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Forum nameThe Lesson
Topic subjectCouple reasons for that.
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=3029161&mesg_id=3029191
3029191, Couple reasons for that.
Posted by Teknontheou, Tue Dec-22-20 10:10 AM
Live performance and getting people out onto the dancefloor is not a priority for R&B and hasn't been for probably 15 - 20 years. And that's because...

Most youngish R&B artists seem to be writing songs in solitude: in their bedrooms or home alone. I know from my own attempts at writing music on guitar alone, there's a tendency to play quietly so other people in the house or next door won't hear you. That has carried over into the music.

There aren't any more organic R&B bands, outside of something that's regional, like Go-Go.

There don't seem to be many venues left to hear live R&B anymore. Even in New York, I think SOBs was the only place that had a regular R&B showcase. In the past, any town with a decent black population (even alot of small towns) had multiple places you could play your music in front of people, and where people expected to be able to dance. That's less true now.

In order for music to be uptempo and highly dancebale you need bands that write and play together with the intention of being heard in venues. The music needs to be louder, forcing the vocalists to sing from their chests to be heard (even with mics). Many of the vocalists now whisper sing, or sing from their throats. That goes back to what I said about writing songs quietly by yourself.