![]() ![]() While songs such as Sideway Shuffle and This Time I’ll Be Sweeter have gained more traction in recent years, they don’t quite demonstrate the free-flowing creativity and sheer wisdom Lewis expressed on the beautiful Reach For The Truth. Topping this list of the best British soul songs, it moves from mellow to climactic in its own sweet way: assertive, soulful, even spiritual. Reach For The Truth, from her second album, Lark, is a case in point. The comparison may be valid, but the vastly talented Lewis, an East Londoner, was entirely her own woman, writing and delivering unique material. She is sometimes reckoned to have been the British Minnie Riperton, thanks to her remarkably flexible voice and ability to work beyond the standard soul music templates. Like their US counterparts, British soul artists of the early 70s often wrote about the state of humankind. You’ll be surprised how soulful it is.ġ: Linda Lewis: Reach For The Truth (1972) Clearly, he had what it took to bring the best out in a strong musical personality such as Dame Shirley, and the gorgeous Morning In Your Eyes is one of the masterpieces they created together. Page made his presence felt throughout 60s soul music, gaining credits on albums by Marvin Gaye, Solomon Burke and Al Wilson, among many others, and in 1974 he was creating magic as Barry White’s arranger and musical director. Rather less commented on is a clutch of delicately soulful, deliciously subtly funky songs created with Gene Page for Bassey’s Nobody Does It Like Me album. Shirley Bassey was a diva before there was soul music, and how many other divas can be called Dame – officially? Dame Shirley’s long, unmatched career has seen many highs, and her work with the arrangers John Barry and Johnny Harris has rightly been acclaimed for destroying musical and societal barriers in a uniquely stylish manner. ![]() Neither version was a big hit, but it is a fantastic tune, and Seal’s nous in spotting its ongoing potential and updating it brilliantly in 2009, as a fresh track for his Hits compilation album, confirms his strong understanding of soul music while claiming the vintage Detroit gem as one of the best British soul songs of the 21st century.Ħ: Dame Shirley Bassey: Morning In Your Eyes (1974) But this is one of their lesser-known compositions, first cut by Bobby Taylor And The Vancouvers in 1967 and remade five years later by Four Tops. ![]() I Am Your Man is a Motown miracle, penned by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, a husband-and-wife team who were behind numerous smash hits. He never accepts the most obvious path, even when covering old-school soul material. Seal is a future soul singer – though he is among the most soulful vocalists the UK has ever produced, he has almost never worked in a traditional soul setting, preferring an electronic, edgy sound or pristine acoustic clarity. Best British Soul Songs: 10 Heartfelt Classics From Soulful Artists 10: Seal: I Am Your Man (2009) Here, then, are the best British soul songs – each a classic guaranteed to bring you a heavy dose of the soul shivers, created by Brits for the world to love. ![]() And some of this remarkably emotional vibe has been brought to us by singers who are not necessarily labelled as soul artists by critics or those who like to put music into categories. Soul music began in the United States – but that doesn’t mean British artists don’t have that soulful feeling. ![]()
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