Music and Race
A few days ago I came across the music review of this British singer, Leon Jean Marie, in an old issue of RED Magazine. He sounded interesting but I couldn't find his music on iTunes. So I did what I always do, look for reviews and see if he is on YouTube. As I was looking for reviews I came across one by BBC writer, Garth Cartwright, written last summer.
Cartwright called Marie’s album, “Impressive, but perhaps too un-showy for a mass audience that likes big voices…” If you remember, last year was the year of Big-British-Voices like Amy Winehouse, Duffy, and Adele. Another difference is that Marie is influenced by alternative rock rather than soul as the ladies above are. Unfortunately, I was only one line in when I became annoyed. Right away Cartwright lets the reader know that “LJM is a black British singer.” Then in short order he says, “It’s interesting to listen to a black British singer who is obviously influenced by the likes of Radiohead and The Kinks, while Amy and co do their best to sound American.” There it is! My pet peeve. Cartwright feels very comfortable mentioning that Marie is black, and is a “black” artist influenced by Radiohead and The Kinks, both white bands, but when he mentions Winehouse and cohorts, he says they “do their best to sound American.” I have to correct him here, they are not simply trying to sound “American,” sounding American can be singing First Nations folk music, Country music, Winehouse and her cohorts are influenced and mimicking (beautifully I must add because I am a huge fan of all three singers) soul music. If Cartwright wanted to be more forthright J he should have listed the artists they are trying to sound like, for example, Aretha Franklin or black all girl soul bands from the sixties like, The Shirelles, just as he listed The Kinks and Radiohead. Or he could have simply said they do their best to sound black, African-American to be precise, instead of hiding behind the benign faceless, origin-less term “American.”
I find it exciting that black artists are feeling free to experiment and be inspired by all kinds of music just as white artists all the way back to Elvis felt free to do the same. I love music, all music, soul, rock, pop, Jazz, I was raised with as much Chaka Khan as I was with Pink Floyd, and those musical energies influence my novels. I just find it amusing that this reviewer was comfortable mentioning Marie’s race (more than once) but did not want to fully acknowledge how African-American music has defined so many famous British white artists, The Stones, Eric Clapton, Dusty Springfield, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Adele, and the list goes on and on.
Read Review: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/n9zf
