Top Soul/R&B Artists on Rhapsody Online

Adele

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:50:10 +0000

British soul-pop chanteuse Adele (nee Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) is a stunning young talent with a huge voice. After she recorded a few songs, a friend set up a MySpace page for her in early 2005; record execs discovered her there in their hunt for the "next Lily Allen." After signing to XL, she suffered from a terribly ill-timed case of writer's block -- that is until she fell in and out of love. A breakup opened the floodgates of emotion and creativity, resulting in her debut album 19. Inspired by great soul dames like Etta James and Billie Holiday and other singers such as Bjork, Jeff Buckley, Dusty Springfield and Jill Scott, Adele's sense of staggering, heartbreaking honesty and artistry are evidence of her superwoman resilience and everywoman experiences. - ABRUNO

Drake

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:50:32 +0000

A biracial, half-Canadian, half-American heartthrob offspring of a multi-generational musical family who first shot to fame in the early '00s playing an injured high school basketballer on TV's Degrassi: The Next Generation, the rapper born Aubrey Drake Graham is an unlikely candidate to serve as hip-hop's latest great hope. But that's what he's been shaking out as, ever since his self-released 2007 mix tape, Comeback Season, brought him to the attention of Lil Wayne, the first of several superstars he has managed to collaborate with before even releasing a debut album. The list now includes Kanye West, Mary J. Blige and others, and it shows no signs of letting up, especially given Drake's starring role in two of 2009's more inescapable summer hip-hop singles: his own "Best I Ever Had" and Young Money Entertainment's "Every Girl." As with the early Kanye, Drake's persona bridges the gap between street smarts and backpacker emo; it's clear, too, that he can sing as nimbly as he raps. Talk about a future multi-threat; he doesn't even need to cross over to acting, because he's already been there. In 2010, Drake certified his superstar status with Thank Me Later, one of the year's biggest sellers. - CEDDY

Rihanna

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:51:18 +0000

Talent and a dose of good luck got Barbados-born Rihanna signed to Def Jam when she was 16 years old. She was discovered by producer Evan Rogers during his island visit in 2003, and went on to impress Def Jam CEO Jay-Z so much that he grabbed her for a multi-album contract. The singer's first single, "Pon de Replay," was released in June 2005, with the full album Music of the Sun dropping a month later. But her big break came in 2006 with the release of the single "S.O.S." and the subsequent album A Girl Like Me. The single, which sampled Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," was one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially popular songs of that year. Though Rihanna had basically moved away from dancehall, she was moving toward a new aesthetic that married R&B, synth-pop and hip-hop. She continued in this direction with 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad, which featured the infectious singles "Umbrella" and "Shut Up and Drive." In early 2009, she was assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown en route to a pre-Grammys party; that November, she released Rated R, a highly personal album with an unmistakable darkness. The next year, she issued her fifth album, Loud. - SCHENNAULT

Nicki Minaj

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:06:40 +0000

Nicki Minaj captivated the music world before she even released an official album, landing magazine covers as well as collaborations with Usher, Mariah Carey, Ludacris and others. Such is the life of a protege of Lil Wayne, one of the biggest artists in popular music. But Minaj isn't a New Orleans rapper; she actually hails from Jamaica, Queens, and got her start on the Rotten Apple mixtape circuit. Lil Wayne discovered her and brought her into his ever-growing Young Money collective. She quickly stood out with a hypersexual, bi-curious persona, fantastic rhyme schemes and outlandish costumes that toyed with a "Barbie world" image. The 2009 group album We Are Young Money (and its accompanying hits like "BedRock") as well as spotlight-stealing guest verses for Ludacris ("My Chick Bad") and Usher ("Lil Freak") brought her national exposure. As the hype and controversy (including a "beef" with prototypical gangster mistress Lil' Kim) reached a fever pitch, Minaj released her first hit single, "Your Love." At the end of 2010 she released her debut album, Pink Friday. It quickly went platinum and launched hits including "Right Thru Me" and "Moment 4 Life." - MREEVES

Beyonce

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:40:33 +0000

Beyonce Knowles, the leader of Destiny's Child, always knew she wanted to be a star. She formed the first incarnation of Destiny's Child in 1990 -- when she was 9 years old. By 2001, the group began to dissolve. Knowles nabbed a lead role in Mike Myers' Austin Powers: Goldmember; an appearance in MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera cemented her reputation as a formidable entertainer. Her solo debut, Dangerously in Love, came out in 2003. The first single, "Crazy in Love," was a duet with beau Jay-Z that zoomed to the top of the charts. B'Day, her stunning 2006 sophomore turn, featured hits like "Deja Vu" and "Ring the Alarm." Later that year, Beyonce starred as Deena Jones in the Oscar-winning movie musical Dreamgirls. In 2007, Beyonce made a Latin-crossover attempt, dueting with Shakira on "Beautiful Liar" and releasing a deluxe edition of B'Day, featuring "Amor Gitano" with Mexican crooner Alejandro Fernandez and a Spanish version of the anthem "Irreplaceable." For her third studio album, I Am ... Sasha Fierce, Beyonce split herself into two personae -- the tender, traditional Beyonce and the club diva Sasha Fierce. - LRYAN

Usher

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:26:39 +0000

By the time he entered puberty, Usher had a record deal and a gold album. By the time he graduated high school, he was one of the most visible artists in R&B. Between 1994 and 2004, he released six albums, appeared in several films and earned multiple platinum records. However, 2004 was the year he reached the upper echelons of superstardom, thanks to the chart-topping, Lil Jon-produced "Yeah!" His subsequent album, Confessions, netted him three Grammys and sold 11 million copies. In the four years that followed Confessions' release, Usher found himself embroiled in a series of widely publicized controversies surrounding his mother, who was also his manager until Usher "resigned her." In 2008, he got back in the spotlight for musical reasons with the ubiquitous summer jam "Love in This Club" from Here I Stand. After that album, Usher again found his personal life making headlines thanks to his drama-ridden divorce from Tameka Foster. This time around, he channeled his struggles into his craft, namely the edgier, introspective 2010 album Raymond vs. Raymond. - RDEVITT

Chris Brown

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:56:07 +0000

With his handsome looks and slick, Michael Jackson-inspired dance moves, Chris Brown became one of the biggest R&B stars of the 2000s. He seemed very close to achieving pop mega-stardom -- until an ill-timed domestic abuse scandal nearly destroyed his career. Born in Virginia, Brown honed his rapping and singing skills as an adolescent. After his family moved to New York, a label bidding war ensued. Released on Jive Records in 2005, "Run It!" became the 16-year-old Brown's first No. 1 hit. His subsequent self-titled debut included two more Top 10 hits. He solidified his stardom with 2007's platinum Exclusive, which featured "Kiss Kiss," "With You" and "Forever." That same year, Brown got to show off his excellent krumping skills on Stomp the Yard, and he landed a role in This Christmas. But his high-profile romance with fellow "pop&B" star Rihanna ended in disaster when he assaulted her on the evening before the 2009 Grammy Awards. Lingering negative public opinion ensured that his third album, 2009's Graffiti, would be a flop. In 2010, Brown made an impressive comeback with "Deuces," and defying all odds, 2011's F.A.M.E. became his first No. 1 album. - MREEVES

Tank

Mon, 7 May 2012 11:45:43 +0000

Singer Tank has a velvety voice that wraps around his pleas for love, sex and empathy. His music alternates between classic R&B and the more rugged terrain of post-Aaliyah rap/R&B. It's not difficult to see the influence of such singers as R. Kelly and Jahiem, but Tank has also managed to create his own niche. Otherwise known as Durrell Babbs, he was born in Milwaukee, Wis., and raised in D.C. Growing up, he split his time between sports and piano. After a brief stint as a college football player, Tank dropped out and became a background singer for Ginuwine and Aaliyah. He went solo in 2001 with Force of Nature, a success thanks to hit single "Maybe I Deserve." He quickly followed up that album with 2002's One, which, though not as successful as his debut, sold well and produced the hit single "One." From there, Tank decided to focus his attention on producing and writing for such acts as Marques Houston, Omarion, Jamie Foxx, Donell Jones, Monica and Kelly Rowland. He stepped back into the spotlight in 2007 with his Sex, Love and Pain. In 2010, he released Now Or Never. - SCHENNAULT

Michael Jackson

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:29:25 +0000

It doesn't really matter if Michael Jackson bullied the world's media into calling him the King of Pop in the early 1990s or if they just started using that sobriquet on their own. Either way, he earned it. Whether singing "I Want You Back" as the 11-year-old frontman of the Jackson 5, breaking the MTV color line with the explosive "Billie Jean" or defending the world's downtrodden and misunderstood (himself, that is), Jackson set the standard for pop singing, songwriting, dancing and, let's face it, weirdness for the better part of a quarter century. He came of age in the Jackson 5, then moonwalked out of the family's clutches and into his own universe with three groundbreaking albums made with producer Quincy Jones. Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad blended soul, funk and rock influences into a taut dance-pop that transformed the sound of radio for the rest of the century. Singers and producers from Madonna to Timbaland are still trying to catch up. Prosecutors and paparazzi have been playing catch-up, too, with some of Jackson's questionable life choices, and since the late 1990s, he has seemingly spent more time in the tabloids than on the pop charts. On June 25th, 2009, Michael Jackson passed away at the age of 50. - MKARAS

Trey Songz

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:25:34 +0000

Bridging the gap between teen R&B and a classic Motown soul, Songz is as talented as he is cuddly. Talent runs in the family, apparently, and the Petersburg, VA native was initially introduced to soul music while listening to his grandmother sing in her church choir. By the age of 15, Trey had won over 20 local talent shows, yet his real break didn't come until he met Troy Taylor. The SWV producer was impressed with Trey's original composition, "All The Things I Do," and after Trey graduated from high school, Taylor took the young singer under his wing and helped him secure guest work on Trick Daddy's "Ain't a Thug" as well as on the debut album from Caribbean Soca artist Kevin Lyttle. Trey's smooth tenor proved to be the perfect foil for these gravely voiced urban music icons and paved the way for the 2005 release of Trey's top-40 debut, I Gotta Make It . Though no one would mistake that album for anything other than a pop record, Trey was able to inject the smoother melodies and lush rhythms of old-school soul into the songs. Aretha Franklin was featured on album's intro, and the remix for "Gotta Make It" even included an unlikely duet between the legendary diva and former Hot Boyz emcee Juvenile. - SCHENNAULT

Jennifer Lopez

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:59:27 +0000

She's been called a lot of things: J-Lo, Jenny from the Block, Mrs. Anthony. Just don't call La Lopez a diva, although she deserves it -- and not just for her alleged outlandish demands-making, entourage-rocking, fur-wearing behavior. Love her or hate her, you have to respect a woman who went from being a "Fly Girl" on In Living Color to a captain of the movie, music and fashion industries.

Born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, Jennifer Lopez dabbled in musical theater as a child before moving on to small roles in film and television and backup dancing gigs for artists like New Kids on the Block and Janet Jackson. Several small movie roles followed, but it was her portrayal of beloved Tejano singer Selena in the 1997 film of the same name that catapulted Lopez to true stardom. After co-starring with George Clooney in 1998's well-received Out of Sight, Lopez recorded her first album, 1999's On the Six. All of which left people asking: sure, she can dance, act and sing, but can she design a fashion line? Yes, yes, she can. In 2001, Lopez founded Sweetface Fashion Club, home to her J.Lo and Sweetface lines.

Four more studio albums and a series of high-profile relationships (one word: Bennifer) later, Lopez settled down with hubby No. 3, Marc Anthony. The two of them produced and starred in 2007's El Cantante, a biopic about Puerto Rican salsa singer Hector Lavoe. That same year, Lopez put out two albums: Como Ama Mujer and Brave. - RDEVITT

Whitney Houston

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:47:02 +0000

Although she came to mostly make news for the drama in her private life, Whitney Houston was the first of the modern R&B divas, one of the most successful singers in the history of popular music. Houston got her start singing gospel with her mother, Cissy, while her pop chops were influenced by cousin Dionne Warwick. Whitney began her professional music career with the experimental jazz ensemble Material. When Clive Davis offered her a contract in 1983, the woman who would become the first artist to have seven consecutive No. 1 singles finally launched her pop career. By 1987's Whitney, Houston was a full-fledged star. After 1990's I'm Your Baby Tonight, she virtually abandoned an album career in favor of phenomenally successful singles, some (like the Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You") attached to films in which Houston starred, and some the kind of stuff only she could pull off (who else could make "The Star-Spangled Banner" a hit single?). By the end of the '90s, Houston had gotten together with (and split from) husband Bobby Brown several times, stopped showing up for gigs and spent time in rehab. Fans still hoped for a comeback, even after 2009's "comeback" album I Look to You flopped. But sadly, Houston passed away on February 11, 2012, just a day before the Grammy Awards, which she was scheduled to attend. - RDEVITT

R. Kelly

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:13:44 +0000

Let's just put it this way: R. Kelly's voice is smooth. His songs are so sensual that he's turned into a virtual relationship soundtrack, from your first meeting to your first night together, to a broken heart and through a tearful breakup. He's got a song for each stage, touching the depths of your soul with his acrobatic voice that glides from a sultry whisper to a high falsetto wail. Hints of Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson peak through his soul-tinged voice, but his production and style are all his own, from bass-heavy hip-hop to crisp romantic ballads. Kelly is a talented multi-instrumentalist and arranger, not to mention a certified hit maker; see the chart-topping "Ignition (Remix)" and "I Believe I Can Fly" as well as his writing and production credits for other singers. Not many R&B singers could get away with "Trapped in the Closet," his 35-minute pop opera that defies dramatic structure, radio formatting and just plain good sense. Kels not only pulled it off, but he made it one of the biggest singles of that 2005 summer. After 15 years and 10 albums, including the 2007 offering Double Up and another thrilling (and equally bewildering) 10 chapters of "Trapped in the Closet," there is little doubt that R. Kelly is one of the most accomplished R&B singers of his generation. - JTERRY

Mariah Carey

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:45:09 +0000

Say what you may about her fashion sense or "diva-tude," but there is no doubt that Mariah Carey defined 1990s urban pop music. Carey ruled the charts during the Clinton decade -- her 1990 self-titled debut album alone spawned four No. 1 hit singles, and she would have 11 more before the new millennium. Over the years, artists from Christina Aguilera to Ciara would name her as an influence. Her albums are always expertly crafted and performed, making her MTV Unplugged EP a surprisingly warm change of pace. Her dominance of the charts in the 1990s earned her the title of Billboard's Artist of the Decade. Despite heavily publicized personal trials in the early part of the new century, Carey returned to the forefront of modern music with The Emancipation of Mimi, which spawned her 16th and 17th No. 1 hits. In 2008, Mariah returned with the hit single "Touch My Body" and the subsequent album, E=MC2. The single pushed her past Elvis into second place (behind the Beatles) for the most No. 1 singles for an artist in the modern era. - RLANDY

Mary J. Blige

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:12:34 +0000

When What's the 411 dropped in 1992, critics and everyone else hailed Mary J. Blige as the voice of R&B's future. That's a pretty heavy reputation to live up to (Lauryn Hill might agree with that), but Mary J. has kept up her end of the bargain pretty well. While she could have rested on her laurels and kept the same pop-friendly sound from album to album, she branched out with Mary (1999), trying out some classier material that showed off her voice and turned her image radically around from her previous ghetto sister style. No More Drama (2001) may seem like another about-face, but it's not: the material's strong and Blige sounds as good as ever. - SBARDEEN

Stevie Wonder

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:46:41 +0000

At any given hour, on any college campus anywhere, it is possible to hear "Superstition" blaring out of a fresh-faced funk newcomer's dorm room. Despite other artists' attempts at appropriating his style, Wonder is undoubtedly one of the most individual and astounding songwriters of our time, composing on such a grand scale that albums flow with harmonious ease, incorporating jazz, reggae, fusion, rock, funk and soul. He may have seemed like just a singles artist when performing his Motown hits during his teens, but on albums like Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life Wonder proved to be a complex and complete artist, painting colorful political, spiritual and soulful journeys with a variety of guest artists and his own multi-instrumental skills. His voice, harmonica and keyboards are as instantly recognizable as his trademark sway, able to make you laugh and boogie with joy, or cry over the unbridled emotion of his compositions. In late 2005, he released A Time To Love, his first new album in ten years. It was praised by critics and fans alike, further cementing his status as a musical legend who still has more magic to share. - JTERRY

Lionel Richie

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:48:16 +0000

Whether singing solo or with the Commodores, Lionel Richie has a warm and instantly recognizable voice that's known mostly for romantic ballads along the lines of "Truly," "Endless Love" and "Hello." His consecutive string of hits (nine years straight authoring at least one No. 1 single) remains a pop phenomenon challenged only by songwriter Irving Berlin and singer Mariah Carey. After releasing several hugely successful solo albums in the 1980s, Richie kept a low profile for most of the '90s before attempting a comeback of sorts with the '98 album Time, and again with Renaissance in '01, though neither album ignited much interest from the public. - LRYAN

Amy Winehouse

Mon, 7 May 2012 05:14:44 +0000

Amy Winehouse's brief career followed a tragic, almost perfect circle. After achieving critical acclaim in her native Britain as a jazz and soul vocalist, her global pop star rose in 2006, thanks primarily to the booze-soaked, adamantly unhealthy smash "Rehab." And in 2011, after several professionally unproductive, personally difficult years of scandal, very public relationship problems and even more public addiction problems, the talented and troubled young singer was found dead of alcohol overdose. The Londoner rose to prominence on the back of gritty, often bleak autobiographical work: songs that revolved around doomed relationships ("Stronger than Me"), drink ("Rehab") and drugs ("Addicted"). But that aside, it's Winehouse's voice -- which saw her welcomed with open arms by Britain's two premier performance schools -- that formed the foundation of her appeal. By turns as knowing and vulnerable as Billie Holiday's and as streetwise as Ms Dynamite's, it reflected her fluctuating musical fixations (jazz, hip-hop and, later, Motown) and was a perfect tool to deliver her wry and affecting observations on the pratfalls and pain inherent in the pursuit of love. As Winehouse herself put it: "I told you I was trouble/ You know that I'm no good." - JDOLLING

Christina Aguilera

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:49:44 +0000

A former star of The New Mickey Mouse Club who hit it big with an innuendo-laden single, then traded in her implicitly not-so-good-girl image for an explicitly not-so-good-girl image. Where have we heard this one before? The child of an Ecuadorian-American father and a Caucasian mother, Christina Aguilera started her career as a professional performer at age ten with a 1990 appearance on Star Search. Her subsequent Mickey Mouse Club stint led to Disney using her "Reflection" on the 1998 Mulan soundtrack, and RCA released her self-titled debut in 1999. Dance-pop smashes like "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants" showcased her big voice, which, along with her Spanish-language version of the album (Mi Reflejo), set her apart from the late-'90s crowd of pop-star ingenues.

Yet Aguilera was still coming in second to Britney. Her appearance on the sexy 2001 remake of "Lady Marmalade" suggested a way into the spotlight. She radically altered her image for 2002's Stripped and became Xtina, widely mocked for her look even as her voice proved soulful and mature. But in 2006 she released the acclaimed Back to Basics, a tribute to the jazz and soul she says inspires her, and cemented her status as a grown-up diva. - RDEVITT

John Legend

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:51:16 +0000

An accomplished singer, musician, songwriter and producer, John Legend (ne Stephens) has been making music since his early childhood. Influenced by a musical family, the young Legend embraced gospel, classic soul and hip-hop, and the fusion of all three epitomizes his unique sound. His first major break came from erstwhile Fugee Lauryn Hill, when he played piano on her mega-hit single "Everything Is Everything." But it was Kanye West who really put him on the map, recruiting him to play and sing on the multiplatinum album The College Dropout. After releasing several self-made CDs, Legend dropped his highly anticipated major label debut Get Lifted in early 2005. The single "Ordinary People" is the sort of sweet lovers' lullaby that will haunt Valentine's Day for years to come, and it solidified Legend's status as one of R&B's most promising young talents. For his next project, 2006's Once Again, Legend refined his brand of martini soul, plucking elements of classic pop and '70s soul for an album that was every bit as popular and as satisfying as its predecessor. The 2008 release Evolver found the singer employing a more modern sound. - SCHENNAULT

Sade

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:38:18 +0000

Sade hit the Day-Glo mid-1980s like a cool, monochromatic breeze. The singer updated the classic continental style of Audrey Hepburn and married it with a vocal approach that was more whisper than growl. It's always worked, though, since Sade's icy vocal style brings out the stoic yet emotionally scarred nature of her well-crafted torch songs. Much of the credit goes to her ever-tight, streamlined band, who have a knack for seamlessly mixing smooth jazz and soul styles. After a fine debut and the excellent Promise (1985), her approach shifted as she began to mix overly repetitive light funk workouts with darker mood pieces; so while Stronger Than Pride and Love Deluxe each contain a bit of filler, strong tracks abound. Lover's Rock (2000) is her best since Promise, and it proves that Sade doesn't have to compete with changing fashion or styles. She is a genre of one. - NDEDINA

Prince

Sat, 5 May 2012 03:55:25 +0000

In this age of musical genre ghetto-ization, Prince stands alone. The Artist can get funky, he can rock up a storm, he can croon a soulful ballad, he can spin out webs of jazz piano, he can hip and he can hop. He can do it all, often brilliantly. Prince takes chances and often fails -- especially on the (hopefully abandoned) film front -- but every one of his albums is chock full of gems. Prince hasn't sustained the massive popularity he earned in the Purple Rain-crazed '80s, but that seems due more to bad publicity surrounding his tabloid lifestyle than his musical output. He can't hide the fact that he is an odd, fuzzy little man, but genius doesn't come in perfect packages. While legions of Prince's contemporaries crash and burn, he sits in his Minneapolis tower and continues to expand the boundaries of popular music. - NDEDINA

Alicia Keys

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:49:51 +0000

Alicia Keys seemingly came out of nowhere in the summer of 2001, storming up the charts with her braids and heaping servings of soul. But Keys is no pre-fab diva; she's been studying music since age five and began writing songs at age 14. She wrote (or co-wrote) and produced most of the songs on her debut, Songs in a Minor, and subsequent singles have proven she's no one-hit wonder. She took home five Grammy Awards in 2002 (including Best New Artist and Song of the Year), and returned triumphantly with The Diary of Alicia Keys the following year, racking up more hit singles ("You Don't Know My Name," "If I Ain't Got You"), and winning four more Grammys. 2007's As I Am spawned the unstoppable "No One" and the Prince-infused "Like You'll Never See Me Again." One of the most talented and likeable R&B superstars in the game today, Keys shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Monica

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 03:30:00 +0000

A skilled songstress from Atlanta, Monica debuted in 1995 with her first album, Miss Thang. Though only 15 years old, her talent was undeniable, and she saw her first single, "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)," soar up both the pop and R&B charts. Her follow-up, 1998's The Boy Is Mine, was also a hit, fueled by the title track, a duet with Brandy. After that, however, Monica's rising star plateaued a bit, thanks to a long delay between albums. Her third album was initially released only in Japan after a lukewarm lead single and then revamped (including an in-studio overhaul) as 2003's After the Storm. Next album, 2006's The Makings of Me, also earned considerably less attention than her earlier efforts and featured her least successful singles to date. But the resilient singer came back again with a 2009 reality show called Still Standing and a 2010 album of the same name. - RDEVITT

Marvin Gaye

Sat, 12 May 2012 05:33:25 +0000

Perhaps the pervasive element of tragedy that ruled Marvin Gaye's life accounts for the profound intimacy found in his songs. He scored dozens of hits for Motown in the 1960s both as a solo act ("How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," "I Heard it Through the Grapevine") and singing duets ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough"). A late-decade period of depression and solitude ended with What's Going On? (1971). That album eschewed the pop frivolity of Gaye's earlier work, grappling with such issues as the Vietnam War, poverty and the ecology. Its success allowed him to create increasingly personal records. Let's Get It On was perhaps the most explicitly sexual album of its era; the double LP Here My Dear recounted the disintegration of his marriage in such detail that his wife considered suing for privacy invasion. Gaye's final chart topper was "Sexual Healing" (1983), a luscious ballad that simmered erotically beneath Gaye's velvet-lined vocals. His unexpected death in 1984 at the hands of his father renewed interest in his life, music and legacy. - KHOLLOWAY

Van Morrison

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:42:42 +0000

Van Morrison stands out in the youth-obsessed, disposable world of modern pop music. A grouchy fireplug of a man, he has earned a loyal following that's always kept guessing as to what direction he'll take next. Since the beginning, Morrison has ignored all fly-by-night fads and in doing so has amassed a timeless body of work. Coming out of Them's primal R&B-fueled Garage Rock, Morrison's 1968 Astral Weeks was a daring, exploratory work that painted a bleak picture of the acid generation, while Moondance (1970) was a breezy celebration of life. These albums have set the stage for an artist who freely mixes soul, folk, blues, jazz, and his native Celtic influences into highly personal, idiosyncratic music. Only a handful of his later albums are masterpieces on the level of No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986), but each release contains at least one brilliant track. A private man, Van Morrison is more comfortable talking about heroes such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, or Jerry Lee Lewis than himself. - NDEDINA

Ne-Yo

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:14:44 +0000

Considering his gorgeous voice and boyish good looks, it's surprising that Ne-Yo started his career as a songwriter for some of the biggest names in R&B. But after years of paying his dues under Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans and B2K, the Las Vegas singer finally branched out on his own in late 2005 with the single "Stay," featuring Peedi Peedi. In early 2006 he dropped his subsequent Def Jam debut, In My Own Words, yielding three Top 40 singles, the most popular of which was "So Sick." In 2006 Ne-Yo was R&B's King Midas, writing songs for Beyonce (the smash hit "Irreplaceable") as well as working on new projects by Usher, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Chris Brown and Whitney Houston. It's amazing that he found time to work on his sophomore solo album, but 2007's Because of You was every bit as irresistible as his freshman effort. His success granted him license to get melancholy on 2008's Year of the Gentleman -- it was his party, after all, and he could cry if he wanted to. - SCHENNAULT

Bee Gees

Mon, 7 May 2012 05:14:53 +0000

The Bee Gees made whiney falsetto hip, wide polyester collars the height of high-rolling fashion, and defined cool for an entire generation. A '70s supergroup who actually began as a brothers act in 1959, the Bee Gees have proven remarkably versatile throughout their long career, unafraid to experiment with everything from country to R&B to straight pop balladry. They scored a number of hits during the 1960s and early '70s with shimmering hits like "I've Got to Get a Message to You" and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart." Some of the Bee Gees' most memorable tracks stemmed from the height of the disco era, culminating in 1977's Saturday Night Fever soundtrack with tunes like "Night Fever," "How Deep is Your Love," and of course, "Stayin' Alive." Lush harmonies, symphonic arrangements, and a tendency to reinvent themselves when the going gets tough have made this band one of the longest-running pop acts around. - SBARDEEN

Luther Vandross

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:12:15 +0000

The 1980s were a period of unchecked greed and decadence, when the world donned rose-colored glasses that filtered out the homeless and made the hole in the ozone layer seem patched. All those good feelings and denial of social woes meant that romance was back in style, and while the glasses clinked and millionaires' bankrolls flourished, so too did music to love by. Luther Vandross was the primary voice who provided the soundtrack for romantic rendezvous in the Reagan era, and by the mid-1980s, merely mentioning his name conjured up images of happy couples sipping Merlot in dimly lit rooms and chuckling at inside jokes -- and, alternately, jilted lovers consoling themselves. Blessed with a voice that was warm and soulful, Vandross' songs dripped with romance, promised love on the horizon, or turned a teary eye towards duos fading into solitude. When things came crashing in and bleak reality reared its ugly head in the mid-1990s, florid R&B gave way to less sentimental music . Even so, Vandross could always be counted on as the perfect complement to a night spent with a "friend" or the first few nights spent sleeping alone. He passed away on July 2, 2005, at the age of 54.

Ray LaMontagne

Mon, 14 May 2012 22:52:22 +0000

Musical epiphanies often happen to people at the most random moments. Dave Matthews once confessed that his came when he was eating a hot dog at the legendary Pink's in Hollywood when a Paul Williams song came on the radio and from then on he knew what he was going to do with the rest of his life. Roger McGuinn of the Byrds admits that after watching George Harrison play an electric 12-string guitar in A Hard Day's Night, that he suddenly knew that the magic sounding, jangly chime was gong to be his trademark sound. For Ray LaMontagne, the calling came over the speakers of a shoe factory he was working in. More specifically, it was "Tree Top Flyer" by Stephen Stills that stopped him dead in his tracks when he knew that he had to leave his job and pursue a singing/songwriting career. Having grown up in a nomadic family, it wasn't too unfamiliar for LaMontagne to suddenly pick up and start over, which is exactly what he did. Ten recorded demo songs later, he was inking a deal with Chrysalis Music Publishing before teaming up with Hollywood producer Ethan Johns to cut his debut album Trouble which was almost instantly nabbed by RCA Records in 2004. Although LaMontagne is often compared to Tim Buckley, his voice sounds not unlike a young Van Morrison or even Ryan Adams. - ESHEA

Jill Scott

Fri, 4 May 2012 07:30:24 +0000

Jill Scott was all set to burst on the scene, having recorded the catchy hook (and featured single) to the Roots smash hit "You Got Me." Whoops -- the carpet gets pulled out from under her feet and Erykah Badu is called in to give the single "star power." Luckily the story has a happy ending -- Scott's lovely vocals shined through and earned her heaps of respect and decent sales on her soulful debut Who Is Jill Scott? -- featuring earthy funk backing from fellow Philly friends, the aforementioned Roots. Her voice has a feel very similar to Badu's, rising with jazzy flourishes and guaranteed sensuality on each track, covering everything from relationships to sunny afternoons of her youth. Hopefully we'll hear a lot more of Scott as her individuality emerges. - JTERRY

Anthony Hamilton

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:57:44 +0000

Hailing from Charlotte, N.C., Anthony Hamilton began singing in church and local talent shows before moving to New York in the early 1990s and signing with Uptown Records. After the label folded, he bounced to MCA and released his debut album, XTC, in 1996. Sporting a classic vocal style different from the neo-soul crooners who were then coming into vogue, the LP got good reviews but failed to generate much hype. Hamilton soon started writing songs for artists like Donell Jones, toured with D'Angelo and sang on records by Eve and Tupac, among others. He finally hit the big-time in 2002 after teaming up with Nappy Roots for their single "Po' Folks" and earning a Grammy nomination in the process. Hamilton then hooked up with Jermaine Dupri, who signed him to So So Def and produced Comin' From Where I'm From in 2003. A steady stream of records followed, including the archival collections Soulife and Southern Comfort, and 2008's The Point of It All. - BWINNING

Hall & Oates

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:37:19 +0000

There was a time in the early 1980s when the breezy pop of Hall and Oates was inescapable. Next to The Righteous Brothers, the duo is probably the most famous Blue-Eyed Soul group in the world. They hold the record for most Top-40 hits as a duo with twenty-nine -- as many as the number of years the group has been around. The band started in the late 1960s in Philadelphia with a sound that drew from folk and rock, but especially from Soul, particularly from the sounds of Gamble and Huff's Philly International Records. Based around Daryl Hall's sweet expressive tenor and John Oates' backup vocals and guitar work, their early hits "She's Gone" and "Sarah Smile" didn't give any real indication of the chart dominance the band would have begin in 1980 when their album Voices started a string of hits that didn't diminish for another five years. - THEYMAN

The Temptations

Sun, 6 May 2012 03:30:34 +0000

The Supremes may have moved more product, but it was the Temptations who showed that a Motown act could do anything they set their pitch-perfect pipes to. Who else but the Temptations could release the peerless teen love ballad "My Girl" and the cinematic, psychedelic funk of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"? They could be soft and sensual, gruff and grounded, or raw and rocking -- and pull each off beautifully. The grim reaper and drugs have not been kind to the Temptations, and only one original member carries on in their name. Their last few recordings can't match the brilliance of their 1960s to mid-1970s releases, but the band's sound remains more soulful than any young, ultraslick vocal group out there. - NDEDINA

Justin Timberlake

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:24:43 +0000

From his adolescence on Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club through his coming of age in the hugely popular boy band *NSYNC, Justin Timberlake became one of the 1990s' biggest heartthrobs, and everything from his romance with Britney Spears to his love of fast cars turned into headline fodder. Unlike so many ex-boy band boys before (and after) him, *NSYNC's most popular member managed to parlay his teen-idol status into credible adult stardom. And how: Two phenomenally successful albums and four Grammys into his solo career, Justin Timberlake is arguably the world's most celebrated pop star; his frequent collaborations with super-producers like the Neptunes and Timbaland and his undeniable knack for white-hot blue-eyed soul-pop have earned the respect of the hip-hop community, while his dreamy looks and wounded-puppy falsetto still make the little girls ... and their sisters ... and their mothers swoon. Wardrobe malfunctions? Messy breakups? JT skates past them all, a designer fedora cocked to one side. Not too shabby for a former child star from Millington, Tennessee, who got his start singing country (and losing) on Star Search. - RDEVITT

T-Pain

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:02:03 +0000

Coming out of Tallahassee, Fla., T-Pain started recording four-track keyboard beats and rhyming over them beginning at the age of 10. As a teenager, he rolled with a crew called Nappy Headz, finding local success with rowdy street records like "Robbery" and "F.L.A." After the group's shine began to dim, T-Pain switched his focus to singing. In 2004, he reworked Akon's hit single "Locked Up" into his own tune entitled "F*ck*d Up," and the song took off regionally. Akon himself was so impressed by the cut that he signed the young singer to his Konvict Records imprint. In the fall of 2005, T-Pain dropped his first major label single, the Zapp-flavored "I'm Sprung," in anticipation of his debut album Rappa Ternt Sanga. In 2007, T-Pain staked his claim on hip-hop and R&B with Epiphany, spawning the ubiquitous club joints "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" and "Bartender." With vocoder in tow, T-Pain himself became ubiquitous, collaborating with Chris Brown, R. Kelly, Huey, DJ Khaled and every Florida rapper in existence. In 2008, he released his third album, the circus-themed Thr33 Ringz, which featured the hit single "Can't Believe It." - BWINNING

Al Green

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:31:20 +0000

Hailing from a background steeped in Gospel, Al Green came onto the scene in the early 1970s. A consistent hitmaker and the embodiment of all that is both holy and secular, Green's career marked a popular return to grassroots soul music. The simple arrangements put the musical focus squarely on Green's silky cries, sensuous moans and breathtaking falsetto. In the late '70s a series of events led Green to reevaluate his career and his faith, and he decided to leave the world of secular music. He turned to preaching and became an ordained pastor. With a few exceptions, Green's music has since become hymn-related and formulaic. But hits like "Let's Stay Together" and a reworked "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" helped define pure soul music. - JPRUETT

Musiq (Soulchild)

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:42:33 +0000

A soulful vocalist hailing from Philadelphia, Musiq first made waves with his single "Just Friends" off the soundtrack to Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. In fall of 2000 he released his debut album Aijuswanaseing, a laid-back mix of full-bodied bass grooves, sensitive lyrics, and jazzy beats. - BWINNING

Alabama Shakes

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:28:24 +0000

Alabama Shakes are a quartet specializing in a gritty and endearingly vintage blend of classic rock and Southern soul-blues. - JFARRAR

Janet Jackson

Sat, 5 May 2012 18:29:46 +0000

While the rest of her illustrious family was making music history, Janet Jackson spent her childhood on sitcoms. Under her father Joe's supervision, she released two unsuccessful albums in the early '80s. At 18, she eloped with James DeDarge, but annulled the marriage the next year. She called on producer/writer team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to record her true debut, the phenomenally successful Control. By the time she followed that up with Rhythm Nation 1814 in 1989, Michael's little sister had recreated herself as a sexy (but sweet), self-sufficient pop success in her own right. A bracing combination of dance pop, modern R&B and hip-hop that buoyed Jackson's thin voice, it set the stage for the rest of her career. With her 1993 self-titled album, she properly introduced the world to Janet the romantic sex kitten, a persona she's brought back with each subsequent album. Since then, other facets of Janet's life (her physique, breakdowns and, yes, wardrobe malfunctions) have often earned more notice than her music, but a steady flow of successful, diverse singles shows Janet continuing to explore her musical identity while her siblings continue to get more eccentric. - RDEVITT

Maxwell

Fri, 11 May 2012 07:40:11 +0000

A solo vocalist from Brooklyn, N.Y., Maxwell found massive critical and commercial success with his 1996 debut album Urban Hang Suite. Preferring to focus on romance and true love rather than conquests and player bravado, his blend of heartfelt lyricism and hip-hop-infused production proved a surefire hit. The record went Platinum, and Maxwell received a Grammy nomination as well as awards from Soul Train and Rolling Stone. He returned with Embrya in '98, and is slated to release his third LP in early 2001. - BWINNING

Akon

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:01:51 +0000

An R&B singer originally from Senegal, Akon first came to America when he was seven years old. The son of well-known African percussionist Mor Thiam, he was exposed to lots of music at a young age, learning multiple instruments as a child before getting into hip-hop. His appreciation for rap music is evident on his self-titled debut album, especially in the overall production. And, unlike most of today's R&B vocalists, Akon eschews the shirtless bravado and bedroom scenarios and instead deals with inner-city strife. This focus, as well as his plaintive voice, led him to collaborate with hip-hop royalty such as Young Jeezy ("Soul Survivor"), Styles P ("Locked Up") and Eminem ("Smack That"). And while his gritty subject matter appeals to the streets, his hooks are so sweet that they may leave listeners toothless. Akon's sophomore album, 2006's Konvicted, cemented his spot as one of urban music's most important singers. Two years later, after a mix tape presciently titled Black President, he released his third official studio album, Freedom, which found him breaking out in search of broader pop accessibility. - BWINNING

Earth, Wind & Fire

Sat, 12 May 2012 03:57:30 +0000

One of the premier soul groups of the 1970s, Earth Wind & Fire fused a deep knowledge of the African-American musical tradition with an uplifting, spiritual idealism. To sum up the breadth of their sound is impossible, simply because the group's versatility was awe-inspiring. They played powerhouse Funk anthems, Latin-inflected R&B grooves, shimmering Pop-Soul, and ballads that tugged the heartstrings while sending the spirit soaring across the sky. Their impeccable horn harmonies rivaled the JB's (James Brown's backing band) while Johnny Graham's sweet R&B stylings conveyed worlds of emotion. Bandleader, drummer, and premier songwriter Maurice White infused the music with African rhythm, often featuring the kalimba, or thumb-piano, while the band brought jazz and Latin polyrhythms to the heart of deep funk territory. And their three distinctive vocalists inspired near-religious adoration: Philip Bailey's soaring falsetto, Maurice White's soulful growl, and Jessica Cleaves' natural, unadorned alto. This is music for the mind, the body, and the soul. - JTERRY

Keyshia Cole

Thu, 3 May 2012 06:46:42 +0000

Hailing from Oakland, California, Keyshia Cole fell in love with music at a young age. Talented and determined, she recorded with a diverse group of local artists (MC Hammer, Messy Marv, Dwayne Wiggins) as a teenager, before leaving the Bay Area and relocating to Los Angeles. Once in L.A., she was quickly signed to a major label, and hasn't looked back since. She contributed songs to several movie soundtracks, then released her debut solo album The Way It Is in 2005. The record was a hit thanks to popular singles like "I Changed My Mind" and "I Should've Cheated," setting Cole on the path to R&B stardom. Her sophomore album Just Like You (2007) finds Cole's heart and mind in the same contemplative tug of war on love, but this time around, she mixes lachrymose balladry with some "I'm-so-over-you" dance-floor heat (i.e. "Let It Go"). - BWINNING

Boyz II Men

Wed, 9 May 2012 06:49:24 +0000

With their early 1990s hit "Motownphilly," Boyz II Men assured their status as big-time chart-toppers, able to control the No. 1 spot for weeks at a time (often only to be replaced by another one of their singles). Their tight harmonies give a nod to the Doo-Wop artists of the 1950s, while crisp production assures a distinctly modern sound. They've had success with smoking R&B dance tracks, but their true talent lies in their rendering of syrupy romantic ballads that can drive just about anyone to tears. Their perfect A Cappella songs can melt your heart like butter, moving through open chords with exacting precision. Scores of weak imitations later, Boyz II Men continue to sell millions of records as they work with hot producers like Babyface and superstar singers such as Mariah Carey. - JTERRY

Robin Thicke

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:41:56 +0000

Robin Thicke -- or just "Thicke" as he was known until 2005 -- is the product of a strong, if slightly sappy, musical lineage: his mother is adult contemporary singer and soap star Gloria Loring and his father is Alan Thicke, who played Jason Seaver on Growing Pains and penned family-friendly theme songs for game shows like Wheel of Fortune and (with Loring) sitcoms like Diff'rent Strokes. After dabbling in acting as a kid, he set his sights on a career in music, and was fortunate enough to befriend Andre Herrell, the president of Uptown Records. He began writing pop hits for artists like Mya, Christina Aguilera and Marc Anthony, while focusing his own oeuvre more on the funkiest blue-eyed soul this side of Jamiroquai. Songs like "When I Get You Alone," which sampled Walter Murphy's disco hit "A Fifth of Beethoven," made fans out of the likes of Usher and Pharrell, who signed him to the Neptunes' Star Trak label. - RDEVITT

Otis Redding

Tue, 15 May 2012 04:46:58 +0000

Probably the voice of Southern Soul music and one of the greatest vocalists of all time, Otis Redding was, and continues to be, an inspiration to any musician with a desire to move people with music (and any listener not made out of stone). Neither as smooth as Marvin Gaye or Sam Cooke nor as funky as James Brown, Redding was a big, sweaty man who put every ounce into his performances: you can hear every mistake he ever made in his voice when he cries and screams his way through "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and virtually every other song he recorded. Backed by a top form Booker T. and the MG's, his Stax recordings still crackle with the energy and fire of the South. The sad justice in his passing, shortly after leaving a sea of flush-faced hippies gawking at the Monterey Pop Festival, is that he had just unwittingly cemented his status in both the rock and Soul worlds. His passing, at a criminally young twenty-six years of age, managed to both seal the end of the Soul singer era and leave a vacant space in music that has yet to be filled. - JPRUETT

Aretha Franklin

Sun, 13 May 2012 05:04:07 +0000

More than any other Soul performer (or such Jazz-Blues belters as Dinah Washington), Aretha Franklin brought impassioned Gospel singing to American popular music. Never as subdued as the subtler Sam Cooke, Franklin belts out profane R&B songs with enough sacred lung power to send the sound waves all the way up to the heavens. Franklin doesn't go over the top, though, always staying in the realm of good taste and sensitive delivery. As she proved during her greatest period, the late '60 Atlantic Recordings, Franklin blows the roof off your house with so much class that you don't want her to stop until she has reduced your love shack to a pile of splinters. Who else could outdo Otis Redding and turn "Respect" into an eternal anthem of racial and sexual pride that even middle-class white men embrace? Franklin's voice has weathered the decades very well but her arrangements and material are often beneath her. You can't go wrong with any of her recent Gospel recordings and 1998's A Rose is Still A Rose embraced hip-hop production with great success. Aretha Franklin remains a vital part of the modern music scene. - NDEDINA

Melanie Fiona

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:57:14 +0000

Everything Melanie Fiona does is coated in a vintage soul sheen. Born Melanie Hall, the Guyanese-Canadian singer-songwriter was raised in Toronto by a guitarist father and a mother who introduced her daughter to classic R&B ranging from the Ronettes to Whitney Houston. As an artist, she has developed a heavily retro sound that pays tribute to the girl groups, Motown crooners and soul divas who've gone before her -- and she's got the powerhouse R&B vocals to back it up. So it only makes sense that, after several years of plugging away in the business (including the attention-getting track "Somebody Come Get Me," featured on Reggae Gold 2008), she was signed to Motown. Fiona's vintage leanings aren't limited to soul, however. Her first single, "Give It to Me Right" (off debut album The Bridge, which dropped in 2009) sampled the Zombies' classic "Time of the Season." Fiona also has plenty of contemporary support: She worked closely with songwriter Andrea Martin on her debut and toured with Kanye West when her album was still just a glimmer in Motown's eye. - RDEVITT

The Isley Brothers

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:09:01 +0000

The Isleys have had success in many genres since their beginnings in the 1950s, arguably hitting their peak and writing some of their tightest music in the '70s. From "Who's That Lady" to "It's Your Thing," they've produced numerous hits that are still blaring on radios (and commercials) across the land. Centered for most of their career on the vocal talents of Ronald, Rudolph and Vernon, in their 3 + 3 era the Isleys benefited from the addition of a couple more brothers to the backing band: bassist Marvin and fiery guitar player Ernie (plus a brother-in-law on keyboards). Some of their best work can be found on the album Brother, Brother, Brother, but the seminal "Footsteps in the Dark" is not to be missed either. Among other accomplishments, they toured with a young guitarist named Jimmy James (later known as Jimi Hendrix -- his work can be heard on the single "Testify"). From Doo-Wop songs to Soul tracks, Funk grooves to Disco beats, the Isley Brothers have always remembered how to inject a memorable melody into every number they record. - JTERRY