I have been hitting it pretty hard and heavy on the hip-hop posts as of late, so I thought I'd change the pace a little with a post for my house music heads out there. I know you are looking at the photo on the left and you are probably thinking, "Who the hell are these people, and what do they have to do with house music?" Well, if you have been in a deep house coma over the last 10 years like I have, I want to introduce you to The Rurals! Just looking at this couple, you'd never think "soulful house music"...right?? I am here to tell you ladies and gentlemen, this group makes some of sweetest soulful house music I have heard in a long, long time dammit! With some of their musical influences being legends like Marvin Gaye,
Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder & Curtis Mayfield, I guess that should be expected. This is just another example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. Hailing from Devonshire, England...Marie "Tweek" (vocalist) and Andy Compton (DJ/Producer) have been putting it down on the house music scene for a minute now. Actually, they have released 50 EPs and 7 albums since 1994. That's pretty impressive by anyone's standards. The United Kingdom stays making move when it comes to great music.
The Rurals don't just love making great music, but they actually have plenty of love between them as well. Andy Compton already had a group established, and they called themselves The Rurals before he met Marie. They were actually introduced to each other by a mutual friend, and Marie became in house vocalist for the group. Not too long after meeting, they got married and the rest is house music history. What I really like about The Rurals is that Marie sings well written lyrics over soulful house beats, rather than just a bunch of chants and repeated verses. Marie's soulful vibe is definitely felt on their lastest release entitled, "Nettle Soul." Not since Tortured Soul have I been impressed with a house music group. Not since Ashford & Simpson and The Kindred Family Soul have I heard such soulful chemistry between two married folks. I give them props for that. Working with someone that you are married to normally leads to divorce, but Andy and Marie must be doing something right.House music as a whole is suffering in my opinion. Atleast, in the United States anyway. This genre of music gets no publicity or recognition for the most part. That stinks! It's almost like a secret society. If you are deep into the music, you can find out about house music events, shows and album releases. Other than the hardcore fans, most people are totally in the dark when it comes to house music. Groups like The Rurals keep me interested in the house music movement. Hopefully, they can do the same for you?
Checkout their websites:
www.myspace.com/therurals
www.peng.co.uk/therurals/
In most places The Rural albums are pretty hard to come by, so checkout www.iTunes.com or www.beatport.com
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