Retro #5 – Underground Soul Music

Here at York Calling, we’re always on the lookout for music that manages to strike a genuine chord with us, regardless of the genre or style the song falls within. Admittedly, we often feature a lot of indie, rock and pop music, but sometimes there’s nothing quite like the warmth of a lush soul song, particularly when it’s delivered with gusto like the acts on this page. Last time around, we focused mostly on soul-rock, whereas all the songs contained within this review have general elements of soul within them – naturally, each artist is very different from the one that came before, so make sure you check out the full playlist at the bottom of this review too!

Review by Jane Howkins. Photo of Amanda Holley

Amanda Holley – SEASONING

On new release SEASONING, soulful r&b powerhouse Amanda Holley unleashes a fiery, swagger-infused anthem that puts her formidable vocal range to the test, displaying a sense of infectious energy throughout the song. One of the things Amanda is most talented at is the way she manages to blend classic soul sensibilities with a crisp, modern pop-r&b production style, and she’s really done herself proud on this track. SEASONING is bold and full of charisma, seeing Amanda using some heavy metaphors within her powerful lyrics as a declaration of her own self-worth, which I absolutely loved. Read on for more from Amanda later!

Social media: Website, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram

Honey Sky – Honey & Gold

On Honey & Gold, indie-pop outfit Honey Sky have managed to deliver a piece of music that is both as soothing as it is funky, making for a lovely piece of golden-hour nostalgia. The track is largely instrumental (there are some vocals but they’re essentially used as another instrument in the background instead), but there’s so much going on here that the lack of ‘real’ lyrics doesn’t really matter, as the song passes through several different interesting movements. It’s extremely warm and positive sounding too, making both the title of the song and the project seem incredibly worthwhile. Honey & Gold is the sort of track that manages to sound both modern and retro all at once, making for an extremely expansive sonic soundscape overall.

Social media: Facebook, Spotify, Instagram

Amanda Holley – No More

Yep, that’s right, we have yet another song from Amanda Holley to share with you, this time titled No More. It’s another gorgeous piece of underground soul music that really hints at Amanda’s future career in the music industry, as it’s just so good! No More is a little less fiery than some of Amanda’s previous single releases, instead seeing her create a deeply personal and emotionally charged r&b anthem that showcases the full emotive spectrum of her vocals, which are full of soul throughout. This is Amanda’s time for stark honesty, and being so vulnerable on record is something that should very much be applauded – especially when the music remains this catchy!

Social media: Website, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram

Omer Netzer – Praise The Lord (For A Woman)

This is our first time featuring Israeli artist Omer Netzer, but it’s apparent from the very first listen of Praise The Lord (For A Woman) that his music is absolutely full of soul. It’s a fiery, heart-on-sleeve anthem that fuses elements of gritty Americana, classic blues rock and pure retro soul into one amazing package, simply exuding swagger and a rock and roll attitude throughout this amazingly funky number. Omer’s gravel-toned vocals and fiery guitar chops are the name of the game here, with the brass instrumentation and piano only adding to the amazing vibe of and passion found within Praise The Lord (For A Woman). This is a must listen song from me!

Social media: Website, Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok