Music | New legends of soul |
| Written by Jenny Sundelin |
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urbanlife.se looks at two of R&Bs biggest stars 
The list of great names in soul and R&B music is extensive but all of us at urbanlife.se have agreed that there are two names that simply cannot be left out. We’ve checked out two of the biggest stars in R&B and hope that you too recognise the flavour, texture and inspiration in their music.
We give you Mary J. Blige and John Legend! In our view these two artists are on par with Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross, to name but a few.
37-year-old Mary Jane Blige is widely known as the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul” and has established herself as an icon with more than 40 million records sold worldwide and a career spanning over fifteen years. She has received Grammy Awards nominations, in fact 26 of them, and has also received the World Music Legends Award. During the early nineties she was the first to combine hip-hop and soul together like nobody else had done before.
She released her first album in 1992 (called “What’s the 411?), which received praise from critics who recognised her powerful combination of modern R&B with edgy rap. It was seen as an unexpected crossover success in terms of sound. The grunge and hip-hop dominated charts were punctuated with her immediate presence. She created hip hop soul and hasn’t stopped since.
She has been called “the new Chaka Khan” or “the new Aretha Franklin” but has little in common stylistically with either of them. However, the similarity lies within her ability to adorn soul music with new textures and flavours that have inspired a whole generation of musicians. She has a strong attitude and is street-tough and beautiful at the same time. She has managed to re-invent herself time and time again but has always kept her strong urban style, combined with a sleek designer look.
Her own vision has been shining through in her music and when she released her fourth album in 1999 (called “Mary”) she had matured in to an expressive singer fully able to voice her music with great power. When her fifth album was released in 2001 (called “No More Drama”) it was clear that she had survived what many famous artists have to struggle with during their career, namely the structure that is set up by songwriters, producers and record labels. On this album she proved that she has her very own spiritual, emotional and personal wisdom and that she is comfortable with who she is and how far she has come in life.
She has since released “Love & Life” (2003) and “The Breakthrough” (2005) as well as a compilation called “Reflections – A Retrospective” (2006). Her latest studio album, which makes it her eighth album, is available now and is called “Growing Pains”. Sweden is still waiting to see her this year, but rumours has it that she will be in Stockholm on 16th July to perform on the main stage at the 25th Stockholm Jazz Festival. So be ready to get down and boogie with the Bronx Babe Blige! Tickets can be booked in advance at www.stockholmjazz.com
Meanwhile, another soulful sound and distinctive voice comes from John Legend, the Ohio-born soul singer, pianist and songwriter who is steadily climbing in to the realms of history. He has been collaborating with great artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Corinne Bailey-Rae, to name but a few. He has won five Grammy Awards and also holds a degree from University of Pennsylvania in African American Literature and Culture.
His interest in music started early. His grandmother started teaching him to play gospel piano at the age of three, and by the age of seven he was singing in the church choir and taking lessons in classical music. 30-yer-old Legend knows his music history and influences from his childhood includes classic Soul and Gospel singers ranging from Stevie Wonder and Al Green to Shirley Caesar and Edwin Hawkins. He has managed to hold on to the core sound of soul whilst finding a progressive and interesting way of taking new directions.
His debut album, which was released in late 2004 (called “Get Lifted”) sold multiplatinum. He has since had a number of television appearances and has also been involved in commercials. Amongst other gigs he has performed at high profile sports events such as the 2006 NBA All-Star Game. TV Shows include “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Las Vegas”, and his most recent performance is in a promotion video for Barack Obama in the 2008 American Presidential Campaign. It was produced by will.i.am and Legend appears alongside celebrities such as Scarlett Johanson, Kate Walsh and Tatyana Ali.
His second album (called “Save Room”) was released in 2006 and boasts production from Kanye West, will.i.am and Raphael Saadiq. Similarly to Mary J. Blige he has worked hard to earn respect in the music industry and is an inspiration to many. It shows that he too has the ability to re-invent himself and will spellbind his audience for a lot longer.
His new single “Green Light” is featuring Rapper 3000 of OutKast. Those who are in the know say this will be a surprise to Legend fans as it is a lot more upbeat than his previous songs. We’re all curious to know if his latest work will go down in history and can make him more of a Legend than he already is. Stay tuned for more reviews.
All of us at urbanlife.se can’t recommend these two strongly enough – and if you need more persuasion, just listen to the sample Mary & John playlist on the urbanlife ipod, press play, kick back and enjoy!
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