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Greatest white soul singer/song?

asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
edited October 2014 in Strut Central
Prompted by a discussion between some friends over the weekend, who does the Strut rate among the blue-eyed soul singers? Talking male artists here, who do you guys ride for? Van Morrison? Tom Jones? Michael Bolton?

Soul is not my strongest genre but I will say that Hall & Oates "Sara Smile" is a pretty perfect Philly soul joint IMO. Add on...

  Comments

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,947 Posts
    Tom Jones has a great voice, but not sure how seriously I can take the whole package.

    Personal favourite of mine is Bobby Caldwell's "Down for the Third Time" which I always describe as having a kind of opiate vibe about it.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Stevie Winwood and Lewis Taylor for me. Todd Rundgren, too. Rod Stewart walked the line at one point, and there was a period when Paul Rodgers could probably have knocked out a killer Muscle Shoals-style soul album any time he wanted. Speaking of which, does Tony Joe White qualify as blue-eyed soul?

    Van and Tom Jones are good calls, if both occasionally prone to being a little over-wrought.Gary Brooker and Jack Bruce are/were both pretty soulful singers, but I dunno if I'd call them soul singers from an idiomatic point of view.

    Those two Country Got Soul comps that Ross Allen's shortlived Casual label put out in the early 00s were full of good stuff - Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton, Dan Penn, the aforementioned TJW. They might be on Spotify should anyone want to check 'em out.
  • youngEINSTEINyoungEINSTEIN 2,443 Posts
    Robert Palmer all day, everyday. Go listen to his sneakin' Sally through the alley lp.

    Peace, stein...
  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,947 Posts
    Lewis Taylor is a good shout - When I first heard him, I thought it was a Marvin mashup. I did used to keep up with his adventures in the Land of The Music Industry, where I believe he threw in the towel.

    Noble discharge, if you will.

    Lewis II the most solid.
  • Fred_GarvinFred_Garvin The land of wind and ghosts 337 Posts
    J i m s t e r said:
    Lewis Taylor is a good shout - When I first heard him, I thought it was a Marvin mashup. I did used to keep up with his adventures in the Land of The Music Industry, where I believe he threw in the towel.

    Noble discharge, if you will.

    Lewis II the most solid.
    He did throw it in, at least on his solo career, but he's still out there on other projects. I always felt the same way re: the Marvin thing. When I first heard "Bittersweet", it seemed like the kind of sound Mr. Gaye might have adopted if he'd lived longer.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Dr. John
    Roy Head
  • MikeBossyMikeBossy 41 Posts
    Paul Davis
    Michael McDonald
    Donald Fagen
    Jon B.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Fred_Garvin said:
    J i m s t e r said:
    Lewis Taylor is a good shout - When I first heard him, I thought it was a Marvin mashup. I did used to keep up with his adventures in the Land of The Music Industry, where I believe he threw in the towel.

    Noble discharge, if you will.

    Lewis II the most solid.
    He did throw it in, at least on his solo career, but he's still out there on other projects. I always felt the same way re: the Marvin thing. When I first heard "Bittersweet", it seemed like the kind of sound Mr. Gaye might have adopted if he'd lived longer.

    So if Marvin Gaye had lived longer, he might have matured into what sounds like a good white soul singer?

    OK.
  • Fred_GarvinFred_Garvin The land of wind and ghosts 337 Posts
    DB_Cooper said:
    Fred_Garvin said:
    J i m s t e r said:
    Lewis Taylor is a good shout - When I first heard him, I thought it was a Marvin mashup. I did used to keep up with his adventures in the Land of The Music Industry, where I believe he threw in the towel.

    Noble discharge, if you will.

    Lewis II the most solid.
    He did throw it in, at least on his solo career, but he's still out there on other projects. I always felt the same way re: the Marvin thing. When I first heard "Bittersweet", it seemed like the kind of sound Mr. Gaye might have adopted if he'd lived longer.

    So if Marvin Gaye had lived longer, he might have matured into what sounds like a good white soul singer?

    OK.
    Not at all what I meant, but that's pretty damn funny now that I read it back.
  • mrboogieman88mrboogieman88 74 Posts

    I haven't heard all of the above mentioned stuff, but I always thought this was criminally underrated as a slow jam, definitely channeling Otis on this one. Needs a 7" pressing or some vinyl format.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I disagree that Marvin Gaye at his older age would have been doing semi-eclectic Neo-Soul like Taylor if he was still alive.
    I think he be right there w/ all the other old Black folks trying to stay relevant talmbout Jermaine Dupri, Timberland, Rodney Jerkins, or Keith Sweat is doing my next single.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    batmon said:
    I disagree that Marvin Gaye at his older age would have been doing semi-eclectic Neo-Soul like Taylor if he was still alive.
    I think he be right there w/ all the other old Black folks trying to stay relevant talmbout Jermaine Dupri, Timberland, Rodney Jerkins, or Keith Sweat is doing my next single.
    .

    I dunno, I reckon he might have taken a shot at it. He'd have probably got to that whole Great American Songbook thing before most of the others.

    The "neo-soul"/"new Marvin Gaye" tags had a lot to do with Lewis Taylor's withdrawal from active service - that, and his aversion to being The Frontman. Neither roles were truly him, not really, and you can tell if you dig deep into his catalogue (which I genuinely do celebrate in its entirety, btw). Look at The Lost Album, which would have been his sophomore joint if Island hadn't rejected it; that record's as much CS&N, Beach Boys, Rundgren and Laura Nyro as it is Marvin or anything else you might broadly classify as soul.

    Fred, what have you heard about where he's at these days? I wrote a piece on the enigma that is Lewis for the now-defunct Word magazine in the UK about five years ago, at which time he was back touring with the Edgar Broughton Band and calling himself Andrew Taylor (Lewis is his middle name). Prior to that, he was MD for the Gnarls Barkley touring band. That's all I know for certain.
  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    This song is the fucking shit, although silly and ridackulous at the same time

  • Fred_GarvinFred_Garvin The land of wind and ghosts 337 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:
    Fred, what have you heard about where he's at these days? I wrote a piece on the enigma that is Lewis for the now-defunct Word magazine in the UK about five years ago, at which time he was back touring with the Edgar Broughton Band and calling himself Andrew Taylor (Lewis is his middle name). Prior to that, he was MD for the Gnarls Barkley touring band. That's all I know for certain.
    Given that you're in the UK and have written about him, you likely know more than I do. I've heard the same about the Gnarls Barkley and Edgar Broughton gigs, and also that he was/is(?) with a band called The Drivers (with whom I'm not familiar) at times. There have been releases in the last couple years by Deborah Bond and The Vicar that he lent vocals to. Seems like he's still contributing here and there, in a very under-the-radar way.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    A lot of great singers mentioned.
    Points off to singers who try to sound Black. Though some are good.
    Better are singers who sing soulfully in their own voice.

    I think Mick Jagger should get a mention. +

    Last night I was listening to some Better Days. Group has 3 or more real good singers.
    This song knocks me out.

    And
  • GrafwritahGrafwritah 4,184 Posts
    Amy Crackhouse.

    That's right, I said it.
  • sofakingsofaking 2 Posts
    Dusty Springfield- Haunted
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    As far as one single solitary song goes....gimme this

  • MondeyanoMondeyano Reykjavik 863 Posts
    Bobby Caldwell "What You Won't Do For Love"

    b/w

    "My Flame"
  • sofakingsofaking 2 Posts
    Dusty Springfield- Haunted, What's It Gonna Be, Dusty Goes to Memphis. Nuff said.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    batmon said:
    I disagree that Marvin Gaye at his older age would have been doing semi-eclectic Neo-Soul like Taylor if he was still alive.
    I think he be right there w/ all the other old Black folks trying to stay relevant talmbout Jermaine Dupri, Timberland, Rodney Jerkins, or Keith Sweat is doing my next single.

    He would've been on his John Legend shit.
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