While there is no such thing is “talking white” it would be hard to deny the fact that there is such a thing as “singing black.” Sure the logic is a little backward and potentially racially elitist but truth be told, historically, there is a soulful tone associated with music performed by black artists. Do we agree? Good. But as with every law of the universe, there are exceptions. Here are some women, past and present, who may lack melanin but certainly not soul.
Adele
This British-born singer, songwriter breaks out of all types of boxes. In addition to her stellar voice and engaging lyrics the singer is a little bigger than the average female singer. She’s frequently addressed questions about her size, saying she feels no pressure to lose weight. Regardless of her size, when she sings she comes from a place of passion and sometimes pain that is so real you can almost pluck it from the air. Adele is no joke, so much so she recently sang Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” on VH1’s “Unplugged” That is no easy feat, but Adele brings it home.
Joss Stone
She caught our attention with her bare feet and pale skin, she blew us away with the power of her vocals then we found out how young she was we were too threw. Stone, another Bristish singer, rose to fame in her early teens. It wasn’t long before she started receiving Grammy nominations and showing up at award shows, black and white. Stone has the opportunity to collaborate with several artists and producers including Raphael Saadiq, it was even rumored that the two were engaged in some type of romance. She too sang Franklin’s Natural Woman in the presence of her royal highness.
Teena Marie
Lady T was undoubtedly the Queen of Blue Eyed Soul, boogling the minds of black people for years. Her voice, her string of finger popping hits and her relationship with Rick James made us come to accept Teena Marie as one of our own.
JoJo
Some of you may be looking at this list, scratching your head right now, but let me explain. Yes JoJo did sing “Leave Get Out,” no it wasn’t very soulful at all and yes she still deserves to be on this list. While her first single was oh so pop, the rest of her self-titled debut album featured songs that exhibited a bit more of her range, talent and yes…soul. She covered SWV’s Weak with surprising strength. Plus she’s still young. As she grows, her voice will only get stronger.
Amy Winehouse
Winehouse’s voice is truly one of a kind. You won’t hear it anywhere else. Which is why we need Amy to keep herself out of the bottle trouble, so we can see how truly gifted you really are. It’s alright we’ll just keep your first two albums in rotation. Not only are Amy’s vocals unlike any we’ve ever heard, she, with the help of Mark Ronson, mixes R&B, hip- hop, jazz and soul to create a delightful experience.
Janis Joplin
Janis grew up as an outcast. She was overweight and unpopular; but it was her childhood experiences that lead her to a career as a singer. Joplin hung out with the black kids in her segregated home town in Texas and they put her on to blues singer Bessie Smith and Leadbelly. Joplin later said her sound was influenced by these musicians. And it worked, this 60’s wild child had a voice that couldn’t be ignored. And although she was screaming at us in her hit song, “Cry Baby,” the intense blend pain and fieriness made us nod along instead of plug our ears. Not only was she influenced by African Americans, she supported their causes. That’s quite soulful, wouldn’t you agree?
Lisa Stansfield
Maybe it’s something about the British. Here we have another woman from across the pond who’s tapped into her African roots. Lisa Stansfield captured our attention in 1989 when she told us she’d been “All Around the World” looking for some triflin’ man. Not only could we relate to her plight, her voice made us dig her. She was another one who had some of us confused after listening to the radio.
Christina Aguilera
We’ll forgive Christina’s national anthem snafu, especially since she clowned during the Grammy tribute to Aretha Franklin. (The white girls love Natural Woman huh?) Of course she performed a rousing version of “Ain’t No Way.” But she’s always been talented. I was always confused as to why people compared she and Britney. Not that Britney isn’t talented in her own right, she’s just no Christina. Maybe it’s her Latin roots that add that extra bit of soul.
Pink
There was many a black girl who felt betrayed, when Pink abandoned her R&Bish roots to pursue the more pop, alternative side of herself. It’s cool Pink, we understand you have to be true to yourself, but don’t think you’ve fooled us, we know you’ve still got soul under all that punk rock attire.
Duffy
This new-comer won us over with her with her single “Mercy” with such a heavy title you have to bring the vocals to back it up and this Welsh singer came correct. Her voice isn’t a powerhouse, but it’s captivating and original. We’ll see what she’s up to in the future.
