Analysis Of Soul Music By Portia K Maultsby

In this essay I have chosen to critique Portia K Maultsby’s article “Soul Music: Its Sociological and Political Significance in American Popular Culture”, dated 1983. This article explains how soul music associates with the Black Power Movement, and then clarifies the concept of “soul”, how it was used as a label to identify black performers and how this evolved from Race Records to Soul. The author also explicates how White performers interpreted this style and alludes to how specific artists and songs impacted and strengthened this, as well as explaining the adaption of subject matter to addressing the social and political concerns of the Black community. Her final point defines ultimately how this encouraged the assimilation of Black people

Also to demonstrate how this was key in the introduction of assimilating Blacks into White American society, and the impact the change in musical style had for both the development of the music industry and the acknowledgement of black music forms. Her goal is to discuss this within the context of the Black Power Movement and to validate to the reader the importance of how the development of soul had integral sociological and political significance in the history of Black people and their culture. To reach this goal, the author carefully structures her article, stating: what soul is, how it relates to cultural events (such as the Civil Rights Movement), how it worked to improve the lives of Black people and its overall impact on American culture. I believe Maultsby examines this comprehensively, however there are some areas that require more

She uses song examples to effectively strengthen her argument e.g. “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud”. Here Maultsby explains how the call and response element encourages a community aspect within the listeners and this is supported by Brackett “they (call and response effects) serve as an invitation for involvement with another – and Brown’s principle – audience” (Brackett, 1992, pp.312) . Furthermore Maultsby employs details about Brown’s tough and brutal upbringing, effectively evoking feelings of compassion in the reader and therefore supporting her argument strongly, Keil justifies this “Soul is…the ability to communicate something of the [African American] experience” (Keil, 1966, pp.43). Munro supports this further, claiming that Brown’s upbringing is “the Blackest and potentially the strongest” in the United States” (Munro, 2010, pp.200) and consequently was incredibly effective in compelling the Black people to take action. Moreover she conclusively connects to how his influence had both a political and social sway on American culture, which is supported by Jones ““Don’t Be a Dropout”…provided a core of legitimate social feeling” (Jones, 1968,