Lost Gem: KANO had a big moment with “Can’t Hold Back (Your Loving)”
KANO was an Italian band heavily influenced by a blend of German Keyboard and American Sounds. Despite having two solid hits on their debut album one year earlier with the Keyboard-based and VERY Kraftwerk + Disco + Hip-Hop tracks “I’m Ready” and “Its A War”, the band recruited soul vocalist and fellow Black European by […]
The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective grooves on “No Wind & No Rain”
(May 27, 2026) For musicians who live in a city rich filled with music history, an embrace of the city’s legends often encourages their artistry and performances. One can ask John Fournier, an accomplished saxophonist/arranger from Chicago whose special affection for soul jazz recordings from natives Ramsey Lewis and Eddie Harris inspired him to form […]
Billy Osborne
Billy Osborne is a talented singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer who is best known for his role in the R&B scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s R&B scene. He is best known as a member of L.T.D. (Love, Togetherness and Devotion) and for his work as a session musician, producer, and collaborator. Osborne […]
Happy Birthday to R&B great Angela Winbush
Happy Birthday to R&B great Angela Winbush, born on January 18, 1955. One of the most talented singers, songwriters and producers of the 80s and 90s, Angela Winbush never received either the across the board commercial success she deserved, nor sufficient credit for her pioneering work as a top tier female producer in the male […]
Mickey Stevenson
It is difficult to talk about the emergence of soul music’s greatest record label, Motown, without talking about Mickey Stevenson. Stevenson was one of the quiet architects of that imprint’s golden era—a behind-the-scenes force whose songwriting, production instincts, and executive leadership helped define the label’s crossover sound in the early 1960s. Stevenson was among the […]
The fresh singer we fell for was really A.I.
“Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many.”— Phaedrus (November 3, 2025) That quote is from the 4th Century B.C., but seems applicable today in a world where the line between reality and fiction is more difficult to discern than ever. And I had my own recent firsthand experience in the […]
First Listen: Bey Bright returns with “I’m Sorry”
(March 20, 2025) The begging song is an R&B staple. It usually begins with the singer (usually a man) realizing that the grass is not greener on the other side after being caught on the other side. Our vocal protagonist then embarks on an effort to convince their aggrieved and possibly soon to be former […]
Tony! Toni! Tone! Co-founder D’wayne Wiggins ailing
[March 7 update: D’Wayne Wiggins has died. https://soultracks.com/tony-toni-tone-dwayne-wiggins-dies-at-age-64/] (March 6, 2025) Fans are praying for the recovery of Tony! Toni! Tone co-founder and guitarist D’Wayne Wiggins, who is ailing. After several days of speculation on social media, the Wiggins family issued the following statement: We wanted to share that D’Wayne Wiggins is experiencing medical complications. […]
First Listen: Smokey Robinson returns with a top down jam
(February 28, 2025) He is one of those legendary artists whose first name alone is iconic and evokes decades of musical memories. He’s Smokey Robinson, and for most of us there isn’t a time in our life that didn’t include him and his music. And now, at age 85, Smokey is still going strong and […]
First Listen: Charles “Wigg” Walker defies time again
Credit: David McClister