About a year ago, you might remember a topic I started on here to try and find a Northern soul record that we all loved - or at least a track that none of us hated. The idea was to try and find a tune that defined the Northern scene.

It proved fruitless and tortuous. Salvadors, if I recall, came close to being universally loved - and there were a few others - but we couldn't find a single sound that everyone could get behind. Somebody somewhere always ended up hating something! Even Our Love Is In The Pocket had been worn out or played to death for some of us.

I thought I'd take a chance on a similar thread, which I'm hoping will be short lived and much more simple:

This time the idea is to find the most widely loved soul singer. Yes, we've all got our faves, but the idea of this is not to debate whether Aretha was better than Gladys - there's plenty of that in other threads.

I think this should be much more easy; I'll kick it off.

We all love Marvin ... right?

You might have other heroes. I'm certain I have. But surely, no-one could actually dislike or hate Marvin Gaye?

If you want to put your head above the parapet, admit you loathe the man, that's fine, but maybe you can suggest another singer that every single one of us could claim to adore?

It might be another daft idea, but I'm just interested to find commonality between our tastes. I suspect this might turn into another who is/was the greatest thread, but if I'm making myself clear, that's not really the idea.

Over to you...

Col

Surely surely NO-ONE (and I defy anyone) dislikes Curtis Mayfield. Towering figure not just in the soul genre but music full stop!

ATB

Rich

Surely surely NO-ONE (and I defy anyone) dislikes Curtis Mayfield. Towering figure not just in the soul genre but music full stop!

ATB

Rich

Love "The Makings Of You" "Give It Up" and "Love To Keep You In My Mind"

...to name but three!

Also, just about everything with the Impressions.

Good call Rich.

Sean

I would direct anyone who questioned Marvin Gaye's vocal range and power to look at the footage of him doodling and extemporising an embryonic I Want You whilst laying in a prone position on the recording studio couch at some point in the mid 1970s. This footage shows that he had a very real and very special talent which few American vocalists will ever match. As for his voice not portraying emotion I really am speechless. Rather than reel off a list of records which never fail to possess the power to move me to tears I will point to one performance alone: a spontaneous piano jam of Distant Lover performed on the hoof for a camera crew who followed him to recreate his Belgian odyssey in the early eighties. It is a performance which marries the angelic purity of Sam Cooke at his best with the darker tone of a man who perhaps had too much of an idea that within two years his life would arrive at the tragic junction where he would depart this earth. Truly mesmerising.

I can agree with a line of opinion which has it that he largely wasted those great talents, but to characterise his singing as no more than the thin high-tenor of a mere journeyman is being mean-spirited.

But in terms of a soul singer we all ought to love, I would single out Bettye Lavette.

your all wrong, the bestest r

female - linda jones

male - deon jackson

But in terms of a soul singer we all ought to love, I would single out Bettye Lavette.

We'll obviously have to agree to disagree on Marvin Gaye, Gareth. I'll try to listen with a fresh ear.

But I'm with you on Bettye Lavette.No lover of soul music could possibly not her find her extroadinary. Or could they?

your all wrong, the bestest r

female - linda jones

male - deon jackson

Why......

You've more important things to be doing Tone... surely

Karen

Edited November 22, 200618 yr by sanquine

Surely surely NO-ONE (and I defy anyone) dislikes Curtis Mayfield. Towering figure not just in the soul genre but music full stop!

ATB

Rich

Too right

But......... I do know one person who doesn't really like Mr. Mayfield's voice, the fool! No, not Curtis- I mean D***** B*****

Loads of great names already mentioned, but how about Emanuel Laskey?

Johnnie Taylor

THE Voice of Soul

Sean Hampsey

Good shout Sean...

Karen

Edited November 22, 200618 yr by sanquine

You are probably more familar with a greater body of Marvin's work than I am, Gareth. And I'd appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction regarding where we can find examples of Marvin's 'awsome range'. Basically wasn't his range 'high tenor'. ? And wasn't it a rather thin and pinched kind of high tenor voice at that, lacking in resonance and most certainly in warmth? To me, the voice has nothing of the warmth of ,say, J.J. Barnes' another high tenor. The power and the technique just don't seem to be there either ( unless of course you have in mind performances that I am not aware of). And very importantly, Marvin's voice falls short on emotion too. So often he just doesn't seem to be that interested in what he is singing. Do you really prefer Marvin's original of Lonely Lover to Jimmy McFarland's? Isn't Jimmy's take the more convincing? And at the end of the day was Marvin really any better than so many journeymen who are mere footnotes to the story of Soul?

The emotion and expression in Marvins voice is unquestionable IMO, many singers come under the heading "A soul artist we all love", but Marvin for me is in my top 5 Artists, I wish I had seen in their prime singing live...... "What's going on" send's shivers down my spine... A complex man who's depth and feeling's showed in his voice... Just take a look at Marvin n Tammi singing "Ain't no mountain high enough" ......

Jimmy McFarland is the northern version we all know n love - to be honest the version by Marvin is superior again Imo

Karen

Edited November 22, 200618 yr by sanquine

Gwen Owens singing at Prestatyn was unbelievable, sang with her kids who also had brill voices

The emotion and expression in Marvins voice is unquestionable IMO, many singers come under the heading "A soul artist we all love", but Marvin for me is in my top 5 Artists, I wish I had seen in their prime singing live...... "What's going on" send's shivers down my spine... A complex man who's depth and feeling's showed in his voice... Just take a look at Marvin n Tammi singing "Ain't no mountain high enough" ......

Jimmy McFarland is the northern version we all know n love - to be honest the version by Marvin is superior again Imo

Karen

I saw Marvin live.

"What's Going On" "Let's Get It On" The whole nine yards.

Had he the greatest ever Soul voice?... probably not.

Was he a great performer?... My God Yes!

Was he a genius?... Quite probably.

Marvin was an enigmatic kinda fella (as our friend Dave used to say) and he was also a prophet forseeing his own declining mental state.

If you listen to one of his last... and yet finest recordings, "It's Madness" you'll hear the sound of painful anguish in every lyric and beat as he struggled to maintain his own sanity.

He knew what was coming, the pain, the suffering, the torment and the prophesy was in that song.

One of the greatest recordings in Soul Music's long history from a true genius.

Maybe we dont 'all' love the late Marvin Gaye.

But I reckon most of us do.

Sean

my 2 ultimate ones here

Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke to me they both show ability to sing a slow and fast song most of Jackie's would be fast so you think well he can't cut it if singing a slow song then he does a slow song and your like wow and Sam cooke is vice versa

as for female Whitney Houston she belts out a tune but can sing it well

if you think of non soul then Donnie Munro from folk rock band Runring can't be matched.

Take a minute to go to the Male vocalists thread and consider how everybody missed adding Walter Jackson to the list. The two tracks posted by Miff are momentous!