“Martin Amis contended that writing becomes “less significant [when] anyone could have written it”. The authorial voice is king. Maybe he’d have appreciated how fully Black Pumas’ singer-songwriter Eric Burton’s joyful, antic spirit defines the soul revivalists’ excellent second album. Surely no one else could come up with the one-two punch of sun-dappled single Mrs Postman, wherein Burton delivers”
“You can’t move for great soul music coming out of the US in 2023. We’ve had the rip-roaring solo debut of Durand Jones on ‘Wait Til I Get Over’, a homage to his Southern roots; Jalen Ngonda’s unique vocals are a hark back to Smokey Robinson’s sweet falsetto during Motown’s heyday; Gabriels have given the genre an enlightening gospel makeover. In their own ways, each proved that soul music still ca”
