"I Adore You" was another mid-tempo groover with its sights set firmly on the dance floor and is probably the best showcase of Caron's distinctive vocals, providing a honey-sweet coating to the Jam & Lewis produced track which sampled Sybil's '80s hit "Don't Make Me Over." "I Adore You" was the song that eventually convinced me to check out Caron's solo material, admittedly a decade and a half after it was released, and it remains one of my favorite cuts from her. The short Afro-pop intro "Respect to the Motherland" gave us a glimpse of what was to come later in the album, but the first full track "In Our Love" gave a nod to her Soul II Soul roots with its mellow, laid-back lounge vibe. While the album remains an underground favorite, it was her 1993 sophomore set, Beach of the War Goddess, that gave us a real glimpse into what Caron was capable of as a solo artist.īeach of the War Goddess was a real melting pot of sounds, styles and influences, showing that Caron's airy, beautifully controlled vocals were suited to more than just dance floor friendly grooves. Taking inspiration from Soul II Soul's dance-friendly style, but with a dash of pop and R&B thrown in for good measure, the album generated Caron's two biggest solo hits, "Livin' In The Light" and the album's title cut, charting at a respectable #14 in the UK. Riding high on the success of Soul II Soul, Caron decided it was time to give the solo route a try and so, after inking a deal with EMI Records, she released her well-received debut, UK Blak, in 1990. II, would go on to be known as the voice of Soul II Soul. That album's two biggest hits, "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)" and "Keep On Movin'," also introduced us to the woman who, despite only featuring on those two tracks and being completely absent for Vol. One of the biggest names to emerge during those years was Jazzie B's Soul II Soul, whose blend of upbeat dance and chilled out soul saw their debut album, Club Classics Vol. The likes of Omar, Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai and Loose Ends all gained crossover success - to varying degrees - and most even managed to catch on in the notoriously hard-to-crack US market. The hit “Livin’ in the Light,” one of my favorite cuts from that era, is the spiritual flip of “UK Blak,” encouraging “children of nature” to find “the light,” their own truth, in a culture intent on destroying them.The late '80s/early '90s were a definite high point for UK soul. The title track of the debut, for instance, delves into colonialism and the displacement of African culture in the United Kingdom. But unlike her dance-friendly former group, Caron sang bristly political, nationalist lyrics. In a way, each extended Caron’s work with Soul II Soul, especially UK Blak. Neither album sold well, but both spawned urban radio hits, including “Livin in the Light” and “I Adore You.” And three years later, she followed it up with the more ambitious, Beach of the War Goddess. ![]() She signed with EMI and released her debut, 1990’s UK Blak. ![]() ![]() So it made sense when soon after those Soul II Soul records took off, Caron launched her solo career. In the videos, she looked like a Nubian goddess, her jump rope-long dreadlocks wrapped in a towering style. Lisa Stansfield and Soul II Soul scored big on American pop and R&B charts back then.Īside from the immaculate production, Soul II Soul’s biggest hits, “Keep on Movin'” and “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me),” benefited greatly from the airy yet assertive vocals of Caron Wheeler. In the early ’90s, there was a soulful British Invasion, one that refurbished the crushed velvet lushness of Barry White and outfitted it with a modern hip-hop bounce. E-Pilot Evening Edition Home Page Close Menu
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