If there is a face to the independent soul music movement, it is probably Eric Roberson. The respect he receives from other artists has been driven by his uncompromising success as well as from the unselfishness he has shown in support of other up-and-coming singers and musicians. That peer love appears to only be exceeded by the near fanatical following he has among a surprisingly large fanbase, making him a sort of indie soul royalty.
She is best known for her work with London-based avant garde jazz band Panacea. She has also worked as backing vocalist director for Eska Mtungwazi and as a backing vocalist for Bembe Segue. In fact, it was Bembe who introduced Deborah to Silhouette Brown producers Dego and Kaidi Thatham. It is said Deborah's blend of jazz and soul is reminiscent of Patrice Rushen.
Cosmic Kids Ron Poznansky and Dan Terndrup didn’t meet in outer space as their DJ moniker may indicate, but the story is still equally as good. The two met in a high school classroom meant for kids who had trouble paying attention. They bonded over their love of classic rock. Right out of high school they both volunteered to work at the Los Angeles radio station KCRW. Known for its eclectic programming, the friends were exposed to all different kinds of music, and began collecting and consuming records, feeding their ever-expanding appetite for music.
Musiq Soulchild (born Taalib Johnson on September 16, 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), is an American, neo soul and R&B artist, and was one of the most popular artists on the Def Jam/Def Soul label. Since 2001, he has gone by simply "Musiq", he dropped the "Soulchild" from his moniker, because he said he had not mastered his craft yet, and thus was not yet "music's soulchild". Besides being a successful recording artist, Musiq is notable for his disregard for normal rules of capitalisation, punctuation...
Soul singer and keyboard player who is most famous for singing "Another Day" from Branford Marsalis' Buckshot LeFonque project. His voice is uncannily similar to that of Donny Hathaway; he has released a couple of records of his own that combine heart-felt soul singing and jazz-funk instrumental virtuosity. His independent releases include A tribute to the Masters(2006) a pure instrumental album where Frank pays homage to those who he has worked with and those who have influenced him, artist like Chick Corea,Herbie Hancock,Patrice Rushen etc.
Newcomer Noel Gourdin (Gor-Deen) is prepped to make a major impact on the music world with his powerful debut disc After My Time via Epic Records. Influenced by classic soul as well as the contemporary sounds of R&B and hip-hop, Noel
Ledisi hails, originally, from New Orleans, but grew up mainly in Oakland. She and her band are from a new breed of modern soul singers (that fall into the New Organic Soul movement in the U.K.) that do not bow to the formulated 'pop' format that permeates the national charts of the U.K. and the U.S.A. Her mother sang in an R & B band and opened her daughter's ears to classical music, then to jazz and gospel.
Lina is a neo-soul recording artist who was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the Dallas area. Lina can sing in seven different languages. Lina released her debut album Stranger On Earth in 2001 on Atlantic Records. It received a strong critical response for its blend of R&B with swing and vocal jazz. The title track was a cover version of a Dinah Washington track. The track Playa No More became a minor hit while the album reached #89 on the Billboard R&B and hip-hop album chart. Nevertheless, she was dropped from Atlantic.
Cassandra Wilson (born 4th December 1955) is a U.S. jazz vocalist and two-time Grammy Award winner from Jackson, Mississippi. Two of her albums, Blue Skies (1988) and New Moon Daughter (1996), have topped the US jazz charts, and the latter also won her a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1997. More recently, Wilson's latest album Loverly (2008) also won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009.
Bossman, born Travis Holifield, is a rapper from Baltimore, MD. In Early August 2007, Bossman left Virgin Records right after their deal with Capital Records, Bossman signed a $2.5 million-plus deal with Sony Records under the Sony Urban Music label, later after he signed, Bossman announced that his long awaited major debut album version of this 2004 Baltimore Underground album "Law & Order" will be officially released in Mid December 2007. While He's got his fans getting ready for his album, he released a Pre-album CD entitled End Of Discussion which is only found in Baltimore stores only.