Can’t get behind Robin Thicke’s white guy soul act (be it because there is too much modern pop and not enough soul in the mix… or maybe just because he’s an asshat)? There are plenty of others who can fill that funk void, from the brilliant Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings to the under-the-radar jams of someone like Caleb Hawley.
Hawley, based out of New York by way of Minneapolis, has just turned in a half dozen, solid American soul tracks on the appropriately-titled EP Side 2 (the bookend to his Side 1 EP, out earlier this year).
Goofy title aside, “Bada Boom, Bada Bling” is a perfect introduction to Hawley and the slow-head-nodding tempo of a song like “Long Life” sticks with you for hours. The beats are modern, but the voice is all ‘60s and ‘70s soul.
Thicke may collecting all the media ink, but Hawley is the real modern soul singer we should be paying attention to this year.
Caleb Hawley – Side 2/12 songs/Self-released/2014
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
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