This thursday live in Paradiso, Amsterdam: Raphael Saadiq. Mister Saadiq is the kind of artist that seems missing in action for a while, but then suddenly pops up with strictly quality music. While I still enjoy some songs from Instant Vintage, his latest solo project The Way I See It is all about the retro soul sound that seems very popular lately. Think vintage Motown and Stax, some horns, handclaps and even doo wop…soul with a rough edge that also influenced Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson.

There’s something about it that makes me itch, why copy a style so much instead of creating something completely new? But then again, Raphael mastered it - listen to 100 Yard Dash and watch him wear his slim fitted suit with swagger.

Stones Throw also jumps on the soul bandwagon, with a new artist that reminded me vaguely of Smokey Robinson: Mayer Hawtorne. The biography of this 29th year old singer and producer from Ann Arbor actually mentions the question about new/old soul music: “It’s not just throwback music anymore – this revival is all about progression.”

Mayer Hawtorne just released his first single Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out (on a beautiful limited edition heartshaped 45!), so decide for yourself and listen: