What with so much of today’s music being empty of any intelligent message and devoid of any real emotion, one often yearns for something with a little bit more soul, music that is more honest, open with the artist’s emotions. Sure, there might be the odd single that feels like it was actually written by a real person, and sung without any autotune or technological tomfoolery, but there’s really only one night in Malta that can deliver a whole lotta soul all night long, as Paul McEvoy can attest to.
“Soul music is as big now as it ever was,” says Paul. “The northern soul scene has never died out and is still as popular still with those who were around in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s. And it’s not only those over 50 years old who are enjoying these nights, but many young people have embraced the message of soul and are dancing to it and buying the records just as we did 30 or 40 years before.”
Soul music, the intrinsically black music that took so many elements of African-American culture (gospel music, call and response verses, a deep expression of love, happiness, and sadness, and sheer funkiness) and rose to prominence in the 1950s and 60s, has been influential in near every modern genre. Modern R&B and hip hop would be very different without the flow and improvisation found in soul; rock music is seriously indebted to soul and its sinewy take on melodies and song structures. Even house music is tied to soul – I mean, where do you think all those soulful vocal lines came from?
“Soul music comes from the heart,” says Paul. “It will relate to your loves, passions and real life ups and downs. It is about loves lost and found, and creates an emotion inside you that ultimately makes you want to dance. You don’t hear soul, you feel it.”
There is not much in the way of a club scene for those of a certain age, so this is a chance for the older generation to enjoy real music
Seeing performances of some of the classic soul artists brings this right home; but you don’t have to go to YouTube for that anymore, what with The Malta Soul Club hosting monthly events dedicated to the genre.
“The Malta Soul Club is just a group of dedicated ‘soulees’ who have a real passion for the music and the culture of soul. It is not an exclusive club, but a club for anyone who loves the music and wants a place to go to hear and dance to the music they love. Although most of our followers are over 50, and many are over 60, we have people as young as in their early 20s and 30s who attend our events. There is not much in the way of a club scene for those of a certain age here in Malta, so this is a chance for the older generation to enjoy real music and meet others who are into the same genre,” explains Paul with a smile.
“We organise monthly events at The Beachaven Club in Xemxija. These start at 8pm and go on until the early hours. We have already brought some of the best UK Soul DJs to the island and the response from Maltese Soul lovers has been tremendous. We’ve already had John (Butty) Stewart and Terry Shaw from Blackpool Soul Club spinning tunes on our soul nights, as well as Drew Garlick. We plan to bring many more top DJs to the Maltese Islands for future nights at the Beachaven. Those who have played for us have been very impressed by the passion and knowledge of the Maltese and the ex-pats who have attended our events,” says Paul proudly. “And, most importantly, our soul nights at The Beachaven Club have had a great response from the people of Malta.”
Having a monthly soul offering would do good for the soul, it seems – and good for the hips as well;“Soul music just makes me want to move,” finishes Paul with a shake. “The music says something to me that no other genre does; the husky tones of Aretha Franklyn or the falsettos of Frankie Valli say to me that it’s time to dance and feel the music deep within my own soul!”
Soul In The Sun takes place on Saturday at Beachaven Club, Xemxija.