Shep's Top 5: "Euro Soul"

Raise your hand if you think contemporary r&b is trite, redundant and any other adjective you can come up with to constitute boring. As my closest friends know, I'm a HUGE Dwele fan but other than him, you won't find much r&b in my library that wasn't created between the years of 1992-1998. Personally, I think r&b has become overrun with singers that wanna be rappers and rappers that wanna singers. I'm all about blending the genres but when the overall sound and integrity of the music is compromised...then we have a problem. So instead of listening to the Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Drake types, I chose a different route. And I'll be honest, our "sisters and brothers from another color" are doing it much better than any Chris Brown or Trey Songz. This week's top 5 is dedicated to my favorite "Euro Soul" artists.


Mar (Amsterdam) - "1st Session"

I have no idea when I was put on to Mar but what I do know is that he is one smooth cat. His cover of Weezy's "Single" still gets burn in the rotation. But this "1st Session" song is just magic. It's jazzy beyond belief.

Suff Daddy & Miles Bonny (Germany) - "Late Night Suff"

Ok, so I kinda cheated with this one. Technically this song appears on German producer, Suff Daddy's EFIL4FFUS album and Miles Bonny's Lumberjack Soul. Miles is from Kansas City but I HAD to include a Suff Daddy joint. Suff Daddy is probably one of my favorite producers right now, so adding this to the list was a no brainer.

James Blake (British) - "Limit To Your Love"

I can never get enough of this song. This is what introduced the world to James Blake. By now, you've probably heard this song a million times and if you're anything like me then you revisit it frequently. Blake makes this cover both haunting and soulful. This is a special record.

Quadron (Sweden) - "Buster Keaton"

I can't make this list without including one Quadron song. In fact, Quadron is the inspiration behind this entire post. Their self titled album was in CONSTANT ROTATION for some quite some time. The production on this album was superb.

Amy Winehouse (British) "Stronger Than Me"

I had to pay respect to Amy. Public opinion seems to be that she was just a drug addict that never valued sobriety. But for the people that actually pay attention, she was a true talent. I'm gonna make a bold statement here but...Amy was like the European version of the '94-'98 Mary J. Listen to Frank and tell me you can't hear the parallels. Amy exposed ALL of her emotions into her music and I'm thanking her for it.  

Bonus - Daniel Merriweather (Australia) "Let's Ride"

Yes I know Australia isn't in Europe. Trust me, I know, I'm a history and geography teacher. But because Daniel Merriweather runs with Mark Ronson (British), I decided to include this song as a bonus. Plus I think it's a catchy cover of an already great song. I was introduced to Daniel Merriweather way back when Wale wasn't making videos in strip clubs and when he was saying "My name Wale" in every song. I haven't heard much from Daniel lately but when I do, I'll make sure to put it on the site.