soul
what it is
Soul music is a music genre that combines rhythm and blues and gospel music, originating in the United States. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying. " The genre occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 1 · mainstream
the pop everyone knows
level 2 · the door
big names with a sharper edge
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make soul a playlist
turn these 40 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is soul?
Soul music is a music genre that combines rhythm and blues and gospel music, originating in the United States. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying. " The genre occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds.
What are good soul albums to start with?
Try Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye, Come to My Garden by Minnie Riperton, Lovers Rock by Sade, and Off the Wall by Michael Jackson.
Who are some women making soul?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/soul/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making soul, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-19