The Rebirth Of Soul

Jet, March 26, 2001

Artists Transform Soul Music With Honest Lyrics, Funky Rhythms And Afrocentric Style

A revolution is underway in the world of music. A new squad of artists raised on old-school tunes are on a crusade to put the feeling, the meaning, the soul back into music.

On the front lines of this new movement are artists like Erykah Badu, Macy Gray, Jill Scott, Maxwell and Musiq Soulchild, whose sound--distinctive, innovative, even raw at times--has roots deep in soul, but branches that spread far and wide into all genres of music.

They season their sounds with a shot of blues, a dash of gospel, a jazzy riff, a disco beat, a funk-laced chord, a bass line or two, some spoken word and a bit of rock or metal. It's musical gumbo for the soul. Are you ready for seconds?

ERYKAH BADU

The high priestess of the new soul movement, Erykah Badu arrived on the scene in 1997 with her towering head wrap and her silver "Wonder Woman" bracelets and changed the landscape of Black music with her unique brand of sound, Baduizm, a fusion Of jazz, R&B and hip hop. Her debut album, Baduizm, and her subsequent Live! both went multiplatinum and earned Badu three Grammy awards. She says her songs, especially those from her latest work, Mama's Gun, which draw on a century of Black music and embody the collective memory of the ancestors, are meant to protect, heal and renew.

"I see myself as more of a midwife, aiding in the rebirthing process of music," Badu says. "The Creator has given me a tremendous gift and I feel that I have a responsibility since I've been given the platform. I guess my religion is art because I do Creator's work through my art."

MAXWELL

One of the founding fathers of the soul revival, Maxwell was retro before retro was cool. With his blown-out 'fro, vintage clothes and his sultry falseto, Maxwell helped introduce nouveau soul to the urban consciousness with his two multiplatinum love suites, 1996's Urban Hang Suite and 1998's Embrya.

Maxwell's first shows were on a Black college tour and very memorable. He recalled for one writer how during a performance, a group of guys heckled him, making fun of his hair.

"But I found the more people tried to hold me down, the more it made me do my [thing]," he said. The 26-year-old New Yorker has come a long way since those early days, so has his music.

He just released his funk-drenched single , Get To Know Ya, from his upcoming third album, Now. Maxwell's smooth, passionate style is often likened to Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, and while he doesn't mind the comparisons, the singer/songwriter would rather set his own musical standards. "I want to do good, substantial music that hopefully touches people," he said.

JILL SCOTT

Newcomer Jill Scott posed a question to the world with her debut CD, Who Is Jill Scott?, then answered it with her music.

Influenced by the coffee-house culture, Scott lets her poetic lyrics take center stage, with music as a spotlight, as in her hit single, Gettin' In The Way, about a woman standing up for her man, which at times drifts into a spoken word set.

Nominated for three Grammys this year, including Best New Artist, Scott says her songs have "soul, convinced and woman behind them."

The 28-year-old north Philadelphia native, who co-wrote the songs on her album, got her start reading poetry at a local Philly art spot, then hooked up with the music group The Roots to write the lyrics for the group's hit single, You Got Me, which was sung by Erykah Badu and earned The Roots a Grammy in 1999.

"I can't really put me in any parameters," she says about herself and her music. "I don't want to be in anybody's box. My hair's not permed, I'm not skinny ... `What we gone do with her?'"

MUSIQ SOULCHILD

For Musiq Soulchild, soul is more than just a music label. It's a way of life. And his unique name reflects his philosophy.

"Soulchild represents anybody who was born and raised during that time when being soulful was the mindset of a lot of people," he says. "I am a product of that era, so I consider myself a soulchild." The name Musiq ("muse" and "IQ") reflects his desire as an artist to serve as a "muse to inspire people to think creatively ... to enhance their gift."

The 22-year-old from Philly whose birth name is Taalib Johnson was introduced to the '70s sound as a teen by his father. His debut album, Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want To Sing), is his attempt to return the soul to soul music.

"In the last few years the music has been watered down slightly," he says. "I'm still experimenting because I don't believe soul is something you can fake. I'm trying to make my music as real as possible." He also notes that contemporary R&B is often saturated with sex and materialism, which prompted him to record the single, Just Friends. "I just wanted women to know, its not always about sex. I can just be that boy that goes to the library with you."

MACY GRAY

A standout voice in soul, Macy Gray hit the music scene hard with her gritty sound and her intimate vignettes on life. Her debut album, On How Life Is, went triple platinum in the U.S. and her hit single, I Try, recently earned Gray her first Grammy Award as Best Pop Female Vocalist for this year.