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| ORGANIC SOUL VOL 1 | ORGANIC SOUL VOL 2 | ORGANIC SOUL VOL 3 | |||
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| ORGANIC SOUL - REAL SOUL FROM THE ROOTS | ORGANIC SOUL - MORE REAL SOUL FROM THE ROOTS | ORGANIC SOUL - MORE CONTEMPORARY GEMS FROM THE ROOTS OF THE MUSIC | |||
| Organic Soul is
a showcase for the finest new soul talent coming from America today. More than
a compilation, it brings together five talented independent artists who share a
common ideology. Real soul from the roots. Individually the artists included here have produced outstanding albums with a strong emphasis on taking soul music back to its roots - quite the opposite to so much of today's formulated black pop music (R&B). This is real soul music weighing in heavily with meaningful lyrics, great instrumentation and thoughtful production. And these ladies sure can sing! Their own productions, on their own independent labels prove that integrity will always triumph over hype and image. This is music with a positive message and a sound reminiscent of the golden age of soul, deeply rooted within old school values and infused within an almost 'spiritual feel'. The albums from which the Organic Soul showcase are taken, have been heavily promoted by and brought to the attention of the underground soul scene by Soul Brother Records, who have pioneered the selling of this style of music in the UK. The tracks included on Organic Soul have gained support both from fans of real soul music and from important specialist radio shows across stations such as Jazz FM, GLR and Choice FM in the UK, and world-wide via the internet stations of Solar Radio and Soul 24-7. Andreas Hellingh host of the 'Soul of Amsterdam' radio show on Hi Freak FM and Mark Coddington also deserve credit for discovering some of these great albums. We feel privileged to be able to present the first major release of these artists and their work beyond the original albums. Listen, enjoy, and tell your friends about Organic Soul. Spread the word! Laurence Prangell July 2001. |
The philosophy behind our 'Organic Soul' compilations
is simple - real SOUL from the roots. There's no substitute for Soul, the way
it makes you feel - hair's standing up on the back of the neck, the tingle up
and down the spine - you get what I mean. No other music quite hits you in the
same way. Soul is something special. Over time this Soul feeling has been diluted by commercial pressures from the record industry - the quick buck, cross-over appeal etc, and that the music has become somewhat detached from its roots; today's black RnB/pop music is but the latest example. Many artists and listeners alike share the feeling that Soul music deserves better and that the depth and edginess that Soul once engendered has been sacrificed on the altar of corporate profit. Soul has always been (in our opinion) about the real deal, about life and one-dimensional disposable music cannot possibly duplicate this. The inspirational Soul of Aretha, Marvin and James Brown (to name but a few) defined an era, encapsulating the demands and aspirations of an entire generation of Afro-Americans during the 60's civil rights movement and reaching its musical zenith (to date) in the early/mid 70's. And yet this music had universal appeal touching the lives of millions of all backgrounds right across the globe. And, whilst major label artists like Angie Stone, India Arie, D'Angelo or Erykah Badu are today's torchbearers, it is the independent artists that constitute the core of the contemporary Soul movement. This movement is largely underground, and the artists record primarily for their own labels, at times through choice, at others through necessity. One of the effects, however, is that the artist has more control over the recording - with no record company exec pulling the strings and telling the artist what they can or cannot do. This control gives the music a distinctive feel with songs written from the heart, relating personal experience and drawn from real life. This music however demands and deserves wider recognition. Organic Soul's main rationale is to showcase these talented new Soul artists like Ledisi, N'Dambi or YahZarah and to try to help them to to reach as wide an audience as possible. The compilation also highlights the artists' releases with the intention of encouraging the sale of their own albums. Organic Soul ? It was not just a catchy title for the compilation, but really seemed to capture what we were trying to achieve with the release - the promotion and support of artists and music that are the essence of what, we believe, constitutes 21st Century Soul. But organic implies more, and incorporates the concept of roots and of a living, breathing and growing entity with connotations of strength and health as well as the opposite of the synthetic and manufactured. Musically, it also implies a reliance on real instrumentation and wherever possible avoidance of the dreaded drum programming that afflicts much of our music. Each volume showcases five artists and each artist contributes three tracks to the compilation. We have selected those tracks that epitomise these 'Organic Soul' principles and not necessarily the most commercial songs from each. All of the artists represented on both volumes, to some degree share this vision of a rootsy soulful future. Malcolm Prangell Soul Brother Records |
Welcome to the third instalment of the
Organic Soul series, showcasing the music of another seven highly gifted new
independent soul artists. As with Volumes One and Two, the tracks on this
latest collection are new or very recent recordings that both draw upon soul
music's rich heritage and take the sound to another level. For the ongoing
health and survival of the music that we love it is vital that new talent,
fresh ideas and inspired creativity is given wider exposure - with the Organic
Soul series we hope to provide such an outlet. We believe these artists are at
the forefront of the rebirth of soul music. Across the three volumes of Organic Soul we have been privileged to showcase some of the most talented, unique and soulful artists in contemporary soul music. The recordings contained within this series are on a par with some of the great soul recordings of the past and are destined to become the 'Rare Grooves' of the next generation. As with the previous two volumes, Organic Soul 3 is based on music that has been largely produced, written and recorded by the artists themselves, often under their own direction and mainly on their own labels. In some cases an artist's work has been heard for the first time commercially on one of the three volumes - for instance, the music of No Style But Soul on Volume Two and Sy Smith and Yewande on this latest collection) In reality, the only way that music of this calibre is given a chance to shine is through the endeavours of artists such as these working under their own steam. Most major label's time and effort appears to be concentrated on music and artists that fit a certain marketing plan, radio format or image ideal, rather than developing unique artists as they did in previous generations. With more and more self-driven independent artists taking control of their output and direction, it's the music that comes through above and beyond the mechanisms of a cynical music industry. We believe that we are witnessing a creative peak not seen in soul music for a quarter of a century. The limitations of self-promotion mean that it has been left largely to a small but growing underground audience and vital internet and satellite based radio stations like Soul24-7 and Solar Radio to champion this sound, along with a number of specialist record shops on both sides of the Atlantic. The underlying idea behind the Organic Soul series has always been to expose these artists and this creative vision to a wider audience and as such, do our bit to ensure that this great music continues to be produced, enjoyed and treasured. The music is heartfelt, at times breathtaking, the lyrics meaningful and sincere…music from and for the soul. Organic Soul is contemporary music that looks to the past for a way forward. It's Real Soul From The Roots. Laurence Prangell August 2003. |
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