Well I don't have very much soul music in my collection, but I do have vinyl copies of "Otis Blue", "Dictionary of Soul" and "Live in Europe" and think they are all outSTANDing.

That's a hard question. If you're who is my favorite soul artist as opposed to soul singer, the answer is probably Curtis Mayfield. Otis clearly has a better voice than Mayfield. I'll take the whole Mayfield package (songwriting, production, music) over Redding.

Lots of singers though I think compete with Redding on voice but are more interesting from a stylistic standpoint to me...eg Leon Thomas, Eugene McDaniels, Gil Scott-Heron, Andy Bey

I tend to compartmentalize soul music into what subcategories by what other styles of music are most influential on it. You have guys like Otis, Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson, Temptations, and most of popular motown that approach soul from a pop style. James Brown, Curtis Mayfield and lots of others that mix in more funk. Ray Charles, Arthur Alexander, james carr and lots of southern soul singers that mix in more country and gospel. And all the guys that I mentioned above that bring more of a jazz style to it. The pop guys tend to be my least favorite....I just find them less interesting from a stylistic viewpoint. I'd like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke far less than I do if their voices weren't undeniably great.

That's what makes him so good.

Otis is great. And the Otis vs. Sam Cooke/Al Green/whoever-else-you-wanna-namedrop debate is pretty pointless. It's like arguing over whether cedar or pine is the better wood (and, yeh, I already KNOW that cedar is the classic, but pine has way more indie cache). Y'bastids.

Cedar? Fuck you Radcliffe. That's some overatted shit.

You're a twee elm hugger and you know it.

i don't even mess with wood anymore. it's all metal these days.

Amateurs. Plastic is where it's at.

Wood was cool before everybody started using it.

eugene mcdaniels? although he's definitely unique, i can only listen to him in despite of his voice. at times he sounds really off key to me. for example,
eugene mcdaniels - headless heroes (sampled by the beastie boys)

i haven't heard much andy bey though, any tracks in particular i should grab?

See...I love Eugene McDaniels and I love that song and his vocals on it. I pretty much love everything about that song and that album. As far as bey goes, I'll plead temporary insanity...he's not an equal of redding's. he's a bad example...he's almost a pure jazz vocalist who has done some soul jazz which I guess you could call stretch into calling soul and his voice isn't the equal of redding's...not even close. I was on a roll though naming good jazz/soul vocalists and just kept going....as far as recommendations go, I'd recommend his work with Horace Silver on the United States of Mind trilogy more than his solo work but if you're just looking for one song - Celestial Blues is a solo one he's famous for...Peace is a good one with Horace Silver. Still think he has a great voice though and one with lots of character (which at the end of the day is probably is as important to me as raw skills).

I would like to add my appreciation here.

np: "I Can't Turn You Loose"

Damn straight. Everything's ball bearings nowadays.

Plastics is the future.

Otis is great, but I prefer Cooke or Pickett.

Here's some terrible news for Otis Redding
He probably thought there'd be eternal life in heaven
When he was dead
When he was out of his head, all right
But not in the way that he thought he would be
Did it never occur to him
To wonder why there was
No stomach digestion problem
Well there was a mind stroke brain problem, though.

Yes. I'd probably add William Bell to the upper eschelon, as I'm sure billy g would, as well.

np: Barnes & Barnes - "Fish Heads" (eat them up, yum)

Cooke's a fucking God...a guy who, if I really thought about it, would make my Top 10 artists.

But "These Arms of Mine" is heart-wrenching.

Rads got this one right, as usual.

Flame away, but as good as Otis Redding is, I think Marvin Gaye has a better voice. Otis pulls a few noticeably off-key notes every once and a while, if my memory is correct.

otis is definitly more raw, but that's what i love about him.

Oh, you mean ROCK AND ROLL?!?

Exac tly