:: Various Artists - Soul Deep: The Story Of Black Popular Music

Various Artists

Soul Deep is a two-disc CD that has been derived from the BBC Television series Soul Deep: The Story Of Black Popular Music, which was a six-part documentary series. Normally when the BBC is commissioned to do an historical series of this nature, they get it right. However, there were several flaws (or really omissions) in their research. The six part series took the easy way out and focused attention on legends of black popular music - Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, The Supremes, and a few others - yet downplaying (or hardly mentioning) other strong contributors. Therefore, the two-CD set also gives us a misleading representation of the soul sound through the ages.

On the surface, the thirty-nine songs are a fine collection of the main protagonists and the natural rhythm that set a great trend in music. In a classic overview, one might be satisfied with what is compiled, but you have to go back to study the documentary for its short-sightedness when, with its large resources available, the BBC should have plotted a detailed study of the music's development. Given America's size and diversity, we know that many unique musical styles developed throughout the 1960s in contributing to the soul sound. To say that Ray Charles invented soul music, or that Sam Cooke did likewise, is ridiculous. The series, and subsequent CD, give these artists more prominence than they deserved. The commercially successful artists get the kudos.

Where is the acknowledgement of the harmony-singing (doo wop)? No mention of Jackie Wilson - one of the greatest black artists who got only a footnote in the part about Motown. Many other Motown artists missed mentions although we get a taste of The Temptations and Marvin Gaye on disc two of the CD. The documentary even suggested that Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and The Temptations were funk artists. Where are notable performers such as Al Green, The Stylistics, Gladys Knight & the Pips, plus The Spinners. Therefore, by only concentrating on a few major artists, an incomplete representation was provided in the TV series, and subsequently with the double CD. It could have been a fantastic collection otherwise - full of meaningful insights into all of those who shaped black popular music.