Soul Express
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Soul Express
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My first impression on picking up this magazine was that it was rather thin, but once I had started reading it found that it contained a deceptive volume of information. The features listed in its index included 'Quality Time', 'The Soul Scale', 'Jazz-Funk', 'Kool and the Gang', 'Solomon Burke', 'Deep' and 'Upfront Soul'. The magazine actually contains two other articles, 'CD-Arviot' and 'Da Word Is Rap' which are not listed. Why these two should be so neglected I am not sure, but possibly because the rest of the magazine is written in English whilst these are in Finnish. Clearly the publishers are aiming to establish an international clientele. Whatever the reason I found it strange that two major articles, certainly in terms of page space should not be listed amongst the contents. Given that this publication is not produced in the author's native tongue, I can only marvel at how well written it is. Only in a couple of instances did I find any quirky phrases that a native English speaker might not use. Indeed I would go as far as to say that it is generally better written than many of its English contemporaries. Where the main difference occurs is in the style rather than the language of the writing. It is a feature of English culture that we try to give balanced views, to look at both the positive and the negative aspects of any issues we are considering. I somehow suspect that this is much less the case in Finland. Comments like: "This CD is targeted strictly for the hip hop generation and teenagers who are willing to hear neat nursery rhyme humming over routine hip-hop style beats. It's hard to analyse Toni's vocal abilities when all she has to do is sing simple, repetitive rhymes or hum lines that resemble musical box melodies. You know the kind of melodies that if you would like to play them with a piano, you wouldn't need more than one finger for playing them." or "Toni Estes, very nice unless you have to listen to her music", or even "To tell the truth, I must have fallen asleep at some point whilst playing this set because I can't single out any particularly awful cuts, Zzzzzz". Some might consider such comments rude and certainly their author Ismo Tenkanen feels no desire to pull any punches. Personally I like a man who calls a spade a spade and found his style very refreshing. Another British nicety which seems to have eluded the Fins is the concept of an introduction. A regular reader probably knows exactly what to expect from each column, but as a new customer I didn't. The articles are very imaginatively titled, but often give no clue as to what they are about. The authors just launch into their content without a hint of any context. Sometimes I found myself a considerable way into the article before I twigged its purpose. 'Quality Time' for example seemed to be a comment on selected tracks from new CD's, but without reviewing the CD as a whole. 'Soul Scale' is a selection of modern CD reviews whilst 'Jazz Funk' continues the theme for Jazz funk releases. I haven't a clue what 'Cd-arviot' or 'Da word is Rap' were about because, as already stated, these are written in Finnish. 'Deep' is a deep soul column, but is more concerned with news and comment rather than reviews. 'Upfront Soul' was rather confusing as it seemed to be a melting pot for any soulful titbit the author chose to put in. CD reviews, short biographies, live concerts, all found their way into this little item. This is not to say I didn't enjoy it, just like the traditional fry up, a few odds and ends thrown into the pan can result in a very tasty dish indeed. The star features of the magazine seemed to be the profiles of Solomon Burke and 'Kool and the Gang'. In the case of Solomon Burke I use the word 'profile' guardedly because the magazine describes it as an interview, but that was not how it read. The interviewer's questions are not printed so it reads more like a monologue with a little commentary thrown in. If it was an interview then how was it conducted? Did Solomon visit Finland? Was it done by transatlantic phone call? When did it take place? However it was constructed there is no questioning that its author, Heikki Suosalo, used considerable ingenuity in putting it together. In summary, this is a well written publication, remarkably so when considering it is done in the author's second language. Its content is also of a high quality and in my view represents good value for money. I particularly liked the blunt, no holds barred style of writing in some of the reviews. Where it could improve is in its organisation, particularly with regards to giving articles a proper introduction. My final word however has to be a definite thumbs up for there is much in this magazine to be enjoyed. The edition reviewed here is issue 4 for the year 2000. |
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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