ADSactly Artist Spotlight - Soul Search
What is it about soul music that lives up to its namesake, reaching into the soul and speaking directly to a part of you that needs more than words and images in order to make sense of the world.
SOUL SEARCH
RAG 'N' BONES MAN
Rory Charles Graham was born in 1985 in Essex. There was really a missed opportunity to name him Ray, but anyways I digress.
He leaned towards being a slightly troubled youth, which got him expelled from King's Academy before moving back to his hometown to continue his schooling. He obviously has a cheeky streak in him that's still present today.
As a youth, Rory took part in the Prince's Trust self-development programme for people aged 16 to 25 who were unemployed and was applauded for his efforts in a community project that saw kids painting and making vegetable gardens. Let's check out some music, and start with the obvious single that everyone knows:
source:
HUMAN
Backtrack 5 years to when Rory started working with UK hip-hop label "High Focus". This work, and these releases - including collaborations with Leaf Dog and Dirty Dike - lead to him working with producer, Mark Crew, who was then working on an album with Bastille on the track "Remains" which also features Skin from Skunk Anansie.
REMAINS
Okay, to be honest, I don't really like this track. I only really like the hook that Rag 'n' Bones man does. But it was undoubtedly a decent step in his career.
During this period he also released an EP titled "Wolves" followed by another titled "Disfigured".
It must be noted that the title track from "Wolves" ended up on his debut album when it released.
WOLVES FEAT. STIG OF THE DUMP
But then the world breathed a collective "Aha" moment when he released Human. Man, what an album, and what a title track. The title track was featured on various media such as the trailer for Mass Effect: Andromeda, the Amazon Prime series Oasis, the trailer for Thank You for Your Service, and the television series Inhumans. You don't really need much more exposure than that.
The title single went gold in various European countries such as in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, and the album won British Album of The Year in 2017 at the BBC Music Awards.
We look forward to much more by this great artist. He may not look exactly like a man with huge amounts of soul. But when you listen, you hear it pouring out of him.
DISCOGRAPHY
EP's
Bluestown - November 2012
Dog 'n' Bone (co-release with Leaf Dog) - April 2013
Put That Soul on Me - July 2014
Wolves - October 2014
Disfigured - March 2015
STUDIO ALBUM(S)
Human - Human
SINGLES
Nobody with Leaf Dog - 2013
Hard Came the Rain - 2015
Human - 2016
Skin - 2017
As You Are - 2017
Grace (We All Try) - 2017
Broken People with Logic - 2017
AS FEATURED ARTIST
She with Stig of the Dump - 2016
The Apprentice with The Gorillaz - 2017
Up next?
MICHAEL KIWANUKA
Michael grew up in London, England, to Ugandan parents who had escaped Idi Amin's regime to the UK. Uganda under Amin was a seriously oppressive environment and its estimated that 100000 to 500000 were killed during his rule.
Michael's first stint as a musician was as a session guitarist before venturing into becoming a solo artist and putting out his own material, when he was picked up by Communion Records who released his first two EP's.
He had the good fortune of being the support act for Adele during two of her tours in 2011, which really helped put him on the map.
FIRST TWO EP'S - SIGNED TO COMMUNION RECORDS
During 2011 he was signed to Polydor records where he began work on his first full-length studio album, Home Again, which was released in 2012.
HOME AGAIN
The title track is full to the brim of bluesy tones, grounded over a 12/8 (or 6/8 depending on how you feel it) rhythm that rolls past like a train, and echoes the sentiment of "going home". Michael has a signature vibe when it comes to tempo, generally keeping it quite mellow, and it makes for beautiful, easy listening.
In 2014 he did a short 2-track EP titled You've Got Nothing to Lose, which he signed to Third Man Records.
YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE
I have always found EP's that are so short to be a bit odd, but that's just me.
Cut to two years later, 2016, and Michael's signing another album to Polydor Records, titled Love & Hate.
LOVE & HATE
The title track is eight minutes long! It's not often that you get to hear a song that long. It's such an old-school vibe, with an awesome guitar solo by Michael himself. The song has such a pop sensibility, insofar as it is full of hooks and beautiful, easy chord progressions. I love in the video where the camera cuts to the view from the studio control room. Again a nod in the direction of the classic music video style.
Another great song of this album is:
COLD LITTLE HEART
Did you ever want it?
Did you want it bad?
Oh, my
It tears me apart
Did you ever fight it?
All of the pain, so much power
Running through my veins
Bleeding, I'm bleeding
My cold little heart
Oh I, I can't stand myself
Just...beautiful.
DISCOGRAPHY
EP's
Tell Me a Tale - April 2011
*iTunes Festival: London 2011 - July 2011
I'm Getting Ready - July 2011
You've Got Nothing to Lose - February 2014
STUDIO ALBUMS
Home Again - March 2012
Love & Hate - July 2016
SINGLES
Enjoy the music and make sure to leave a suggestion who you would like to see an article on.
Authored by @heypapalegend
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Soul music started when a number of rhythm and blues and ex-church musicians took gospel songs and adapted them to be about a lover rather than God. Many started as gospel singers who were often successful and selling large numbers of records to church audiences and subsequently moved into secular music-often alienating most of their original audience at the time.
Famous examples include Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, the staple singers and examples of songs that started life as gospel tunes include Hallelujah I Love her So, I found a love and stand by me
Very true. So much comes back to the blues though. Where would we be without the 7 note blues scale?? The world would be a plainer place.
@adsactly I am a HUGE fan of Rag 'n Bone Man - I discovered his music by accident a couple of months back whilst exploring Deezer, and fell in love with his voice immediately. His music truly is soulful!
Yes @jaynie! He is indeed an absolute gem :D I love stumbling onto new music during a random spotify trawl, haha, so I hear you.
hehehe @heypapalegend yeah it is awesome indeed :)
Oh man you're from Cape Town too! High 5!
WAAHAHAHA no!!! Seriously? lol!!! Well, hats off fellow Capetonian :D
music is indeed one of the device to communicate with your soul, and a form of therapeutic that enrich our mind and body, :)
Its just that everybody loves music and his gig is just awesome! :)
Rag n Bone - Human
is the track that never goes down on my playlist.... the jam is just out of this world!
Thanks for the great article
Amen dude. Such a great track! That voice is out of this world too! :D
Nice post,...
good article. its always fun and chilling to hear them. Thanks for sharing. cheers:-)
Let the music inspire your life especially when it comes to blues.
There are large amounts of different music types these day but you just gotta bring it back old school and everything will be alright😎
Hell yeah!
Hell to the yeah!
Great and outstanding music....peole are really talented
That they are :) Thanks for coming!
excllent music@adsactly
Nice
wow,so sweet music
I has
Just heard this song here, I love the old school vibe! nice song tho, I'll add this in my playlist
Yeah man. do it. Playlist that ish! :D
Love music. This is the source of refreshment. Thanks.
nice content !
The World Cup hit of the year !! What do you think?
https://steemit.com/life/@soufian.mikha/the-world-cup-hit-of-the-year-the-atlas-lions-national-team-yonii
good music and fun to hear .. good luck for you ...
Wow thats amazing :)
great choice mahn @adsaclty! those people are total legends!
Thanks so much bud, and thanks for the support! :D They truly are legends.
Good review. going to watch
Nice! Enjoy :)
I listened a song "Human" by Rag 'N' Bones . It's really great. There is another song name "skin". Hope you listen. A room of thanks for sharing it
Yeah man, Skin is a great song. Thanks for dropping by to comment! :D
one of the tremendous inspirations of them we can take the motivation, the musicians are amazing, one of them is Michael kimanuka, I really like the song in the song one of the title song "always waiting" i like this post thanks for sharing @adsactly good luck always for you.
And thanks for coming and supporting. :D
welcome🙂
Brother, all your writing is very nice. If you vote for me then I am very good.thanks
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you make a very good post, how do you make it,? can you direct me to create a post you created ..?
Buen Post, muy agradable la música. Gracias
Gracias mi amiga :)
very good music we hear
I didn't know about Rag'N'Bones Man and he is AWESOME! Thanks fo' tellin!
I just resteemed this post. I had never heard of these artists previously and it was awesome to listen to this music. Super awesome. They're now on my Spotify playlist!
you just made a soul music fan i download these songs and will be listening to them.
Great voices. No doubt UK is still giving the world's fascinating artists, singers and pop culture icons in music history
Are they Africans?
Soul music are motivational music directly from the heart.
#noted boss..
Noting like the blues.. #smiles
@eromose-le
Michael Kiwanuka hits the heart strings. Great song of his that you featured. Did not know of rag n bone man until now. Much love. Learning how to improve my music preview and review series from this post.