When it comes to music genres, survival of the fittest holds true.
Creationism vs. evolution in the human race is a hot topic that leaves questions on both sides of the fence, but in music it's evident it is evolution.
Floetry does for soul music what Stevie Ray Vaughan did for the blues. Floetry incorporated elements of hip-hop, rock and jazz into the group's true-soul style and has given life to a younger generation of soul fans - much like Vaughan did with blues rock. Musical genres need to evolve, too, in order to stay alive.
The album "Floacism 'Live'" is full of beats strong enough to restart the heart of soul music.
Floetry consists of English songwriters Natalie Stewart and Marsha Ambrosius. The two women have penned songs for everyone from Michael Jackson to contemporary R&B singer Jill Scott.
Ambrosius has a fantastic soul voice with an incredible range that, paired with Stewart's spoken word, creates an ambiance that makes you feel you're at the concert while listening to the album.
"Floacism 'Live,'" recorded mostly at the House of Blues in New Orleans, comes along with a hour-long DVD of the recording - showing that record companies are getting smarter by packaging video footage as an incentive to buy the disc.
The album, with quite a few highlights, starts off on the right track with "Wanna B Where U R (Thisizzaluvsong)." This opener features the vocal talents of rapper Mos Def. The song has a great beat, a great bassline, catchy harmonies and great delivery.
"Tell Me When" is an R&B track that shows off Ambrosius' soulful voice. The catchy keyboards and bass give way to Stewart's rap at the perfect moment.
"Opera" begins with Stewart preparing the audience for some storytelling. This song really focuses a lot on her ability to flow. "I dived in like he meant survival/ Like he was christened H20/ Like he could make the trees grow and the clouds spit snow/ He laid kisses on my chest like his name was Zorro/ Got me saying 'Hell no' when he said he had to go."
The song also gives the backing band a little chance to have some fun with a "pseudo-classical," tango-style beat with Ambrosius' voice transcending the music.
The rest of the songs on the album are great as well, but those three really stood out because they cross the genre barriers - even rockers like me can identify with the music and appreciate it.
Stewart and Ambrosius are good role models for women who have an interest in writing and performing music, not making a name for themselves because of what clothes they're wearing or who they've slept with. In a recording world where money talks and musical artists happily become objects rather than respected leaders in cultural movements, Floetry is a nice break.
Suggested listening: With the lights on dim and the bass on max.
