Blue-Eyed Soul Singers We Love
Blue-Eyed Soul Singers We Love
Music is the universal language of love, this we know, and artists like Teena Marie remind us that music has no color. In honor of the legendary “Ivory Queen of Soul’s” passing we take a look at other White singers who have moved us over the years. From Justin Timberlake to Robin Thicke and Joss Stone, here are the blue-eyed soul singers we love.
Robin Thicke
We call Robin Thicke our honorary brother because we can’t help but want to claim that smooth, sweet vibrato for ourselves. Plus the “Lost Without You” and “Sex Therapy” singer appreciates appreciates our curves and we can get down with that.
Justin Timberlake
Raised in the Baptist church in Tennessee, JT is a certified soul man whose music has earned him tremendous love in the Black community (except that Janet Jackson incident, but we’ll leave that alone). At the end of the day, this Southern boy’s got talent.
Sting
With his soulful mix of reggae, jazz and elements of gospel, we had no choice but to listen carefully to this Englishman who has given us hits like, “Every Breath You Take” (sampled by Diddy) and “If You Love Somebody.”
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton had everyone turning up the volume when he remade soul classics like “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.”
Teena Marie
The music industry held its heart and wept on December 26, 2010 when it learned that Teena Marie had passed away at age 54. The former protg of Rick James has given us such timeless hits as “Square Biz” and “Ooh La La La.” She will be dearly missed.
Sir Elton John
The former member of a backup band that backed Patti LaBelle and The Isley Brothers, Sir Elton has always had a little soul in him. Classics like “Bennie and the Jets” (sampled by Mary J. Blige) and “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” (sampled by Kanye West) have continually inspired Black artists and audiences.
Christina Aguilera
The little woman with a big voice, Aguilera first garnered our attention with the hip-hop flavored “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants.” Since then her larger-than-life pipes have earned her numerous Grammys and the respect of Black listeners.
Simply Red
Influenced by 60s and 70s soul music, Simply Red was one of the most successful British soul bands, selling over 50 million albums during their 25-year career. Their biggest hit “Holding Back the Years” had us all swaying.
Lisa Stansfield
When this British songstress released the jazzy “All Around the World” few of us knew she was a blue-eyed sister. She continued to inspire us with classics like “All Woman” and “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
Amy Winehouse
What can we say about this UK bad girl except that her wicked vocal poweress is like none other.
Boz Scaggs
An old-school blue-eyed soul man, Scaggs is known for hits like “Lowdown” and “Jojo.”
Kenny Loggins
Loggins’ “This Is It” has been sampled by everyone from Nas to Kirk Franklin. By now the 1979 classic is a staple in Black music.
Joss Stone
Stone’s old school voice is reminiscent of the retro soul singers we’ve loved over the years. We can’t wait to see what she more she has to give.
Hall and Oates
In 1981 Darryl Hall and John Oates had us all swaying side to side and singing, “Your kiss, your kiss is on my list!” From “Rich Girl” to “Out of Touch,” these singing instrumentalists, who effortlessly fused R&B and rock-n-roll, just knew how to have a good time. The duo is currently enjoying a nationwide tour.
Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald is what you’d call a career musician, enjoying success in The Doobie Brothers and as a solo artist. We live for his duets. Who can forget “On My Own” with Patti Labelle and the Grammy-winning “Yah Mo B There” with James Ingram?
The Bee-Gees
There are two sets of Bee-Gees fans — the soft rock lovers of classic tunes like “How Deep Is Your Love,” and the disco babies who felt every pulse in “Staying Alive.” We can be found somewhere in the middle of both parties.
New Kids On The Block
Sure they were meant to the White version of New Edition, but this Bean-town crew had us all swooning in the 90s.
Jon B.
With his silky voice and smooth production, Jon B. has the art of R&B down to a science. And who can forget his 90s slow jam, “They Don’t Know”?
Nikka Costa
Nikka Costa boogied into our hearts with her sexy dance with a microphone stand in the video for the funk and soul laced “Like a Feather.” The tune, from her 2001 album “Everybody Got Their Something” was featured in a Tommy Hilfiger ad and landed her on tour with Lenny Kravitz.
Boy George
British pop star Boy George captured the essence of teenage angst everywhere with 80s tunes like “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya.” Right now there’s some 15-year-old band geek discovering Boy George for the first time, while she collects her tears in a glass jar and lays out her plan to get revenge on all the popular kids in school by becoming the biggest pop star in the world.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins is perhaps one of the most underrated artists in the blue-eyed soul category. He’s collaborated with Earth, Wind and Fire, Tina Turner and Eric Clapton and more — all to bring us music that’s a genius hybrid of soul, pop and adult contemporary.
Annie Lennox
This blue eyed diva is a legend in her own right. She’s won numerous accolades but is best known for her soul-tinged voice that’s given her major crossover success, from pop to soul, from Europe to America and beyond.
George Michael
Eighties pop-soul singer George Michael has sold over 100 million records worldwide and lent his vocals to famous covers like Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City” — showing he can run with the best of them. He’s best known for “Faith,” his debut album that pushed him into a realm of stardom that could only rival Michael Jackson’s at the time.
David Bowie
David Bowie has spent nearly the last 40 years making hit after hit — proving he has true staying power in the world of music. He first achieved cross over success in 1975 with “Young Americans,” and stole our hearts when he became one of the first White artists to appear on “Soul Train.”
Duffy
This Welsh singer with the husky voice made a splashy debut in 2008 with “Rockferry,” landing her one Grammy award.
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai debuted onto the music scene in the early ’90s — nearly 20 years later and 25 million albums sold he’s still making music for us to groove to. Who could forget “Virtual Insanity” off his 1996 “Traveling Without Moving” album?
Adele
Blue-eyed soul singer Adele hit the seen in 2008 with her mega hit “Chasing Pavements” and since then it’s been nothing but success for the Brit. She’s serving up her second album in early 2011 — expect more soul stirring vocals from this young artist.