One look at these dudes and three words may come to mind: "Ambiguously Gay Duo." And that maybe true. But damned if these melanin lacking motherfuckers don't have soul. Dudes rattled out hits on the soul tip for years. And to my knowledge, one of the first to say the word "bitch" on a commercial track, and have it aired on the radio (see "Rich Girl").
Truth be told, I didn't even know this pair were white till i saw some of their album covers. Yeah, some of their joints sound like they could be aired on old ass TV shows, but these dudes always come correct. It's hard enough finding a duet of singers with good chemistry, much less two male singers. I'd group Hall and Oates into semi-soul, semi-pop. Mild electronic overtones are blended into instrumentals, giving the group a distinct sound to their joints. Careers spanning nearly three decades gives Hall and Oates a more than decent track record as well.
I'm highlighting Hall and Oates because I always appreciate artists going against the grain in what was the norm for music in their time periods. Or at least doing things different. Hair bands and pre-emo rock groups seemed to dominate music during an era of the late 70's and early 80's. But for the most part, Darryl Hall and John Oates kept it true to their blueprint of success, and belted out a stupid amount of hits.
This has been Retro's Soul Centric Public Announcement. Shoutout to my dude Big Fame One as well for hitting me off with these gems.
Retro Out
Stray Shots - Soul Centric Style
Al Green - Livin For You
Amel Larrieux - Morning
The Funk Brothers - Best Of
Roy Ayers - Everybody Loves The Sunshine
Roy Ayers - Vibrations
Brick - Good High
Shabba Ranks - Greatest Hits
I'm coming for you.
