British Blue-Eyed Soul

We are in the midst of the dreaded American Idol auditions.  The search for this season's cast will be predictably filled with the canon Idol characters we see every season: the blonde country singer, the rocker, the adorable teen idol, the R&B diva... If the show's producers must give us formulas, they should at least give us formulaic singers who consistently record quality music.  Here is the first in a  three-part series on the stereotypes that SHOULD be on Idol.  This entry: British blue-eyed soul singers!

These girls sing sexy songs about lost love and gravitate toward timeless vintage sounds.  As an added bonus, hardcore soulstresses tend to flaunt a host of behind-the-scenes controversies... and that, producers, makes for good reality television.

You could argue it was Joss's debut album, The Soul Sessions, that kick started the latest rash of soul singers to emerge from Britain.  In the new millenium, most 16 year-old blondes gyrate to hip-hop dance beats in skin tight corsets and five-inch heels.  The barefooted Joss's emergence in 2003 with an old fashioned sound and an album of classic covers was a welcome breath of fresh air on the radio waves. 

"Valerie" by Mark Ronson, featuring Amy Winehouse

Her personal problems aside, Amy Winehouse is an undoubtedly rare talent.  Her voice is distinctive and well suited for the contemporary pop-soul sound she has made a market of.  In this upbeat number on Ronson's Version, Amy admits she is "having too much fun," a welcome relief from her customary doom and gloom.  Amy truly is a tragic throwback to the old days, to the brilliant soul singers with hopeless addictions to drugs and no-good men.

"Make You Feel My Love" by Adele

Like Duffy, Adele arrives on the heels of Amy Winehouse's big splash (and bigger descent).  One can't help but suspect an enterprising producer knew that soul would be the next big thing, signing the likes of Duffy and Adele in hopes of catching the wave.  Unlike Duffy, who is a repackaged pop singer, Adele seems to appreciate what this genre of music is all about.  There are moments on 19 when this ingénue’s vocals betray that silky sorrow only to be found in singers twice her age, women who have lived with too many late nights, too much heartbreak and too many cigarettes.

"Willie & Laura Mae Jones" by Dusty Springfield

No British blue-eyed soul list is complete without the original, the one and only Dusty Springfield.  In addition to her sultry voice and mile-high beehive, this hip 60s child was a self-described hell raiser who "wouldn't know what to do with serenity if it was handed to me on a plate."  Dusty broke taboos by being openly bisexual, and she helped set the soulstress standard by experimenting with sex, alchohol, drugs and "throwing things."  She also promoted the Motown artists who influenced her and strove to widen the audience of little-known African American R&B musicians. 

Today, Dusty is regarded as one of the top female recording artists of all time. 

The Good Music Corner began after VFTW's infallible Dave noticed an inundation of pretentious music geeks visiting his site.  This blog, in addition to countering the poor quality music marketed on American Idol, serves as a soapbox for self-proclaimed musicologists. 

If you have a submission for the Suggestion Box, would like to talk music, or feel a need to complain about the likeness of the caricatured Idols adorning the banner of this site, you may email Laura at CaricaturesByLaura at yahoo.com. 

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