Word: neos
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...Last Picture Show (1971). Peter Bogdanovich's black-and-white neo-classic about the death of a North Texas town has plenty of similarities to this scandal, whose own denouement is tiptoeing into view. Sex, sex, sex, for one thing, including plenty of discussion about how far is too far to go on a sultry Panhandle night. The coquette/tramp, played with appropriate feminine deviltry by Cybill Shepherd (who never looked so good -- just ask Bogdanovich, who did a May-December bit of his own with Cybill during the shoot and after). And of course the mantra, inserted early...
...Neo-Soul is not an entirely new musical category. The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, for example, has been creating experimental R. and B. for two decades. And remember Terence Trent D'Arby? No? Well, he was that guy...never mind. The point is, in the '90s, the face of cool in R. and B. has been the face of a gangsta. Puff Daddy, Dr. Dre, Master P and the like dominate the aesthetic space in black music. Boyz II Men may sell more albums, but when you think of what's hot, what's hip, what's real, what...
...cool. Last year Badu, with her Afrocentric head wraps, sensuous grooves and searingly beautiful voice, captured the attention and imagination of record buyers, selling more than 3 million copies of her debut album Baduizm; this summer she's a headliner on the Lilith Fair tour. Other new neo-soul artists such as Maxwell, with his enlightened ladies'-man charm, and laid-back auteur D'Angelo have also managed to garner critical and commercial success...
...next few months there will be a flood of neo-soul releases. Maxwell's quietly mesmerizing second CD, Embrya, is out this week; D'Angelo's second release, Voodoo, is due out this fall; and neo-soulman Rachid's assured debut, Prototype, recently arrived in stores. Tony Rich and Des'ree also have CDs due out soon, and Seal--a veteran who could be considered the godfather of neo-soul--is coming out with an album this September. Lastly, Lauryn Hill, a singer-rapper-songwriter with the hip-hop trio the Fugees, is releasing in August her solo debut...
...fill the pantheon of pop heroes. But there was a time when auteurs had soul, when Marvin was asking what's going on, when Stevie was singing songs in the key of life, when Aretha was demanding respect. This season, with the ascension of a new generation of neo-soul stars, the past may be present again, and, to paraphrase Fanon, the future may be opening...