Cdthèque recommandée

Aerosmith- Aerosmith

Drawing heavily on blues and country, but definitely rock.

First album of a great band! You can feel the early, and at times unsophisticated, efforts and it's refreshing! A true pearl that's become a classic of the band lies among great tunes: "Dream on".
8 tracks worth a try. 

After Laughter Comes Tears- Wendy Rene

60s soul.

This is a compilation for an original one is hard to find. Beautiful, high-pitched voice, dancing beats and catchy rhythms that make you sing along. Some of the best tracks are "After laughter", "Bar-B-Q", "Give you what I got", "Your love is all I need", "Young man". Think Aretha Franklin's kind of music with different themes, a different voice, and a less serious, sad feeling. Basically, Aretha mixed with 60s girl groups' lightness.



At Last: The Best Of - Etta James

Mesmerising bluesy soul, a must!

She yells, she growls, she whispers, she church sings, she hollers… She’s a woman. Complex and mature. Etta James is a million different singers at once; she makes you go through a whole range of emotions_ often desperate, by the way. This isn’t for little girls.
A lot of covers featured here, but we’d be in a much darker place without those jewels. When Etta sings your work, you, the inventive artist, get sent off, in the shadows. Uh-uh! Stick to your place. She just does it better. Pearl

Backatown- Trombone Shorty

New Orleans jazz.

My ear has always been more soulful than instrumental, but I generally look for something allying the two. Here, however, Trombone Shorty doesn't mix the two as often as he separates them. Result: 'tis a good listening but not one that requires you listen attentively; by contrast, his concerts are ten times better. There's too much of a dissidence between the slightly repetitive instrumental tracks which render his live shows so powerful and the more neo-soul songs; the album doesn't always work well as a whole, though each singular track has something to offer. "Neph", "Fallin'" "928 Horn jam", "In the 6th" and "One night only" come close to match the power of "Something beautiful" and it's telling that the best track is a sung one. That being said, you've gotta like the trombone here, otherwise you're in for an artistic nightmare...

Best of- The Specials

Ska.

Think African beats mixed with instrumental craziness that makes you dizzy, whiny Jamaican and British voices, (pseudo-)socio-political messages, add a lot of onomatopoeia, loud choruses, hand clapping, and you've got ska at its best: very creative, teasing, bouncy till it's got your head in a whirlwind. Pearl

Black And Blue- The Rolling Stones

Should I even...?

Well, it's only rock...but the really good kind! The instrumental one, the kind that, if you were to remove all lyrics, would still get you going.
For the blues of "Melody" and "Fool to cry" alone, you should love this album! "Hand of fate," "Hot stuff," "Crazy mama," and their cover of "Cherry oh baby" are next in line.    Pearl


Born- China Black

Pop-ish kind of neo soul.
 
Now, wikipedia tags the only album from the duo "pop-reggae." Y...es... There may be a strong reggae style in "Where" but the other tracks confine the influence to one or two instruments recalling the most recognisable reggae sound and not much beyond that. And hey, reggae was a major thing of the late 20th century so really, what kind of good soul music isn't a little influenced by it ?! The lyrical content, the atmosphere of the album stick to soul and the music is so pack(ag)ed that it's closer to 90s quality pop. So don't expect any rhythmic, wise, weed-smoking philosophy. It's definitely, and just, urban music. Think Charles & Eddie in a more loaded, less original and diversified form. But it's good music. "Searching," "Born," "Stars" and "Almost see you" are the best way to start.

The Bravest Man In The Universe- Bobby Womack

Weird...The kind of music that does much more than music, you know...

You get what I mean when you know that this was co-produced by Damon Albarn. So, mix a Gorillaz-type of experimentation with weird soul/r'n'b, some African influences in the lyrics and you get the feeling of listening to actual black-veteran soul, and I'm not talking about music anymore...Basically, the cover says it all. Though, I would add, not all musical experimentations sit well with Womack's vocals and intent...
4 very great tracks in "If there wasn't something there," "The bravest man in the universe," "Love is gonna lift you up," and "Nothin' can save ya." And what a voice!

Broken Boy Soldiers- The Raconteurs

Alternative rock.
 
Aha! Pearl