Krista Henry and Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writers

In the land that produced mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall, love songs, commonly known as 'soul music', has an unshakeable place in the heart of the music-loving population.

In the modern day dancehall where sharp thrusts dagger the tight spaces between faux coupling couples, R&B may be more uptempo, such as Alicia Keys' No One and Spotlight by Jennifer Hudson.

At Waterfalls in Liguanea, where the musically mature gather on a Thursday night, classic groups such as The Manhattans and The Four Tops are among those which hold sway, string section and all.

At one of the most recent editions of Heineken Good Times at Mas Camp on Oxford Road, St Andrew, Kurt 'The Party Animal' Riley took over the wheels of steel and the party tempo stepped up a notch as he took the crowd into the 'Promised Land' of grooving rockers. Then he changed tempo to soul music and there were "whoops!" when Air Supply's Just As I Am dropped and it was duly given the 'pull-up' treatment, normally preserved for the hottest dancehall hits.

Sure shots

Physically and psychologically, Rae Town in downtown Kingston is well below Oxford Road, but Just As I Am is also one of the sure shots at the legendary Sunday night street party held outside the Capricorn Inn there, along with Kenny Rogers' Write Your Name Across My Heart. The resurgence of LUST's career after they redid the same song from Air Supply, hitting all the major charts, is also a testament of the soul power of the single. At the Rae Town street jam, though, the slow songs segment is much more extended and the moves more intricate than the clutch and grind of the younger folk, as many of the older 'steppers' whirl majestically and flick their legs artfully.

Outside of Rae Town are other events such as last December's Soul II Soul, held at Curphey Place, Swallowfield, St Andrew, which was (as the title suggests) dominated by soul music. The strength of the collective Jamaican soul's pull towards soul is indicated by the number of R&B performers who come to Jamaica, Freddie Jackson the latest as he performed at 'Valentine's on the Harbour' three weeks ago. Air Supply has supplied their soul music at the then Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, followed by three performances in Kingston, while The Manhattans are regular performers and John Legend was a favourite at last year's Bob Marley birthday concert at James Bond Beach, Oracabessa, St Mary.

Local pioneers were heavily influenced by the R&B songs they picked up on the radio and the records carried in by early sound men such as Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd. Alton Ellis, as part of the duo Alton and Eddie, did Muriel, Beres Hammond was One Step Ahead of the pack in the 1970s, Freddie McGregor conceded So I'll Wait For You in the 1980s and, past the turn of the millennium, Richie Stephens requested Take Me Away. More recently, A Thousand Miles Away by a regular unknown such as Ras Penco has also been a hit in the dance, on the radio, charts and in the streets. And now Nickeisha Barnes, a Digicel Rising Stars favourite, is set to release a ballad, I Promise, with plans to also shoot a video for the single. Doing over popular R&B songs in lovers' rock style is a tried and proven formula, Sanchez and Leroy Gibbons doing so to lasting effect, especially in the late 1980s. And before the breakout She's Royal, Tarrus Riley made an impact with his rendition of John Legend's Stay With You.

Classics

For Maryann, who comes from the soul-music generation, lovers' rock is a classic that will never go away. She said, "lovers rock was good solid music with clean lyrics and always well put together; it just goes to show that good music perseveres. When I go to those oldies parties and hear the music is like I'm back in those days when the song was hot and I used to sing them and think about my sweetheart."

Katherine, a university student, is a fan of soul music as well as dancehall and rap. She still believes there is a place for soul music today. "Love music is timeless; it's a theme that is constant and there are so many things about love that people can talk about. I love dancehall and all, but some soul music is good for the soul," she expressed.

It is also with this sentiment that DJ Crazy Chris of KOOL FM has some very good 'Reasons' to do another all-soul party. When he held the first Reasons last November at Waterfalls in Liguanea, quite a few people did not get a chance to enter. The second one will be held at Curphey Place, Swallowfield, on Saturday night and Chris makes it clear that from the 8 p.m. start it will be all soul. "No hip-hop, no disco, no reggae," Chris told The Sunday Gleaner.

Deep love for soul music

Even before he did the first Reasons party, Crazy Chris had a very good indication that there is a very deep love for soul music in Jamaica, "because we have a programme on KOOL every Monday where I play four hours of soul music. With the responses of the people who called and said they loved it, I decided to do it (party)".

Crazy Chris has been a soul music lover "from ever since". And when he started playing music professionally in 1984, he transferred his passion to the turntables. So he is not surprised that there is a tremendous love for soul music in Jamaica and "the programme proves it".

Names changed upon request.