Some of the best songs to have come our way in the last few decades have undoubtedly come from the R&B music genre. Originally known as Rhythm and Blues, as of recent times it has been shortened to the more widely known and recognized R&B.

Rhythm and Blues music entered the music mainstream in 1940’s and the 1950’s although it became more popular in the 1960’s. R&B music is a great mixture of Jazz, and Blues, with some Gospel thrown in along with a smattering of pop.

There are many R&B artists around these days, and you will be hard pressed to find a radio station that isn’t playing at least one mainstream R&B song during the day (with of course the exception of dedicated radio stations such as the all-classical stations, the all-country stations etc.)

Some of the younger generation of R&B artists include,

• Usher
• R. Kelly
• Babyface
• Aaliyah
• Craig David
• Maria Carey
• Jennifer Lopez
• and Beyonce to name but a very few.

Spanning the decades as it were, you will also find that many an ‘old’ R&B recording artist is still a firm favorite these days as well. These include but are not limited to

• Prince
• Whitney Houston
• Aretha Franklin
• Lionel Richie
• Luther Vandross
• Stevie Wonder
• and Marvin Gaye to name a few older generation artists.

If you recognized any or all of those names, chances are great that you are an R&B fan even if you didn’t know it.

R&B has defined the music tastes of more than one generation of children, and it still continues to do so today. Many of us grew up on the sounds of these artists, and whenever we hear these songs playing, we automatically feel like rocking to the beat of these oldies but goodies. So don’t be afraid to rock to the music of Rhythm and Blues – you grew up on it, I grew up on it, and now another generation of young music aficionados will grow up on it. Long live R&B!

It cannot be denied – Jazz is not for everyone. The image of smooth jazz notes being played in a smoky music hall is an image that we carry around with us to a very large extent, courtesy of course of the many different Hollywood movies which present this image to us en masse. However, since it is always nice to know a little about the different genres of music, I have prepared for you a little background on jazz.

The main feature of jazz music is that it is a mix of African American and European music traditions, which began in New Orleans in the early 1900’s. Jazz is a lively music genre with strong rhythms and complex music.

The late great Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) who played with the King Oliver Band in early 1923 was known for his cornet playing and unusual style of music.

Among some of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time are Duke Ellington (1899-1974), Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) and Billie Holiday (1915-1959) to name but a very few. The music doesn’t stop there however, and today you will find many a great jazz player entertaining audiences far and wide such as Sade, and Anita Baker (although by this time the genre of jazz had transitioned into a sub genre known as smooth jazz).

Interestingly, as the years passed jazz became almost extinct, and to fight this seemingly losing battle, the US House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill to define jazz as a unique form of American music saying, “…that jazz is hereby designated as a rare and valuable national American treasure to which we should devote our attention, support and resources to make certain it is preserved, understood and promulgated.”

So the next time someone talks to you of jazz, don’t just write it off as another thing you don’t like. Take the time to listen and you might be surprised by what you find.

Here’s a classic that you’ll surely recognise, “What a Wonderful World” from one of the greatest jazz players around the late great Louis Armstrong.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnRqYMTpXHc

The roots of my childhood belong to the long hazy days of summer, cooling berry slushies, splashing around in the pool, and of course listening to Soft Rock music. Those are my first remembrances and ties to music – to this day if I hear Survivor, Toto, Air Supply, or any other great of soft rock, I find myself humming along to the music. But is it only good times and great memories that defines the genre of soft rock for many of us? Or can it be that soft rock transcends time and appeals to everyone?

Well, the truth of it is that soft rock is one of those music genres that appeals to the lighter side of most people. For one thing it yields up great mood music, it’s easy to slow dance to, and well frankly, the music is good and it speaks right to your heart. Most soft rock songs focus on relationships, love, and day to day life, with a catchy/ dreamy tune that just calls out for you to sing along with it. And this is the reason why most soft rock songs last forever (or they seem to at any rate).

From the King himself, Elvis Presley, who made early Rock n’ Roll so popular, down through the Bee Gees who helped to usher in the era of Soft Rock, through to The Eagles, Sting, (and The Police), Chicago, REO Speedwagon and many others too numerous to mention here, it cannot be denied that soft rock has spawned some of the greatest songs ever to be heard.

And in fact, it is still spawning some of the best writers and singers out there today, in the form of Lifehouse, the Counting Crows, and Maroon 5 to name a few.

Detractors of this style of music will say that the music is not meaningful enough and that there is simply no substance to it, no character, no soul. Well, this is simply not true. There is soul and character to soft rock music, you just need to take a seat somewhere and listen for it. And if you can’t hear it, why not try taking a leisurely drive with some drive time music playing in the background? You’ll be sure to find the heart and soul of soft rock then.

Here’s Chicago with “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh9cNYlmXEY&feature=related

The day is such a nice one that it almost seems a shame to sit indoors typing away on my keyboard. However, music does rock my world and I find that I simply cannot forgo my blog for the great outdoors. So, what are we going to talk about today? Soft Rock? Hard Rock? Rap, Hip Hop, Classical, Jazz?

Well, to be honest with you I thought I would give you a break from all of that and take you into another dimension of music – the realm of “What makes a song unique”. If you ever wondered what inspired a song, or how one singer’s version of it is better than another singer’s, well, this is as good a place to start as any.

To begin with though, perhaps we should tackle the fact that the first version you hear of a song – any song – is likely to be the one you prefer over others. That said, it is also generally true that the song sung by the original recording artist will (almost) always be the best version.  And now that we have that out of the way, maybe we can pave the way to perking your interest by throwing a few fun facts and figures about popular songs at you. And watch out – here comes a fast one!

Fun fact 1: In the beginning of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” you will hear the words ‘turn it up’. This was not part of the original lyrics nor was it planned. It was a happy accident in which Ronnie van Zant is telling the sound engineer to turn up the volume on his headphones. It was only during playback when they heard it that the group decided to keep it in as it blended well with the song.

Fun fact 2: Although one of Duffy’s greatest hits is “Warwick Avenue” on the album Rockferry, Duffy herself has not been to Warwick Avenue more than twice. And, she has admitted, once was by accident!

And to leave with a thought provoking fact,

Fun fact 3: Monaco has a larger national orchestra than it does an army!

Going along with the theme of much maligned music genres, I thought we might explore the realm of country music. I can already hear the steady chorus of ‘Oh NO!’s and groans issuing from just about every corner, but the fact remains that in spite of all this, country music is one of the largest genres of the music industry. And I for one enjoy some of its more mainstream tracks. For instance, today I felt a little bit country and decided to listen to some Keith Urban. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not one of his latest offerings, but “Somebody Like You” is one of those laid back tracks that you can just groove along to without even realizing it

In truth, country music has had a bad rap, from overplayed Hollywood casting to jump-on-the-bandwagon country music bashing. But the truth is, if you listen, really listen to a good country song, you will find yourself thoughtfully agreeing with the soulful lyrics, because, as Randy Houser once put it,

“Country music is truth. Of all genres of music, country music is the one that’s not so much about the beat as it is about hittin’ you right where it hurts the most in your heart and in your gut. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes it feels good. Sometimes it makes you laugh or cry or whatever, but I think it’s the last genre of music that’s all about a man telling you what he’s been through and where he’s been. And the truth.”

And yeah, if you think about it, country music isn’t about the beat, or even the music, or a steel guitar, it’s about feelings. So forget about accents, the twang, and negative media hype, and tune in to the lyrics – because in essence that’s what country music is all about.

Or as Harlan Howard once said, country music is “Three chords and the truth”. Enough said I think.

Try out Lonestar’s “Amazed”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJyJwbAa1i8&feature=related