Caucasians With Soulful Persuasion!
All across the world, from barbershops and family gatherings to internet forums and blog comment sections, people have tackled the debate of race and music. Ever since Elvis borrowed music from black culture and didn’t cite his sources, it’s been a somewhat touchy subject for some folks.
It seems as though white people that get involved into traditionally black music are almost always met with some type of adversity or commotion from somebody because of their skin tone. Everybody always talks about the emcees in this regard, but how about the singers out there? There are several standouts in the soul/R&B genre that are of the Caucasian persuasion that prove that music has no color barriers. Some are overlooked, while others are just about running the industry. One thing’s for sure: they’ve all got talent. Let’s talk about a few, shall we?
JoJo
The humble P.Y.T. from just outside of Boston has been relatively quiet in recent years. Word on the street is she may be dabbling in the college life, but that’s yet to be confirmed. Nevertheless, she can blow but don’t forget that rendition of SWV’s “Weak” she absolutely killed. We’ve got it for you below in case you never got a chance to hear it. We need more jams from you, boo.
You should hear: “Weak”
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Amy Winehouse
Drugs brought her from a somewhat sane Brit who wore size 11 jeans to an anorexic, out-of-her-mind fiend who would even go as far as to surreptitiously use her “substances” on stage. Hey, whatever works I guess. Even if you despise her for the countless ridiculous incidents that make tabloid headlines, you can’t help but appreciate her incredibly rich voice.
You should hear: “Tears Dry On Their Own”
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Mayer Hawthorne
The Detroit native was a DJ before he decided to take a chance with his crooning career. Looks like it paid off, as indie label Stones Throw has helped him make his mark on the music industry. It doesn’t hurt that he sounds like a long lost Motown signee, either.
You should hear: “I Wish It Would Rain”
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Justin Timberlake
Okay, so he was with N’Sync. Who cares? That No Strings Attached album had jams upon jams upon jams on it. Plus, if The Neptunes and Timbaland both handled of the majority his production in the latter part of his career, you know he’s doing something right. Both solo projects get regular burn in iTunes.
You should hear: “Señorita”
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Joss Stone
Joss has sold over 10 million albums worldwide. She’s barely 22, with two Grammys and an impressive track record. Her voice is so smooth that you probably wouldn’t know she was a Dover, Kent (UK) native. She also is a vegetarian, if that means anything to anybody.
You should hear: “Tell Me What We’re Gonna Do Now”
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Robin Thicke
This guy’s really proved himself. Determined to step out of Alan Thicke (you might know him as Dr. Jason Roland Seaver, the father from the 80’s show Growing Pains), he made a nearly seamless transition from a bicycle-riding hippie to a sex symbol with quite possibly the baddest female on the face of the earth to call his wife. Oh, and he’s an incredible singer/songwriter, too. Pharrell added him to his Star Trak imprint, and the two haven’t looked back since. Thicke may just be the leader of the pack, Caucasian or otherwise.
You should hear: “The Stupid Things”
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Adele
A somewhat newcomer to the scene, the London native specializes in heartbreaking soul. Think of 808s & Heartbreaks, except no auto-tune, and really, really good singing. Although her debut album 19 wasn’t super commercially successful in the U.S., she did scoop some Grammys with it. Her music also also made a powerful impact on Europe and Australia. At least the people that count were listening.
You should hear: “Chasing Pavements”
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Daniel Merriwether
The Aussie is down with Mark Ronson’s clique, and dropped out of school early to pursue music. He’s toured pretty much everywhere, and while he’s yet to become a household name here in the States yet, after you hear the song below, you’ll realize that he’s well on his way.
You should hear: “Stop Me”
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Jon B.
Sure, he’s been more behind the scenes as of recent, but you can’t forget his ’97 classic album Cool Relax. Back then, he was working in the stu’ with Pac, writing songs for the late and great Michael Jackson, and under the tutelage of mogul and musical genius Babyface. This guy was definitely winning back then, but the next decade wouldn’t prove too commercially successful for him. The last time we heard from him, he was beefing with Robin Thicke over piano skills. Yikes.
You should hear: “They Don’t Know”
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Sam Sparro
Another Aussie-born artist, Sam dabbles in everything from electronica to funk. He’s got a lot of soul, though. The son of a Gospel minister, he’s been around music all his life, and his creative side has generated some pretty awesome music videos. He’s also openly gay and recently covered Attitude Magazine, the UK’s best-selling gay magazine.
You should hear: “Black & Gold”
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Mike Posner
Who said singers couldn’t come from prestigious colleges? Mike is a Duke University senior with one foot out the door to the industry. If only graduation could come sooner for the Midwest sensation that sells out college shows within the blink of an eye. Managed by the Dan Weisman, the same guy that helped Wale reach superstardom, he’s on a path to success already. Besides, if this music stuff doesn’t work out, he’s got a hell of a plan B.
You should hear: “Cooler Than Me” (feat. Big Sean)
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Justin Bieber
The Canadian crooner’s only 15, making pre-teen girls faint while performing at middle schools across the continent. Justin was discovered by his current agent Scooter Braun, who flew him straight to Atlanta to meet with Usher. Usher tossed L.A. Reid the alley-oop, and a few days later, Mr. Bieber was signed to Island Records.
You should hear: “One Time”
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Anybody missing from the list? Anyone who isn’t worthy that is on the list? Just feel like leaving feedback? Throw it in the comment section.
Nice post Modi
Jon B will always get respect because he was as close to “authentic” as these kind of artists can get, plus he came out during a great time period for R&B music, so his music was held against very credible comparative acts.
Daniel Merriweather has come SUCH a long way from his early days in Australia (I featured him in my magazine back home numerous times) and he has a very loyal supporter in Mark Ronson.
Joss Stone, to me, is STILL underrated for her vocals; she was kind of eclipsed by Amy Winehouse at one stage and her career hasn’t been the same since. Those two and Adele and a few others are living proof of the UK’s long love affair with soul music.
As for Justin Timberlake…no comment
Never been much of a fan.
~BL
I gotta disagree with Justin Beiber. Justin Beiber is not a caucasian with soulful persuasion. He’s just a pop singer. Props to him for that but not at all soulful.
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Haven’t even finished reading the article yet, but after my first scroll through, i noticed that John Mayer wasn’t on this list. Definitely one of the top Causasians with Soulful Persuasion.
Oh AND Norah Jones….that is all hahaa
Good write-up nonetheless bro
Phil Collins, Michael McDonald, Paul Simon, Bobby Caldwell..Dude I can go on for days..Great post..But really Paul Simon gets a pass for making great music with black folks..Bobby Caldwell has “What You Won’t Do For Love” (I just tweeted you that) and yeah the rest speaks for itself..Okay..Thanks
I think it’s funny and kind of sad that it’s still shocking that people of a certain race are supposed to have a certain type of music. Most of the people who read this are children of the 90s where we experienced a great mixture of cultures that only further blurred the lines in 2000s. As a black girl from the suburbs of VA listening to 2pac and Biggie, confused but appeciative and Weezer and Nirvana, a little more relatedable but still confused as to why I shouldn’t be listening to it, ultimately finding solace in N.E.R.D. an excellent example of good eclectic music. I think we should just let music be music and people be people.
snipe ricky.. Bobby Caldwall is hands down the most soulful white dude to ever touch a mic. no hyperbole, and i’d love for someone to challenge me on this point. he’s also responsible for a couple of your favorite rap joints. been a fan of his for about 3 years now..
that said, Jojo went in on that “Weak” flip! I’d give it a 8/10, 10 being SWV.. Definitely better than I expected.
And I’m adding George Michael in there..Let’s get it..
nice list. i think hot chip definitely fits in here, they incorporate a lot of hip hop and r&b influences in their albums. its in the beats and in the lyrics, and some of the time their lead singer sounds like he wants to be a r&b crooner for sure.
Good List of current singers…
If you wanna go old school, Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Booby Caldwell are good additions
Once again, another dope article from the Modi man. Remember Lady Marmalade ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQa7SvVCdZk )? I would easily add Pink and Christina Aguilera. Remember Pink back in her days signed with LaFace Records and LA Reid! I gotta give props on the Sam Sparro and Amy Winehouse picks, they are amazing.
White people definitely have some soul, but the reason why it is still usually a “surprise” is because when you look at the big picture they are still a minority in the genre. It’s not right, but its somewhat validated
Oh yeah and HELL YEAH John Mayer got robbed!!!!
To end my rant, Bobby Caldwell is easily the King of Blue Eyed Soul.
I don’t think I’ve ever said “That’s my jam!!!” so many times in a row lol.
I do agree with the comment that Justin Beiber isn’t a particularly soulful singer, but for whatever reason his pop music has a lot of urban appeal.
And yes, Norah Jones and John Mayer *definitely* need to be added to this list! Also missing: Jason Mraz, Jamie Lidell, Emily King, Duffy, and Elliott Yamin.
Honorable Mentions: Chester French, Colin Munroe (listen to I Need Those Flashing Lights), and Lykke Li (listen to her Rick Ross and ATCQ covers).
Good list but I don’t consider Justin Beiber soulful at all and I agree with everyone else about the more old school singers being more soulful.
And to take it a step further… what about the artists who are half white? A. Keys, Mariah, Leona Lewis, Lenny Kravitz, Melanie Fiona etc.
I like the blog but I am waiting for it to be wrapped up. I see several statements but Im not sure I see the point that is being made…
John B. was the first to pop in my head. Chester French definitely has soul, but it shows more on thier mixtape than the album. DA goes to church on some of the tracks. John Mayer does have very bluesy tracks. I love that for all of them it is very natural. I think Pink was being portrayed as the soulful white girl when with LA Reid but it wasn’t real. She does have a soulful voice though.
Jojo is very good and she is not given the recognition she deserves. Her cover of ‘Weak’ is short of amazing. Joss Stone has the same problem and both of them need to be given more promotion. Pink should be added on the list. Even though she is kinda on the rock side, her talent is unique.
Jon B. needs to come back and make an album ASAP. An Justin B needs to be taken off.
Love Sam Sparro. His album is quirky but it’s good to chill and listen too.
Sia is an australian singer, who collaborates frequently with the electronic group Zero 7. She has by far one of the best voices I’ve heard. A Sia concert is DEFINITELY on my bucket list: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okzr3rxv_1c
http://copeyope.blogspot.com/2008/09/go-white-girlgo-white-girl.html
Great list, but Justin Bieber? I actively avoided his music for a while, but in light of this article I took a listen; I can honestly say that I wasn’t missing much.
I would add John Mayer, Michael McDonald, Bobby Caldwall, Christina Aguilera, Norah Jones and The Righteous Brothers (in case you’re not familiar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBLEyAeEM5g).
I’m also gonna go on record and say, for “Never Gonna Give You Up” alone, Rick Astley may get a pass.
Ricky G !!!I 100% agree!!!NUFF SAID.
just some additions i think could fit here…
eva cassidy (songbird – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFFo1pu4q7Q)
mutya buena (love story – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0xGV0g9dsY)
pixie lott (cry you out – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnUxeZvNwnM)
and definitely duffy!
oh && stacey solomon doesn’t have a contract but she was on england’s version of american idol and she can sing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz0GOlLoeBQ.
Yes! I got a cosign for a comment..haha..I agree with folks talking about adding Norah Jones…John Mayer still needs to do some work for me..I’m almost sold on him just need more…
Justin Bieber is just a teen phenom right now that everyone loves..or most people love..he got the Usher cosign so that’s pretty big…
@Diana Rick Astley a.k.a Rick Roll’d!! (I’ve been Rick Roll’d once)
@KP It was wrapped with the statement in the intro so it’s more like a list that warrants a reaction from the readers..I hope that makes sense cause if doesn’t then I fail..
I just jammed Bobby Caldwell again..YZR!!
awesome post, i definitely think that music should have no color barriers. but lots of black people do get upset about blue eyed soul under the argument, don’t white people have enough without stealing out music?! i’m not saying i think that way…i’ve just heard that around some older generations.
i love john mayer, so i definitely think he should be included on this list. his continuum album is the most bluesy, the others are more pop/rock, but still good. but if you’re looking to see soulful persuasion, i would start there. i watched him on an interview and he listed jimi hendrix, sam cooke and bb king as his inspirations aaaand he had an all black band, i’m just saying.
a lot of the suggestions in the comment section were great! i don’t know what they’re doing over there in britain, but those white people love them some soulful 60s music.
funny thing about justin timberlake, he said on the justified album he was just trying to make a r’n'b album, like hardcore, and then it came out they labeled it pop and he was pretty disappointed. so on futuresex/lovesounds he just did whatever and still made a great album. in terms of timberlake, i think people look at him like a white guy with a great voice. but i swear, black people have claimed robin thicke as their own, he even performed at the bet awards!! and he has a black wife.
can’t cosign on justin bieber at all. just because usher said ‘yeah’ about his skills (ha) doesn’t mean he’s soulful. and i enjoyed mike posner’s mixtape but his voice…is not soulful at all. i mean, it’s unique, just in my opinion, not soulful.
great post modi! i need you back in the blogging
Where is that P!nk?
everybody forgot some other white folks with souful persuasion like Tina Marie, a white female soul/R & B singer. She used to be Rick James’ girl and performed with him on the stage back then. she was signed with Cash Money before.
Great post man!!! Totally agree with the Mike Posner, Justin Bieber and Jojo picks, along with the obvious selections. I think Chester French, Colin Munroe, and Duffy deserve mentions as well in this post. Keep up the great work!
i co-sign bobby caldwell. i did a post about him on my blog some time ago that features some of his hits. and definitely teena marie, michael mcdonald and Toto. wow not to mention people like jethro tull…great post.
http://heavymentalist.blogspot.com/2009/05/bobby-caldwell-has-soul-on-roll.html
toto – georgy porgy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSKkyriwV_4
jethro tull – song for jeffrey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyzfD0VqDW8
I agree with dropping Justin Bieber and putting Elliott Yamin on the list in his place. I actually thought Elliott was black til I saw his video for “Wait for You”.
Check out Elliott singing “What you won’t do for love” with Bobby Caldwell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDNE3GSP8IQ&feature=PlayList&p=EC5AE34F83522E16&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=49
Also, His Christmas album has several soul filled inspired versions of the standards. Look for his version of “Back Door Santa”…if that’s not soul, I don’t know what is.
I agree that Elliott Yamin should definitely be included on this list. He is so soulful — especially live. His performance of “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” from his first solo concert at Virginia State Fair in 2006 still ranks up there as one of my all time favorites — this is worth checking out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZrU4R-AWEc
You have Justin Beiber on here and not Elliott Yamin????? Major misstep..although maybe you (like many others) believe Elliott isn’t white! He’s a blue-eyed funky white boy.
How could one forget Teena Marie?!?!?!? She is the original vanilla soul child.
haha.
thanks for the comments. if i had got everybody in here, then the comment section woulda been boring.
Er… and what about Eli Paperboy Reed, Teena Marie, Polly Gibbons, Alice Russell to name a few.
This list is very poppy, not soulful.
YES! But how do you make this post and not give James Morrison an honorable mention. I’m just saying.
Please dont forget ELLIOTT YAMIN!!!
He definitely has soul!
Thick Black Theory…
…an interesting post over at…
Nice blog! Thanks for this great article!
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