50 Years of Soul Power

Posted February 20, 2013 by J Matthew Cobb in Features

Soul II Soul
Club Classics, Volume One
(Virgin; 1990)

A sweet hybrid of Brit-inspired soul, Chicago house and the impossibly transparent sounds of hip-hop, Soul II Soul brought feel good soul music to the dance floor. This conglomerate of DJs brought the symphonic textures of Barry White to their cleverly designed contemporary beats (“Keep on Movin’,” “Back to Life (However Do You Want It)”). But Club Classics, Volume One (titled Keep on Movin’ in the UK) offers more than that: there’s poetic dub-step (“Dance,” “African Dance”), old school rap (“Jazzie’s Groove”) and ambient discoveries like “Happiness (Dub)” that would’ve invaded any New York dance floor.