The Rebirth of Soul

In the 80s R&B met the kings of New Jack and so began a marriage that would be rough and tumble at times (see: Bobby and Whitney) but would also go on to produce the likes of Guy, New Edition, Boyz II Men and Destiny's Child just to name a few. Along the way soul met synthesizers and the now ubiquitous hip-hop hook and became less soul and more pop.

Now there's a new generation of soul singers who say they miss the old school vibe of church bred vocalists and organic musicianship. Some have branded them neo-soul, but those who are really listening just call it music.

Two local DJs joined forces to bring Charlotte the Soul Movement, a collective committing to producing some of the area's most innovative and eclectic soul offerings. Co-founder Michael Kitchen says it was a movement born of a desire to diversify a monolithic music community. "Our goal is to have artists perform in a live concert format twice each month in order to fulfill the need for an alternative to the traditional mainstream music that radio stations play," says Kitchen.

Over the past four years Kitch, as he's known to his ever-growing email list of supporters, and his partners have exposed Charlotte to a more full-bodied soul sound. In the mid 90's there were rumblings of R&B discontent giving birth to organic flavor like D'Angelo, Angie Stone, and Erykah Badu. These new age soul singers were tagged as neo, but there was nothing infantile about their sound. They were pulling the emotion, the craftsmanship, and the unabashed attack on emotion from singers like Donnie Hathaway, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder and infusing it with modern language and themes. In other words, they made old school crooning relevant for a generation raised on Puff Daddy samples and studio enhanced singers. Or as your grandma would say, these children could sang.

Today musicians like Musiq, India Arie, and lesser-known soul singers like Goapele and Leela James now add Charlotte to their tour schedule thanks to promoters like Kitch. By partnering up with independent record store Groove Merchant Records for ticket sales and promotion they have packed local live music venues like Amos' South End.

It's been a plan that has consistently pulled profitable crowds to see relatively unknowns. The magic is in the consistency the Soul Movement has shown to the local audience. Kitch has built a brand trust that will bring out this fickle Charlotte crowd on a weeknight to see acts they won't hear on Power 98. This was the way it was designed. The Soul Movement began with a mission to educate as well as entertain by bringing programming and special events with soul music as its platform.

You can hear the revolution on a Tuesday night at Fire and Ice Martini Lounge in one of the alt-world's favorite local neighborhoods - Plaza Midwood. Tucked in a corner across the street from the now defunct Steeple Lounge is a sleek, urban hangout where crowds pile in on a work night to see the Aphrojazziacs do their thing.

The musical ensemble features actual live instruments and vocalists who sing about love, loss, and loving again. Look around you and you'll catch a diverse crowd of dreadlocked beauties and bohemian brothers all under the spell of this local group. Their set is courtesy of Urban QC's (P) Review; an evening of live music and poetry hosted by the dynamic duo Rhythm and Bluz, artists in their own right.

At the (P) Review the fellas do more than offer seasoned professionals. They also invite wanna-be superstars to the stage to test their chops, a move reminiscent of soul singer breeding grounds like Harlem's Apollo, without the booing. The prize? If you're really good you're invited back the next week to headline and the crowd can say they knew you when. It's a formula that's making Tuesday night a must for the audience who's craving more than stadium shows and the pre-pubescent screams of the Nickelodeon Scream tour.

On a recent night a beautiful brother to my left leaned over to whisper in my ear as the Aphrojazziacs ripped through an a cappella set, "Now that's some get down right there." I knew what he meant just like he knew I would. Soul music, even when it's tainted with pop leanings, makes everybody feel connected to one another. It's the soundtrack of a generation growing up together and a community coming together.

It's been a sound gone too long from the national landscape, but it's making a stealth comeback in neighborhood bars and through the work of dedicated promoters across the country. Here in Charlotte the soul movement is more than one company, it's a crowd hungering for a sound that makes them feel at home and a dedicated group of artists, promoters, and companies who's filling that need

Soul is alive and well if not exactly the toast of the Top 40. Musicians are still being trained and church choirs are still producing vocalists who can sang. And thanks to a couple guys who saw a need for passion and originality in a market with too little of both Charlotte is remembering how soul music used to make you feel.

For information on upcoming shows visit Kitch at www.thesoulmovement.com and visit www.goodpeoples.com for other diverse live music offerings.