On Sound for a Soulful Summer

It's no secret: I'm a lover of all things R&B, neo-soul, and classic funk. While I'm not locked in my room jamming to old cuts from Parliament and Funkadelic (yes, Eddie Hazel is a terribly underrated axeman), chances are I'm spinning the latest from John Legend, Alicia Keys, or other greats of the genre. Today seems like an apt occasion to reflect on some of the music that keeps the heat out, or at least that makes the sweating and swamp-cooled air worth it.

Yep, that house is pink.

This summer is a special one because I'm serving as a staff worker for an intentional urban ministry program here in Fresno. I've even relocated from my colleagues' apartment to the appropriately named "Pink House" downtown. Now I'm walking distance from the popular pub where I can watch the World Cup with a good brew and some friends, but more importantly, I'm situated in the midst of the city's most vulnerable neighborhoods. As I learn more about urban ministry, I'm reminded of the "three R's" of this kind of work: relocation, redistribution, and reconciliation. I've already experienced the first, intentionally moving into the neighborhood to experience the incarnation of Christ in a whole new way. While the Pink House sits in the middle of a large parking lot, there are still neighbors to be mindful of, from the homeless on the nearby pedestrian mall to the many who commute to work downtown. There is a richness to life here in the city; although Fresno's urban core is subject to the kinds of blights that mark other cities with concentrated poverty (think Detroit), I'm finding new ways to love it each day.

What makes a home special? For me, it means that I can comfortably craft soundtracks that can help provide an environment for doing work, writing, or chores. I've been in the habit of making mix CD's for my pickup, since the auxiliary input jack died long ago. These usually consist of a healthy mix of indie music, classic rock, and of course, R&B. Here are a few albums that I've included in the milieu lately.

Alicia Keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003)

She's beautiful, biracial, and has a captivating voice, not to mention classically-trained piano chops to boot. After her stunning debut with Songs in A Minor (2001), she dropped this album late in 2003 to widespread critical appeal. Although best known for live staple "If I Ain't Got You," I prefer the deeply soulful "If I Was Your Woman/Walk On By" cover, and the Kanye-produced "You Don't Know My Name."  For an added bonus, check out her 2005 live effort Unplugged, which features her and a full band complete with none other than a cusp-of-success John Legend backing her. Speaking of whom...

John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up! (2010)

One of the greatest team-ups in recent memory, Wake Up! Includes covers of classic artists such as Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield, and others. Legend proved his songwriting craft on Once Again (2006) and the excellent electro-tinged Evolver (2008). His backup band is the Roots (pre-Jimmy Fallon fame), and they do an excellent job of commending the era of socially conscious soul music from the 70s and beyond. Although the context changed (the source material is taken from the backdrop of America's involvement in Vietnam), the consciousness is continued in spirit, this time aimed against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. My favorite cuts are the rap-infused "Little Ghetto Boy" and the blistering rendition of Withers' "I Can't Write Left-Handed."

D'Angelo - Brown Sugar (1995)

Considering the mixed production and lax instrumentation of the era (try finding a live drum track on any of his contemporaries' albums), D'Angelo's debut sounds downright prophetic. His tenor is as slick as they come, and it turned out that this album proved a game-changer for the whole genre, influencing a new generation of singers and practically inventing the label "neo-soul." The heights he reaches over the organ's sprinkling on "Higher" prove that he can run with the best, and his cover of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" is an instant classic. In terms of solo artists of the 90s, you can't beat D'Angelo. 

Honorable Mention:

Cody ChestnuTT - Landing on a Hundred (2014) - plenty of funk and soul to harken back to the days when James Brown ruled the stage, ChestnuTT brings both a quality voice and a diversity of sound that is unique among today's R&B scene.

Gary Clark Jr. - Blak and Blu (2012) - Best known for his tremendous guitar skills, Clark Jr. brings an homage to the traditionally black music genres of blues, funk, and early Berry-era rock n' roll. It might not fit in the traditional soul music category, but Clark is one of the emerging bright stars in blues music today.

Ginuwine - Greatest Hits (2006) - Call this one a guilty pleasure, but Ginuwine knows how to provide an earworm that sticks with you. I love singing along to the collaborative "The Best Man I Can Be" and "Same Ol' G."

What about you? What are some soulful cuts that remind you of what home feels like? I'll always be indebted to these artists for providing a comfort that only good music can bring.