Neo-Nostalgia

Had an interesting (albeit brief) conversation with our intern this week, prompted by a listen-through of the new Sade album, Soldier of Love, about Nostalgia.

There's been a bit of a neo-soul revival lately. Maxwell, Erykah Badu, and I understand D'Angelo have recently joined or will soon join the movement.

I was really excited when I heard - these artists occupy a significant chunk of my teenage listening history and even an intro-snippet of iconic tracks like "Something, Something", "On And On" and "Cruisin'" evoke a welcome chill and warm, nostalgia-laced smile.

I'm sure when artists that hold such a special place in the hearts of so many release "new" material, many of us hope it sounds pretty much the same as the recognisable "back in the day"... as opposed to a more updated sound?

As an artist, creative development must be as necessary a food for the soul as a transition from liquids to solids, or... from a listening perspective, from grunge to nu-metal ;)

If we pick up an album released after a period of hibernation that doesn't quite meet the nostalgia requirement, or hit the memory-button to spark images of warehouse gigs we weren't technically old enough to be at...it's difficult to not be a bit disappointed, however great the music.

My hope? They mix it up a bit.

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