Friday, September 7, 2012

The Famous Modern Soul Singers.

By Ladonna Franklin


Soul is a popular music genre performed by several artists from all corners of the world. The singers include Mary J. Blige, Leela James, Joscelyn stoker and Raphael Saadiq among other countless artists. Mary J Blige is one of the most prominent modern soul singers. She started singing in uptown vocals where she was hired as a support singer. Sean combs, also known as puff daddy in the music industry, helped in the recording of her first album. The album was such a hit as it sold close to million copies. Since then, her music career has risen greatly.

Mary J Blige has performed in several shows among them the Grammy awards celebrations. She has won several awards in the Grammy among them the 'Best female R & B vocal performance' in year 2002. She has recorded several albums which include "share my world", "no more drama" and "Mary" among other notable albums.

Another popular singer whose songs have remained a hit is Raphael Saadiq. He was born in the year 1966 in California with the birth name Charlie Ray Wiggings. He later changed his name to Raphael Saadiq. He owes his family the inspiration which influenced him start singing. Saadiq started singing in 1980s with a family band named Tony! Toni! Tone! The band was made up of him and two of his cousins. The trio successfully produced a first album which sold so well in US market.

Saadiq parted ways with his cousins in 1996 and joined another band called the Lucy Pearl. The band was founded by DJ Ali Muhammed and the veteran artist Dawn Robinson. Together, they recorded an album which sold averagely in US market. After a short stay with the two, Saadiq parted ways with the two deciding to do music on his own. He recorded a solo album in year 2003 which featured Crooner De Angelo in one of the songs. The album was titled "Instant Vintage" and was a major hit.

Joscelyn Stocker has achieved what many singers of her age are yet to achieve. At the age of sixteen, she was able to replace Avril Lavigne from the pole position in the UK music charts. The singer was born in year 1987 in Kent, United Kingdom. She hails Aretha Franklin as the icon who inspired her to start singing. Her music career can be traced back in year 2001 when she appeared on BBC television. She performed the song 'You Make Me Feel Like A Woman' by Aretha Franklin.

She moved to New York in the year 2001 where she flourished in her music career. She later left New York for Miami where she met Betty White and Timmy Thomas. The duo helped her sharpen her music skills. She recorded her second album titled "The Mind, Body and Soul" in 2004. The album is in record for overturning the previous record held by Avril Lavigne in UK music charts.

Another notable singer is Leela James. She was born in Los Angeles in 1980s. Her father inspired her to start singing. RuffNation Records signed her in 1990s where she released her debut album "A Change Gonna Come". The album remains as one of her greatest albums as it sold well in the US markets.

Just like singer Joscelyn, Leela James was inspired by the veteran Aretha Franklin. Her second album was titled "Lets Do It again" in March 2009 under the Shanachie Entertainment. Leela is one of the popular modern soul singers and her contribution in the music industry is immense.




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