Always and Forever: An Evening of Songs at the Royal Albert Hall

The expressive breadth and emotional power of the Black male voice has long been a fascinating asset in soul music. Whether it’s the gutsy, hard-edged shout and belting style that defined the likes of Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex and James Brown, or the sensuous, gospel-inflected harmonization that made Al Green, Marvin Gaye and Eddie Kendricks popular figures in the 1970s, the way a singer stamps their personality and feel onto a song directly affects the resonance it has.