What is Soul Music?
What is Soul Music?
Soul is not just a style of music. Soul is a lifestyle. Undefined by race,
sex, or religious creed, soul is about love, reverence, passion, respect,
fear, betrayal, pride, lust, strength and bourbon (any brand will do, though
we recommend Southern Comfort). There are a few givens associated with a
soul lifestyle, though nobody is turned away at the door:
- Dress - You have to wear a suit. If you're a woman, you have to
wear a slinky black dress. If you want to go casual, a turtleneck
under a tweed jacket is fine. And don't worry about sweating through
your Sunday best. It happens to all of us.
- Food - Obviously, soul food. When in Middletown, we recommend
BT&M Chicken and Rib House on Ferry Street (1 block off of Main Street.)
Have the ribs. They're out of sight.
- Drink - is available at any liquor store in America, as well
as Canada. While excellent with Coke and ice, shots do the job a
lot more effectively.
- Music - We recommend the following for beginners: "Otis Blue" by
Otis Redding, "Wilson Pickett's Twenty Greatest Hits" by Pickett
himself, "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MGs, "Rare Stamps" by
Eddie Floyd, "The Best of Ray Charles" by Ray Charles, and "The
Best of Sam and Dave" by... Sam and Dave. For more advanced study,
try "Sweet Soul Music" by various artists, "Let's Stay Together"
by Al Green, "Shaft Soundtrack" by Isaac Hayes, and any live album
from Stax Records. (In fact, anything with the Stax Logo on it is
guaranteed to be Solid Gold)
For more information, check out the
Internet Soul Archive...
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