My OperaWHERE HAVE ALL THE MALE RNB SINGERS GONE?
Sunday, June 29, 2008 1:16:30 PM
Back in 2005 when the late great Luther Vandross passed, I remember reading a few articles stating he was the last of the great soul singers, is it true? in some ways yes, but did it all end with him are there no more male singers out there able to sing heart felt soul music? I say Hell no.
Now lets not get it twisted, There was and will only ever be ONE Luther Vandross (RIP). but what of now? is 50 cent really our only hope? now don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against fiddy, I've often bobbed my head to two and two hip hop tunes, I was a youth of the ninties with more then a passing thing for Tupac (Still sleep in my Tupac T-shirt now), and while I understand we can all get down to hip hop beat in 'da club' where's the romance? where's the love?
In the 70s and 80s the music scene was awash with male soul singers, Teddy Pendergrass, Donny Hathaway and of course the brillant MARVIN GAYE to name a few but in the 90s things changed as Snoop, Biggie, Tupac and friends blazed a trail and the soul singers where pushed a side as we all bobbed our heads to the beat (Till it was played out). Anyway just as we thought the rnb singer was gone for good, around the mid-ninties there was the raise of the Neo Soul singer, these where guys like D'angleo, Maxwell, Chico Debarge (Who album 'Long time no see' is one of the most under rated of this period),etc and suddenly all hope was not lost...well at least for a minute 'cause as we entered the millennium theses guys had all but disappeared. What happened? Where have all the male Rnb singers gone?
Now I know some of you are gonna say well what about Usher, Neyo, Mario, Chris Brown? are they not rnb singers? yeah I suppose sorta...and I'm not gonna hate on the young brothers, 'cause their doing their thing and there doing it well, but I'm sorry, not a one of them can send chills down ya spine (Well not mine but maybe I'm too old skool) so again I ask, Where have all the Great Male Rnb singers Gone? are there any? or have we all become so cynical and harden that there really is no place for a singer singing a sweet soul groove? I hope not and to be honest I don't think all is lost either, There are guys like Dwele flying the (Soul) flag, as well as Jaheim, Joe, Robin Thicke also lets not forget the fellas on the comeback trail such as Maxwell (He is apparently gonna grant us with some new stuff at some stage) also Chico Debarge is meant to drop a new album, D'Angelo...I don't know about (Maybe someone can fill me in?) and while these guys may not get the attention of some of the young bucks, They are all making quality music that we'll be able to listen to in years to come and thats no bad thing right? Just a thought...
Come on back Chico.
Now lets not get it twisted, There was and will only ever be ONE Luther Vandross (RIP). but what of now? is 50 cent really our only hope? now don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against fiddy, I've often bobbed my head to two and two hip hop tunes, I was a youth of the ninties with more then a passing thing for Tupac (Still sleep in my Tupac T-shirt now), and while I understand we can all get down to hip hop beat in 'da club' where's the romance? where's the love?
In the 70s and 80s the music scene was awash with male soul singers, Teddy Pendergrass, Donny Hathaway and of course the brillant MARVIN GAYE to name a few but in the 90s things changed as Snoop, Biggie, Tupac and friends blazed a trail and the soul singers where pushed a side as we all bobbed our heads to the beat (Till it was played out). Anyway just as we thought the rnb singer was gone for good, around the mid-ninties there was the raise of the Neo Soul singer, these where guys like D'angleo, Maxwell, Chico Debarge (Who album 'Long time no see' is one of the most under rated of this period),etc and suddenly all hope was not lost...well at least for a minute 'cause as we entered the millennium theses guys had all but disappeared. What happened? Where have all the male Rnb singers gone?
Now I know some of you are gonna say well what about Usher, Neyo, Mario, Chris Brown? are they not rnb singers? yeah I suppose sorta...and I'm not gonna hate on the young brothers, 'cause their doing their thing and there doing it well, but I'm sorry, not a one of them can send chills down ya spine (Well not mine but maybe I'm too old skool) so again I ask, Where have all the Great Male Rnb singers Gone? are there any? or have we all become so cynical and harden that there really is no place for a singer singing a sweet soul groove? I hope not and to be honest I don't think all is lost either, There are guys like Dwele flying the (Soul) flag, as well as Jaheim, Joe, Robin Thicke also lets not forget the fellas on the comeback trail such as Maxwell (He is apparently gonna grant us with some new stuff at some stage) also Chico Debarge is meant to drop a new album, D'Angelo...I don't know about (Maybe someone can fill me in?) and while these guys may not get the attention of some of the young bucks, They are all making quality music that we'll be able to listen to in years to come and thats no bad thing right? Just a thought...
Come on back Chico.
dapxin # Saturday, May 22, 2010 12:26:24 AM
I think the reason is quite simple. The art of music died!
That's why we are here....
Peter Reilichjaxmusic # Wednesday, July 20, 2011 1:04:51 PM
has anyone checked out Beau Dozier..? solid male RnB vocalist; son of Lamont Dozier, jr, who is a solid name in old-school RnB.
but some of this issue is about material & that is the songwriters appeasing fashionable edge, which tends, these days to stray away from standard RnB love ballads, which is where most male RnB vox lived back in the day.. my fav is James Ingram "Find One Hundred Ways" (early 80s)