music—emotions set down in music inspiring the ugly face!

Sources: Ashley Kahn, National Public Radio, and NPR Tapestry; Heart Full of Soul, by Taylor Hicks.

TAYLOR HICKS SETS MARTYR'S ON FIRE!

Just when you think Taylor Hicks shows can't get any better, along comes Martyr's in Chicago. To say the night was magical and energetic and fabulous is simply an understatement. The house was packed, and it was a small and very intimate venue....Bar Taylor in his element at his Personal Best!

Todd Hembroke and the Hemispheres opened for Taylor, and they were very good. Check out their myspace page here:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=45597729

They finished a bit after ten, and the crowd was growing impatient for its Soul Man to appear. The Taylor Hicks stage began to be set. Harmonicas were placed, tamborines were placed and YES...COWBELL! As the lights dimmed and we waited for the main event, the lighting placed an eerie and radiant glow on the black case with the harmonicas all lined up. It was like a little Heavenly preview of what was to come for us.

The Taylor Hicks chant began and ebbed and began again. The band appeared consisting of Josh Smith on guitar, Brian Gallagher on sax, drummer Khari Parker , Kenny Crouch keyboard player, and a new bass guitarist I had not seen before. Taylor exploded onto that stage, and the place became pandemonium. He was relaxed and happy and did a lot of kidding with the crowd and the band, especially the keyboardist who shined! Josh was beyond amazing and Brian's sax was its usual pleasure.

Two sets were done, the second one being shortened to more of an encore. I have posted a set list on his official sites and other fansites, along with my full recap on Connections. To say this show was the best ever does not begin to describe the electricity and pure JOY in that crowd. Some of the "Grease" cast were there for their first Taylor Hicks show, and I am betting they were amazed. Taylor sang a lot from his three prior albums, including some of my favorites such as: "Heart and Soul," "Soul Thing," "The Maze," and "Heaven Knows," and added some great tags. My Encore favorite was "Superstition."

Now for the debut performance of the new single..."What's Right is Right." SOULFUL, FANTASTIC, SMOOTH AS SILK, MOVING, FABULOUS! Taylor Hicks gave his heart and soul to performing this new single, which is certainly going to have airplay appeal for those who like the slow and mellow sound of a beautiful love song with some gospel and blue-eyed soul added in for good measure.

The crowd was wild. Taylor was full of energy and mischief and AMAZING TALENT. I have not been to any previous concert that can equal this one or even come close. The setting was quite wonderful. If you arrived early, you were able to obtain a coveted spot in front of the stage which was close enough to polish the snakeskin boots he wore! But there was not a bad seat or standing place in the house, and the acoustics were superb.

HERE IS MY TAKE....there were fans there who have been to a few concerts and fans who have gone to many. Either way...EVERY ONE OF US WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THIS NIGHT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

HERE IS MY WISH....MAY YOU ALL EXPERIENCE A SHADOW SHOW LIKE THIS ONE!

THANK YOU SO MUCH, TAYLOR HICKS....This is a night I will remember forever.