While I have a lot of fun exploring the classical structures in the progressive rock genre, I thought I would like to share with you my favorite R&B vocal explorations.

One day while I was researching the different categories of R&B, I learned about the Neo Soul movement that started in the 1990s. The idea behind the genre was to bring listeners back to a time where there was not a lot of studio perfection, rhythm machines, etc, in contrast to what was going on in the musical mainstream at the time. It was a combination of what was exciting about the music from the 1960s and ’70s, while bringing a current twist to it. Some of the artists that popularized the style are Tony! Toni! Toné!, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Maxwell.

D’Angelo’s second album, Voodoo, features a band with The Roots drummer Questlove, and bassist Pino Palladino (who also played with The Who following the passing of their original bassist John Entwistle).

This album, along with the work of Hip Hop producer and artist J Dilla, introduced a very unique style of drumming called the “Drunk” feel. The drummer would play a straight 4/4 groove, while the other instruments play slightly behind the beat. This gives it a very hypnotic feel. The drum beat can also be played with a slightly off-kilter feel: the kick and snare drum playing just slightly ahead of the beat like in the song “One Mo’Gin” and my personal favorite, “The Root” Other examples can be found on the J Dilla album Welcome 2 Detroit.

Other variations of this style can be found in the works of pianist Robert Glasper, especially with drummer Chris Dave, and with Jacob Collier, and the band Hiatus Kaiyote, which also has really cool female vocals.

What I love about this album is the multi-layered vocals. “The Root” is one of my personal favorites, which also features really cool reversed guitar. Then there was the late Roy Hargrove on trumpet, who added some really nice mellow lines to create a horn ensemble.

This album is also one of my favorite non-reverb mixes, along with Corinne Bailey Ray’s debut album, and King Crimson’s Larks’ Tongues In Aspic.

Another cool feature about the album is the various influences D’Angelo and the band were exploring; for example, the drum groove on the last song, “Africa,” was inspired by the Prince song “I Wonder U” from his Parade album. They also listened to the Sly and the Family Stone album There’s A Riot Goin’ On, which has a very raw sound.

The famous song “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” inspired me to write my song “Free,” even though at the time I didn’t write in the “Drunk” feel yet. My interest in wanting to write a song in that feel led to my recent piece “Pandemic Interlude,” which is on SoundCloud.

This also leads me to address something I feel can enhance and brighten the influence in any style of music, including my favorite, “Progressive Rock.” I would like to open up the influences from multiple cultures and backgrounds. That way, the music will speak to all people. I thought I’d like to honor these artists from all these different backgrounds, in order to keep music alive. Next time, I’d like to talk a little about my favorite guitarists who I feel deserve the same recognition as Jimi Hendrix, etc.

Anyway, I hope you like it.