Soul music combines rhythm and blues, gospel music and pop into one style of musical expression, drawing its inspiration from black church traditions. Call-and-response vocals between lead singer and chorus are prominent features in soul songs.
Motown artists such as Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin provided smooth vocals with socially conscious lyrics that set Motown ablaze in its early years, while Curtis Mayfield and his Impressions laid down the groundwork for 1970s soul with message songs of peace and unification.
Harmonies and Melodies
Soul music first emerged in the United States during the 1950s from African American gospel and rhythm and blues (R&B), featuring powerful vocals and rich harmonies with lyrics addressing social issues. Otis Redding, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin popularised it, drawing upon Black church traditions for much of their recordings; many soul songs even incorporate call-and-response singing, hand clapping, or simple steps found within black gospel traditions into their soundscape.
Many artists who participated in this musical movement were from Memphis and Birmingham in particular, though musicians from Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi as well as Tennessee were recruited by labels like Stax Records and Hi Records for an orchestral sound that would become known as Southern soul – an infectious sound defined by prominent horn sections, Hammond organ, and an irresistibly upbeat rhythm section. Over time however, its sound has become more varied as other genres like rock ‘n’ roll, funk, contemporary R&B have had an influence, creating hybrid styles like Neosoul and contemporary R&B styles.
Soul music draws heavily upon blues for its harmonic language. Soul artists learned their craft in Black churches, often mixing gospel idioms with blues harmony for an original sound. Some of its most celebrated performers, such as Ray Charles and Al Green, began their careers playing gospel.
As the genre developed, its tempos increased and instrumentation expanded to include saxophones and trumpets alongside bass guitars and drums. Motown Records from Detroit became an influential factor, featuring artists from all regions – The Temptations and Supremes made waves with tight harmonies, orchestral arrangements, and catchy melodies that defined them.
As disco and funk became the dominant musical styles of the 70s, soul music underwent changes as new influences such as disco and funk emerged. Writer Teddy Riley created new jack swing, which combined elements from soul with hip hop beats as well as gospel and jazz melodies – this eventually gave rise to contemporary R&B that we know today.
Lyrics
Soul music is often defined by emotional and expressive vocals. Singers employ various vocal techniques such as falsetto and vibrato to convey the sentiments expressed in lyrics, while frequently adding improvised elements into performances to add authenticity and give their performances more life.
Soul music’s lyrics often address socially conscious issues related to race, class and gender equality – making the genre so universally loved and relevant around the globe. Some memorable examples include Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature”.
Lyrically, soul music’s roots lie firmly within Black gospel traditions. Idioms from Black gospel such as call and response, declamatory singing style and hand clapping can often be found in soul music recordings. Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin & the Miracles and The Temptations all made their debuts within black church musical environments before transitioning them into their soul recordings.
Soul music draws heavily from both religious and blues influences. Blues harmonic language can often be heard within this genre; singers such as Ray Charles and Reverend Al Green often bring powerful gospel voices into their soul recordings. Additionally, rhythm and blues influences are evident; often bass lines, drum beats, and horn lines of soul recordings draw on grooves and tempos from R&B tunes.
Through the years, soul music’s immense popularity has lead to its proliferation into numerous subgenres and styles of its genre – funk, contemporary R&B, disco and neo soul being some of them. Additionally, there are geographically specific versions such as Detroit Soul in America (Detroit Memphis Chicago Soul etc), or Northern Soul from UK (Northern Soul).
Soul music’s legacy continues to influence modern musicians, especially those creating electronic music genres such as house, drum & bass and UK garage. Genres such as these draw inspiration from soul’s infectious rhythms and pulse-inducing beats for inspiration when creating their work.
Instrumentation
Soul music is characterized by rhythmic, energetic music with various instruments playing various parts. Drums and bass guitar lay down a rhythmic foundation while piano, horns, and strings add harmony and depth to the arrangement. Vocal runs, scat singing and other performance techniques help add raw emotion into this genre.
Soul music developed from rhythm and blues and gospel, drawing influences from rock n roll, funk and disco as well as traditional styles like gospel music. It is known for its distinct vocal style, emotional delivery and ethnic pride – characteristics which remain an important part of American culture today.
Motown Records became one of the cornerstones of pop music through their hit-making vocal groups and bands; deep soul and southern soul styles combined R&B energy with southern US gospel sounds; Memphis soul evolved out of Motown style, becoming shimmering and sensuous; New Orleans soul mixed gospel with jazz, other musical genres, Philadelphia soul’s lush orchestral sound with doo-wop influence, as well as psychedelic soul which combined elements from all three genres into an eclectic blend; while Philadelphia soul combined doo-wop influence with gospel and R&B sound; while Philadelphia soul was created as part of this genre’s evolution;
R&B singers like Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett revolutionized soul music during the 1960s by mixing female gospel music into soul music. Together with other southern soul musicians they helped shape an R&B sound characterized by Hammond B-3 organs and powerful horn sections; Memphis-based label Stax Records fostered this distinctive sound by placing vocals further back in the mix than contemporary R&B records and featuring an ascending horn section for an upbeat aural tapestry.
As the 1960s evolved into the 1970s, funk music started influencing soul music by adding syncopated rhythms and a slap bass. Electronic instruments like synthesizers brought a more contemporary sound into soul songs; and soul artists often included elements from this genre along with more traditional ones in their songs. Funk also altered how artists approached lyrics using poetic devices such as alliteration, metaphor and symbolism to convey their messages.
Styles
Soul songs feature simple yet catchy vocal harmonies and melodies, often using call-and-response singing as seen in gospel music. If you wish to try using this style during your vocal solo performance, be aware not to overdo it, as over-using this technique may cause listeners to lose interest. Call-and-response is also featured within its instrumentation; call-and-response allows other singers or instrumentalists to reply back to an opening phrase of voice; elements found within soul’s musical genre include gospel, African forms of music and doo-wop music styles.
Soul music often explores themes related to love, heartbreak and social issues; therefore, vocalists must be able to convey these emotions effectively with their singing voices. Vocalists must improvise according to the tone and lyrics of each song – adding vibrato and using different styles of expression where appropriate. Many early soul artists came from church backgrounds where gospel singing helped them sing emotive songs with immense emotional conviction that were powerfully moving for audiences.
Soul music is known for being very rhythmic, with many soul bands using horn sections and bass guitarists playing funky riffs to create a solid groove. Drummers should aim to keep an even beat by sitting on it consistently and providing clear backbeats from their snare drum. Keyboardists may add arpeggiated chords for slower-tempo soul tunes.
Some of the world’s best-known soul music is associated with specific cities or regions, and each region has its own distinct sound. Berry Gordy of Detroit popularized Tamla Motown style of soul music that combined R&B, pop, funk and doo-wop elements; Philadelphia soul is known for its soft yet creamy sounds; New Orleans has jazz influences while Memphis soul fuses gospel influences into sultry gospel-influenced styles.
Soul music’s lasting popularity is felt across culture, from clothing you wear to iconic dance moves like the James Brown slide. If you are new to soul music, tune into Aretha Franklin’s song Respect to gain insight into its great music genre – its powerful message of female empowerment has reached millions around the globe.