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Thanks to Jay-Z the discussion about what is Black music (or if there is such a thing) has been given new life. Some argue that African-Americans have laid the foundation for many American musical traditions and haven’t been given proper credit. Others insist that music is universal and transcends race.

Then there are those who proudly wave the banner of Soul, whichever race you want to attribute it to.  Take for example singer Brian Owens, who is a living tribute to the distinct contributions African-Americans have made to the arts in America and the world over.

On his debut album “Moods & Messages” the St. Louis native rides lush, vintage instrumentation to capture the life, love and lessons that make for the best songs.

“With this album we wanted to create music that was uniquely familiar [with]60’s soul and pop music aesthetics,” he tells TheUrbanDaily.com. “You’re baring and sharing the innermost part of yourself musically.”

However, it took his military band doing a cover of Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” to get him noticed and his sound can’t seem to shake comparisons to the late Amy Winehouse.  But Owens takes it all in stride.

“Regardless of my color the style of the music keeps me neutral,” he says. “It’s all about traditional American music.”

In this interview with TheUrbanDaily Owens talks about his early musical influences and why it is sometimes more difficult for a Black artist singing soul music to get noticed than for a white performer doing the same thing.

Part 1:

Part 2:

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