Soul music cliches

Subject: Soul music cliches
From: Cappuccino
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 02:34 PM

As a good folkie, I now find myself playing in a soul band, in the heartland of soul music… Cornwall.

One of the singers in this soul band is getting into this music, and now beginning to throw in the occasional 'Lawd have Mercyyyyyy!'.    This started me thinking about all the standard soul music vocal clichés and tricks… typically, I can't think of Otis Redding without thinking 'gotta, gotta, gotta…'!

But of course my mind went numb and I can't think of any more.

What vocal clichés can be utilised in a soul band, please?

I'm a soul man, y'all!

Thanks,
- Cappuccino

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: melodeonboy
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 02:57 PM

The overuse of the word "girl"?

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: BobKnight
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 03:48 PM

Sock it to me, good god all mighty, y'all, ugh ugh ugh, yeah oh oh yeah, to name but a few.

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: PoppaGator
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 04:04 PM

Can I get a witness?

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: fat B****rd
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 04:28 PM

"Everybody say yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah !"
"I wonder do you know what I'm talking abouuuuuut"
Loooooooooooooooorve the music, mind you.
Blue-eyed soulboy Chas.

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: Azizi
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 06:08 PM

Cappuccino, with all due respect, it's one thing if this thread is a trivia pursuits type exercise or a stroll down memory lane. I think that it might be interesting to think about what signature sayings specific soul singers sang.

But it's a whole 'nuther thing if you are asking Mudcatters (of all people) to come up with "in" sayings that your soul group can use in your gigs to show that your group is (to use a long ago retired phrase "hip to the jive".

I showed my 35 year old daughter this thread, and she asked me "Are they serious?". I told her that I thought so, and she shook her head and suggested to me that I suggest to you that if you really don't know what to say to get an audience hyped (meaning "pump them up", meaning "get them enthused about your singing/music") then your best bet is to spend some time watching YouTube videos.

I agree.

But-because I am assuming-that you are really serious, with all due respect, I will also say the following:

Outside of church, the only singers I can recall who recently have said/sung 'Lawd have Mercyyyyyy!' were some reggae singers (names unknown). But they said "Lawdah mercy!" I don't think that's a standard soul saying. But, if it is, it's not only what you say, but how you say it. And that goes for any saying, soul or otherwise.

With regard to "Sock it to me", that's so "old school that the school has been torn down, and so has the apartment building that was built there in its place.

As for "good god all mighty", did you mean "Good Golly Miss Molly"? If so, I'd say that is the name of a Little Richard song and not a standard saying that soul singers say.

With regard to "Can I get a witness"?, my daughter reminded me that this was something gospel singer/composer Kirk Franklin said in (what my daughter referred to as an "ooold" song he had made). The song-"Stomp". The release date-1997. Yep, for some people 1997 is real ooold.

"Everybody say yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah !"
makes me think of Stevie Wonder's 1963 recording "Fingertips". 1963 might have been a good year, but it depends on your audiences whether they'd think is was old or not.

Which brings me to this question, Cappuccino, who is your audience? And who do you want to be your audience?

And here's another question-"How do you want to utilize these "standard soul sayings?"

Again, assuming that you are serious, here are some soulful suggestions from a soul sistah:

Use this call & response technique if you want to get the crowd "pumped up":
Say "Are you with me?" (wait for crowd to yell "Yeah!"

Then you say "I said are you with me?" (crowd yell "Yeah" again, only louder this time).

You could then say "I can't hear you!" (and the crowd yells even louder).

You could then say something like "Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' bout". Or you say something like "Well, alright now".

Another technique to get the audience "hyped" (to raise their energy and yours) is to tell them to "Make some noise".

"Make some noise" means that you want your audience to yell, scream, and "get all excited" (to use the title of a Pointer Sister recording). In other words you want them to "raise their hands in the air, and act like they just don't care", to paraphase a "standard" line from some early hip hop songs.

If you want to recognise someone in the audience, or give props to someone or group or some community, you could say "I wanna give a shout out to_______" Or "Let's give a shout out to _____ ".

If you are introducing a guest singer or musicians you could ask the audience to "Show them some love." Audiences that are "in the know" would know that that means to clap for the artist/s to welcome them on the stage. Presumably, your group has also been "shown some love" (by the audience hand clapping when you went on stage). If there's any other way an audience member shows you some love and you show that audience member some love, that's between you and that person. :o)

So there ya go, Cappuccino. These suggestions might be able to work for you and your group. But-and this is a big butt (I mean a big but :o)-can you say these things without sounding fake? I think this is a real important question, because if you sound fake-if you aren't feelin any of these sayings-I think that you really shouldn't use them.

My advice to you and the other members of your group is not to try to be someone you're not. I think it might be better for y'll to use the techniques you might already know to get the audience with you. And if you want to integrate sayings into your songs, or in between your songs, I think it's best that you create your own signature saying/s. In other words, come up with some sayings that are really you.

What I'm trying to say is that I think you & your group would be better off just singing and talking from your soul. After all, everybody's got (a) soul.

Best wishes,

Azizi

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 08:14 PM

Move it on up!

Shake it on down!

Take it for a walk on a lead?

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 08:33 PM

You need to define the medium. When you say "soul" do you mean Tamla? Do you mean Stax? What period? Whole lot of different labels had different sounds. Do you mean funk, getting on the one with James Brown?

If it's Tamla, you do NOT improvise. You reproduce the vinyl. Tamla guitarists on live tour were fined for every note that was not as it was on the record.

I suspect you have more freedom vocally if you are going for "What is Soul?", but I think it was Steve Cropper on guitar on that and he was totally precise.

James Brown - just go for "Get up".

I think "Great gosh a-mighty" was Arthur Conley.

Now Rufus Thomas was different again.

Azizi is I think talking about modern mobo.

Sweet Soul is a whole different ball game.

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: M.Ted
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 11:49 PM

Azizi's been there. You can't find it on the map.

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: meself
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 11:59 PM

Why am I reminded of that moment in "The Commitments" where the protagonist implores his two fellow-musicians to "Say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud!" - and they turn and look blankly at each other ... ?

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: Cappuccino
Date: 21 Mar 09 - 07:41 AM

I admire Azizi's quite masterful essay - I really do ! But, and with equal respect, I think you might possibly have missed the tongue in my cheek... but perhaps I didn't make it clear enough. Indeed, in ten years on this forum I have often made the same mistake.

Am I serious? Yes, in that I have been listening to soul for forty years and playing it for longer than I can remember... although I have never quite mastered the right feel in playing it, I know that. But no, I was not serious, in that the question was asked light-heartedly, yet with true affection for the music. It was a fun question, and these soul cliches will be delivered with fun and laughter, and tongue in cheek... but still, with a true affection for the music.

Thank you all for bringing interesting items to light. I think Richard is absolutely right in highlighting the different approach from Stax to Tamla (I learned only recently that it was us Brits who referred to it as 'Tamla', while the Americans apparently called it 'Motown'). My two absolute top fave bass players are James Jamerson from Tamla Motown and Duck Dunn from Stax... who apparently was called 'Duck' because his real name was Donald.

Thank you soul sistah and others... you know what I'm talkin' about?!

All the best
-Cappuccino

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: BobKnight
Date: 21 Mar 09 - 07:48 AM

When I think of "soul," I'm thinking late 60's, early 70's so although the sayings may be old, they're from the golden period, Stax, Atlantic, etc. Not the shite that passes for it now. Same as R&B - I think of Chuck Berry, etc, not the current insipid musical genre claiming that title.

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: Cappuccino
Date: 21 Mar 09 - 08:09 AM

I agree, Hawker - I get really hacked off when presenters on the radio talk of 'R&B', and I expect to hear a real old classic, then I get some tarted-up manufactured 1990s act instead.

- C

Subject: RE: Soul music cliches
From: Will Fly
Date: 21 Mar 09 - 09:59 AM

Just to veer slightly off topic a little, the great thing about the music of that period from the Memphis/Detroit axis was that the musicians and composers came from all backgrounds, musical and racial, and made wonderful music with friendship and camaraderie. Dan Penn, Eddie Hinton, Booker T, Steve Cropper, Otis Redding, and yet more, combined to make great music.

And, like HawkerL, the modern usage of the terms "soul" and "R&B" seem laughable to me as well - but that's progress for you - things move on, whether we like it or not. "C'est la vie", say the old folks...