Reggae Soul
Located in 2 routes
Reggae soul fuses reggae's one-drop rhythm with classic American soul — Motown and Stax melodicism, gospel-tinged vocals and string-sweetened arrangements — often through reggae covers of soul standards or original soul-styled reggae ballads. Warm basslines, rippling organ, horns and lush backing harmonies support emotive lead singing. Tempos are gentle and romantic. The mood is heartfelt, elegant and deeply soulful, bridging Kingston and the soul ballad tradition.
History
From the early 1970s Jamaican vocalists reworked American soul in reggae time, with Ken Boothe's "Everything I Own" and John Holt's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" topping UK charts and Bob & Marcia's "Young, Gifted and Black" carrying the soul-reggae message. The tradition matured through Beres Hammond's soulful reggae and Maxi Priest's crossover, whose 1990 "Close to You" hit US number one. Rooted in the same soul influences that shaped rocksteady, reggae soul kept reggae's melodic, romantic core alive across two decades.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Everything I Own(1974) — Ken BootheSpotifyYouTube
- Help Me Make It Through the Night(1974) — John HoltSpotifyYouTube
- Young, Gifted and Black(1970) — Bob & MarciaSpotifyYouTube
- Tempted to Touch(1990) — Beres HammondSpotifyYouTube
- Wild World(1988) — Maxi PriestSpotifyYouTube
- Close to You(1990) — Maxi PriestSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King (Penguin, 2000)
- David Katz, Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae
- Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae