Singing Guide: Soul II Soul
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Soul II Soul is a British R&B group led by Jazzie B, active since the mid-80s. Their eclectic musical style blends genres like funk, soul, reggae, and hip-hop, and has been praised for its rich harmonies and catchy hooks. To learn how to sing like Soul II Soul, you need to focus on three key elements: their smooth vocal delivery, their strong sense of rhythm, and their unique use of samples and production techniques.
Firstly, Soul II Soul's vocal style is characterized by smooth, relaxed singing with plenty of soulful expression. To emulate this, it's crucial to work on your basic vocal technique - breathing, tone production, and pitch accuracy. Singing Carrots offers a comprehensive range of resources to help you with this, including its vocal range test, pitch accuracy test, and pitch training game. Additionally, you can hone your expressive skills by practicing singing with feeling and emotion, and by learning to use vibrato and other vocal effects effectively.
Secondly, Soul II Soul's music is built upon a strong, driving rhythm that inspires listeners to move and groove. To capture this element of their style, you need to develop a good sense of rhythm and timing. Singing Carrots has you covered with its range of exercises and tutorials covering breath support, vocal articulation, and open mouth and throat techniques. These skills will help you deliver Soul II Soul's funky, rhythmic grooves with precision and panache.
Finally, Soul II Soul's use of samples and production techniques is central to their unique sound. To understand this, you'll need to delve into the details of music production - how to layer different sounds and samples, play with effects and filters, and create complex arrangements that keep the listener engaged. Singing Carrots' wide range of articles on music theory and production is an excellent resource for taking your skills to the next level. Some key articles to check out include how to analyze your voice, breathing basics, and how to learn a song effectively.
Soul II Soul's music is full of classic tunes that highlight all these elements of their sound. Some brilliant tracks to study include "Back to Life", "Keep on Movin'", and "Joy". With Singing Carrots' help, you'll soon be able to sing like Jazzie B and the rest of the Soul II Soul crew, delivering smooth grooves and soulful expression to delight your audiences.