Sophistipop at summer’s end, remembering the glboal fusion of the ’70s
| Solu Music Affirmation Solu MusicSalomé de Bahia Brasil Tommy Boy |
Summer’s end provides the perfect release window for albums like Solu Music’s Affirmation and Salomé de Bahia’s Brasil. Deceptively light, eminently danceable club music, they feature the kinds of sexy, soulful arrangements I term “sophistipop” — and which might otherwise be dismissed as archaic, especially during a radio season wherein classic r&b quotes can sound woefully atavistic unless fronted by some amazingly skillful white vocalist or a rap star. Continue reading “The ‘Other’ R&B”