Soul and R&B music channels emotions within all aspects of the song, the instruments and the lyrics. This is what makes the genre so great – its connection with the listener to invoke a sense of emotion deep into the soul. One great soul band that you may not have heard of is the Black Pumas. They are an amazing duo with tunes that hit deep, and they have recently released their second studio album.

The Black Pumas are a psychedelic soul band consisting of two incredible musicians who combinedtheir talents to produce the sweet sounds of soul. One member of the band, Eric Burton, used to busk on the Santa Monica Pier for change. In 2017, he moved from California to Houston, Texas to continue busking. Adrian Quesada, the second member, is a guitarist and producer who has even won a Grammy Award. Quesada was looking for collaboration and someone caught his ear: Eric Burton.  Amazed by Burton’s soulful R&B styled vocals, Quesada befriended Burton and began creating powerful soul music with= him. 

In 2018 the duo joined forces as The Black Pumas. The name of their band came from Quesada’s fascination with jaguars. An interesting factabout them is that they  started out by recording in the studio, and later went to live performances contrary to the normal procedure that musicians take. Since Quesada is a producer, he excels in the recording studio. He makes their  albums  flow, , and  he has created a unique sound for the band. On the other hand, Burton’s impressive vocals and enigmatic stage presence lead him to shine during live performances, acting as a frontman of the band. They released their first self-titled album in 2019, which was later nominated for the Grammy award for Album of the Year. Some of the stand-out songs on this album are “Colors,” “Fire,” “Black Moon Rising,” and “Oct. 33,” although every song on the album is amazing in its own way. 

On Oct. 27^th  of this year, the Black Pumas released their second studio album. It  is called Chronicles of a Diamond and it is just as soulful as the first one. It was produced through ATO records by Quesada himself and was mixed by Shawn Everett. It contains 10 tracks that all have that classic soul sound, similar to greats like Sam Cooke and James Brown. The album’s lead track that released prior to the album itself is “More Than a Love Song” and is the standout track on this album for me. This track has incredible vocals from Burton and the lyrics and melodies are very feel-good. Another notable aspect of this song is the percussion, which sounds like African drumming. In general, the album is a perfect example of the power of soul music and how it can provide the listener with a deeper experience.

The Black Pumas to me are one of the great soul bands of the modern day, providing nostalgic rhythms and melodies similar to those of the soul legends. So, if you are a fan of music and particularly music that you can connect to, go on Spotify or Apple Music and give them a listen!.