Cinematic soul is a genre of soul music with a "cinematic" style, combining traditional rock / soul arrangements with orchestral instruments.
Style
Cinematic soul builds on the foundations of soul music. The backing track can include
drum kit,
bass guitar,
Hohner Clavinet and
electric guitar played with a
wah-wah pedal. On top of this are orchestral instruments including a
string section and
brass instrument, similar to that heard on a movie soundtrack.
History
During their
psychedelic soul period of 1968–1973,
The Temptations created what is described as "cinematic soul", songs, often long in length, with longer instrumental introductions and detailed orchestration. Two such examples are the Temptations' 1972 recording of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone",
and their follow-up single, "Masterpiece".
' "Theme from
Shaft" was considered another good example of cinematic soul, and subsequently influenced
David Bowie's "Stay", released several years later.
's "Superfly" was a top ten Billboard hit, and praised as an archetypical example of the genre.
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Legacy
Artists continue to call their music cinematic soul into the 21st century. Barry Adamson's 2002 album The King of Nothing Hill opened with the track "Cinematic Soul", which was roughly based on "Theme from Shaft" and was conceived as a tribute to the genre.
See also
