soul music

noun

: music that originated in African American gospel singing, is closely related to rhythm and blues, and is characterized by intensity of feeling and vocal embellishments

Examples of soul music in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The gallery-like white room, abstract paintings and jazzy soul music provide a classy backdrop. — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026

Armed with a powerhouse voice evocative of soul music’s greats, the singer-songwriter explores the many facets of longing on an album that bridges the genre’s past and future. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026

Sly Stone famously titled the album as a response to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, and those 1971 releases stand tall today as two very different monuments to the creative and political possibilities of soul music. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 7 July 2026

His litany of urgently treacly smashes was the soundtrack of that era, both a master class in minimal form that updated the mercenary structures of the Brill Building and Frank Sinatra, and also a cool and controlled reimagining of the sensual soul music of the late ’60s through the mid-70s. — New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

soul music

noun

: music that originated in Black American gospel singing, is closely related to rhythm and blues, and is characterized by intensity of feeling and earthiness