Under Maintenance Hang in there!

Soul music, you really didn’t hear any of it getting that much airplay but yet the music was some of the best creativity put out to date yet. How did this happen where the average consumer is not aware of these great albums? Because the market is consumed with instant gratification. Artist who take time out to perfect their craft don’t get as much air play now because of the younger consumers. But for those of us who are still tired of crack music and the lack of creativity what we did was compose what we felt was the top 5 soul albums from various different sites compared to our own opinions and the same artist kept coming up maybe not in this order. So it felt good to know that we were not wrong. Lack of hearing good music is starting to make us question our sanity at times. Here are our top 5 and the reasons why you should cop the album.

1.Raheem DeVaughn LOVE BEHIND THE MELODY (Jive). A more modern-sounding soul CD, but still sets itself apart from the likes of Usher and J. Holiday. “Woman” and “Customer” were great, sure, but it’s the atmospheric 60s-inspired “Friday (Shut Down the Club),” the lively “Butterflies,” and the breathtaking “Four Letter Word” that makes this album truly shine. U.S. SALES: 275,000

2.Erykah Badu NEW AMERYKAH PART ONE (4TH WORLD WAR) (Universal Motown). No artist could revert to the Blaxploitation soul better than Badu (no surprise). A vigorous blend of disco, urban soul, and funk, “New Amerykah” explores everything from political issues such as war to police corruption to domestic violence to pacifism and love. Like the missing soundtrack or songs for films such as “Foxy Brown,” “Superfly,” or the original “Shaft,” Badu’s inspired effort is truly clever and groundbreaking (not that we ever expected anything less from her). Download “Amerykahn Promise,” “Soldier,” and “Master Teacher.” U.S. SALES: 375,000

3.Q-Tip THE RENAISSANCE (Universal Motown). After a nine-year hiatus (blame it on label issues and the fact his follow-up to his 1999 debut “Amplified,” his sophomore effort “Kamaal the Abstract,” supposedly didn’t have any radio-friendly singles), Q-Tip returns with his brisk, clean effort bringing back the glory days of the early Roots and Outkast. This introspective, graceful, and poetic effort (highlights include “Gettin’ Up,” “Life Is Better,” and “Believe”) is what hip-hop is or should be all about. U.S. SALES: 100,000

4.Robin Thicke SOMETHING ELSE (Star Trak/Interscope). The true definition of blue-eyed soul; sorry Elliott Yamin and Justin Timberlake, but you have nothing on Robin Thicke. Smoothly transitioning from the unevenness of his platinum-selling predecessor “The Evolution of Robin Thicke,” “Something Else” revisits much of the Marvin Gaye-era with amiable and coffee house-friendly ballads with sprightly Barry White-esque highlights “Sidestep” and “Magic.” U.S. SALES: 244,000

5.Raphael Saadiq THE WAY I SEE IT (Columbia). Like a lost Civil Rights-era record, super-producer Saadiq’s vision grabs the spry sounds of Motown. The classics: the fast-paced “100 Yard Dash,” the warm ear candy “Just One Kiss” with Joss Stone, and the heartrending “Sometimes.” This CD easily joins the ranks of high soul as The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Teddy Pendergrass. U.S. SALES: 60,000.

Review by Matthew Todd