Its hard, though, to say who is "under-rated". Under-rated to whom? Because while all of the above dudes are pretty well regarded in the rare soul collector world, they'll -quite obviously- never get any real world propers, nor will some all-purpose hip-hop/disco/soul party-rocker DJ dude ever drop any of their tunes.
Is she underrated? Everyone love's "Just Loving You" right? Its just that nobody off the street has ever heard it. But when they hear it, they love it; so she's just unknown, not under-rated.
There is no set criteria that makes one UNDER. You just know it.
Some folks are great singers that dont have a great label pushing them, dont get media coverage, came out during someone elses dominating the public's attention, have mediocre albums with promise,good voice w/ bad production....etc.
Is she underrated? Everyone love's "Just Loving You" right? Its just that nobody off the street has ever heard it. But when they hear it, they love it; so she's just unknown, not under-rated.
Still trying to wrap my head around this topic.
It's a good question that overlaps nicely, imo, with the discussion we had about Aretha's commercial sucess making it so a lot of raer nerds/collectro types don't give her the due she deserves.
It kind of takes the other side of it - not that people are underrated because they are unknown or esoteric, but overlooked because they are (too) popular.
My two cents is that someone like Anthony Hamilton, or even Raheem DeVaughn (who really needs better material for land's sake), gets shined because they are contemporary and mainstream/commercial.
can I add Leon Thomas, Gil Scott-Heron and Andy Bey?
No, definitely no, yes.
actually, I think Eugene McDaniels is too acclaimed to count as well.
Leon Thomas is relatively obscure - are you implying he shouldn't be on the list b/c he's a jazz sanger?
i think of him as being too well known, but upon further reflection it's up for debate whether that's actually fair...
In the "canon" of Soul singers where would he fall?
Are we now opening the "list" up to Dolly Parton and Barbara Streighsand?
haha! yeah, i guess i consider Leon Thomas to be a "soulful" jazz singer, whatever the fuck that means. i'm aware it's kind of a bullshit term, but i just think of him as being closer to a soul singer in vibe than a sammy davis or earlier jon hendricks...
I can't see half the older posts - did Greg Perry get mentioned? I've gone back and am listening the shit out of him since Chan mentioned him in another thread a coupLe of weeks ago.
Comments
dudes that can go from high to low or vice versa is my shit.
Its hard, though, to say who is "under-rated". Under-rated to whom? Because while all of the above dudes are pretty well regarded in the rare soul collector world, they'll -quite obviously- never get any real world propers, nor will some all-purpose hip-hop/disco/soul party-rocker DJ dude ever drop any of their tunes.
Is she underrated? Everyone love's "Just Loving You" right? Its just that nobody off the street has ever heard it. But when they hear it, they love it; so she's just unknown, not under-rated.
Still trying to wrap my head around this topic.
There is no set criteria that makes one UNDER. You just know it.
Some folks are great singers that dont have a great label pushing them, dont get media coverage, came out during someone elses dominating the public's attention, have mediocre albums with promise,good voice w/ bad production....etc.
It's a good question that overlaps nicely, imo, with the discussion we had about Aretha's commercial sucess making it so a lot of raer nerds/collectro types don't give her the due she deserves.
It kind of takes the other side of it - not that people are underrated because they are unknown or esoteric, but overlooked because they are (too) popular.
My two cents is that someone like Anthony Hamilton, or even Raheem DeVaughn (who really needs better material for land's sake), gets shined because they are contemporary and mainstream/commercial.
She was just inducted into the RaRHoF.
No, definitely no, yes.
actually, I think Eugene McDaniels is too acclaimed to count as well.
Leon Thomas is relatively obscure - are you implying he shouldn't be on the list b/c he's a jazz sanger?
i think of him as being too well known, but upon further reflection it's up for debate whether that's actually fair...
In the "canon" of Soul singers where would he fall?
Are we now opening the "list" up to Dolly Parton and Barbara Streighsand?
Ruth Brown ( i know she wasnt exactly unknown, but she doesnt get the shine of some of the other soul singers from that era)
Modern
Neco Redd
Also, but i assume not underrated or little known, the voice of Lee Dorsey.
haha! yeah, i guess i consider Leon Thomas to be a "soulful" jazz singer, whatever the fuck that means. i'm aware it's kind of a bullshit term, but i just think of him as being closer to a soul singer in vibe than a sammy davis or earlier jon hendricks...
but yeah, i guess keep him out of the "canon"
(She goes APE SH*T on the record starting at the 4:00 mark)
Choo Choo Montgomery
I also thought Linda Jones was a bit underrated as well.
Not one dud on his 'One For the Road' LP