Seems to me that this needs clearing up prior to writing any actual reviews - we, the fans of Soul music are an elitist bunch when it comes to how we view music and more importantly, how the world views what 'we' collectively listen to - Soul music is an expression of self. I'm the first to admit that this is not a nice trait, find yourself in the Jazz Cafe in London and it won't be long before the words 'credible' are uttered by your host for the evening, again elitist and not a necessary term. All music has a purpose on some level even if be as simple as getting people on to the dance floor - as a DJ I've been guilty of playing 'RnB' and 'Rap' (not to be confused with Soul or Hip Hop), but remember, music is about 'feeling' and this can be expressed in a serious or fun, light-hearted way.
The terms 'neo', 'nu' and 'neoclassical' often get used ahead of 'soul'. Many artists don't like to be branded this way, but let's be real, no matter how you fuse various genre's together, classifications are what define us and to me, being pigeon-holed in some cases can be wrong, but when it comes to music, why not. I mean, I love to share 'my' music with those who have yet to experience the feeling I get from the music I love so much and so to define it is to declare it's existence. Us soul fans define the music by using terms such as 'conscious' and as being a 'movement'. And it is just that. The word 'conscious' is banded around to cover many genre's of music and in general refers to the music having a deeper meaning than simply selling records - lyrical content that is written for a reason (self expression, political stance and other down-to-earth, relevant subjects) and a musical sound that doesn't shout 'chart topper', instead staying true to the use of live instruments, allowing artists within the band to shine and importantly - paying attention to the importance of recognising the necessity to stay true.
I call 'my' music 'Neo Soul', it's what I listen to, it's what I do. It's fair to say that most music genre's derive from others in some way shape or form. When I say 'Soul', I refer to a less contemporary sound, it doesn't have to be old in terms of when it was made, but the values are somewhat different to Neo Soul. When I say 'RnB', I refer to a more pop-orientated sound. When I say Neo-Soul I refer to a sound which encompasses experimentation and fusions of whatever genre's feel right, be they Soul, Hip Hop, Jazz, Funk, Rock...anything.
How to know if you're listening to Neo Soul and not any others?
Start with the basics - D'Angelo - Brown Sugar. To me, D'Angelo is the personification of Neo Soul, although his second album 'Voodoo' is where his creativity took his music to a new level...Voodoo moves that little bit further away and into the mind of the man himself and although you see an appearance from Method Man and Redman, the album as an entity is a perfect fusion comprising an epic album. Listen to Voodoo and you'll understand Neo Soul.
Movement? Conscious? Credible?
Are these fair terms for Neo Soul? Yes, for now. There is a general acceptance amongst Neo Soul fans of a certain way of being and understanding of what the music is there for, doing and aiming for. It remains to be seen whether or not it will cross over. With originators like Omar, D'Angelo and Maxwell all maintaining their original focus, they lead by example and if the others can follow in their footsteps, Neo Soul will continue to thrive, on the borders of underground, just where it belongs.
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