As We Approach Motown's 50th Anniversary In 2009, Is Contemporary Black Music Making A Return To That Classic Motown & Stax Sound of the 60s and 70s?
There are several songs on the radio right now that are giving me hints, signs, or maybe just another confirmation that life is truly a circle. As the old saying goes, "Nothing is new under the sun."
With Motown's 50th Anniversary approaching in 2009, 40 years passing between 1968 to 2008, and just the reality that what goes around comes around, it seems we are experiencing several artists who are going back to that classic Motown Sound and Stax Sound while simultaneously adding in there own style and flavor.
It reminds me of the definition of Sankofa:
"Sankofa is an Adinkra symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana. Adinkra symbols are graphic representations of popular maxims or philosophical concepts. Originally they were used to decorate textiles, but they can now also be found on pottery and woodcarvings and in contemporary architectural design.
"The Sankofa symbol depicts a mythical bird which holds an egg symbolising the future in its beak. The bird moves forwards while looking backwards to the past. The symbol is expressed in the Akan language as "Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki".
"Literally translated, this phrase means "It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot". However, modern translations usually render it as "One must return to the past in order to move forward". In either case, the message of the symbol is that we must learn from the past in order to build a better future."
I love that definition and meaning. With that said, it makes me think that possibly, just possibly this is something that is taking place with several artists and producers. Music has been rather stagnant to me since 1993. Maybe rather hit and miss since '93 is a better way to describe it. It's as if something got lost around that time and its been a rocky road since. There have been times where I have felt "Did we top out? Was that it? Is there no more?"
Back to the artists who seem to recognize this and are going back into the past to pull out the best of what we did and adding to it the best of what they have to offer -- One of the most anticipated albums in this vein is the new album from Raphael Saadiq entitled "The Way I See It".
Here are some musical examples of what I am paying attention to that seems to contain that old Motown, Stax Sound.
What do you think? Can you hear it?
~LT
Artist: Solange
Single: I Decided
Album : SoL-AngeL and the Hadley St. Dreams
In Stores: 08.26.08
website: www.solangemusic.com
Artist: Raphael Saadiq
Single: Love That Girl
Album: The Way I See It
In Stores: 09.16.08
website: www.raphaelsaadiq.com
Artist: Alicia Keys
Single: Wreckless Love
Album: As I Am
Release Date: 11.09.07
webhsite: www.aliciakeys.com
Artist: Alicia Keys
Single: Teenage Love Affair
Album: As I Am
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