Corner 2026

April 6, 2026:

TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: APRIL

An expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in APRIL 2026.

1. "Every Cowgirl Need A Horse To Ride"---Breeze MrDo2Much
2. "Soul Train Line (Remix)"---Tee Doe Brown feat. Mike Clark Jr.
3. "Tear The Night Down"-----Tucka
4. "Nellie's 1 Two Step"-----Nellie "Tiger" Travis
5. "Better Watch Charlie"-----Karen Wolfe
6. "Smoke In The Air"-----Roi "Chip" Anthony
7. "Still In Love With You"-----Big G
8. "On The Loose"----Highway Heavy feat. Johnny James
9. "Just In Case"-----T.K. Soul feat. Sir Charles Jones
10. "Mind They Bizness"----M. Cally

11. "Break Rules"---Ciddy Boi P feat. S'Bijou
12. "My Type Of Woman"---Squirt Kelly
13. "Soul Groove"---Meme Yahsal
14. "Peanut Butter Thick"---B.J. Moodswing
15. "Ain't Gettin' That Thang No Mo"---Arthur Young
16. "What's The Move"---West Love feat. Jones
17. "Whoopdy Doo"---Kandy Janai
18. "Stuck In My Wayz"---Poppa Hussein feat. Big Mel & P.J. McGhee
19. "That's Me and Yo Boo "---T.K. Soul feat. Mr. Sam
20. "Good Cookin'"---Jake Carter

21. "Fill You Up"---Marcellus The Singer
22. "No Chaser"---Mike Clark Jr. feat. K. Camp
23. "Steppin'"---Terry B.
24. "What A Country Boy Do"---Breeze MrDo2Much
25. "Got Me Gone"---David J.
26. "Do What You Gotta Do"---Lady Kay
27. "Hard On 'Em"---Ashley Ave
28. "If You Gotta"---J. Lake
29. "Sticks And Stones"---Marcellus The Singer
30. "Standing In The Rain"---Al Green

31. "My Kountry Kin Folk"---Lacee
32. "Repo Man"---Cookie D.
33. "Do Your Thang"---Sunshine The Singer
34. "God's Been Good"---West Love
35. "Grown And Ready"---Coco Wade
36. "The Only One For Me"---T.K. Soul
37. "I Can't Leave"---Miss Lady Blues
38. "Country Man (Re-Entry)"---Denise Cannon
39. "I Saw You Looking"---DJ A.J. Capone feat. Willie P.
40. "Gas Station (Remix)"---E.J. Jones

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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March 20, 2026: Daddy B. Nice's...

Random Notes / Daddy Be Mean! An Idiot's Guide to AI-Infected Southern Soul

Born February 20, 1936, in Jackson, Mississippi, Chicago-based bluesman Cicero Blake passed away March 3, 2026 at the age of ninety. He was an esteemed and beloved forerunner of contemporary southern soul music, a legend throughout the southern chitlin' circuit and---with contemporaries like Tyrone Davis, Stan Mosley, Syl Johnson and Floyd Hamberlin---a fixture in his native Chicago. A visitation was held March 19th at Neighborhood United Methodist Church in Maywood near his home in the heart of the city, with a wake and funeral service transpiring the next day. To read Daddy B. Nice's appreciation, go to "One Of The Greats Is Gone".

Georgia continues to rise in the southern soul firmament. There was a time---all through the 2000's and teens---when southern soul-ers couldn't buy a gig (much less get paid) in Atlanta. If it wasn't hiphop or urban r&b, Georgians didn't want to hear it. That's all changed over the last decade, with southern soul venues cropping up throughout the metropolitan suburbs and hot young artists like Mike Clark Jr. bringing renewed interest from legendary hubs like Macon. The latest harbinger of change is the Blues Is Alright Tour, southern soul's most elite concert series, which will host not one but two major gigs back-to-back next month, April 10th in Fayetteville (south Atlanta) and April 11th in Atlanta. Among the artists appearing live onstage will be T.K. Soul, Marcellus The Singer, FPJ, Fat Daddy, Jeter Jones, Big Pokey Bear, Tucka, Lenny Williams, West Love, J-Wonn, Ronnie Bell, EJ Jones and the aforementioned Mike Clark Jr. See Daddy B. Nice's Concert Calendar.

Fresh from his Academy Awards appearance with his fellow "Sinners" film contingent, Bobby Rush is off to England for the last week in May: Wednesday, May 27th in London (The Jazz Cafe), Thursday, May 28th in Newcastle (The Cluny), Friday, May 29th in Suffolk (Red Rooster Festival) and Saturday in Glasgow (St. Luke's & The Winged Ox).

Heikki Suosalo, our southern soul man in Finland, reviews a new book on Muscle Shoals' musical history in the latest online issue of "Soul Express". The book? Land Of A Thousand Sessions: The Complete Muscle Shoals Story 1951-1985. Suosalo reports that the author, Rob Bowman, began researching and writing the book at the request of Tommy Couch Sr., of whom he'd written previously in a book on Jackson, Mississippi's Malaco Records. The list of celebrity performers who recorded at the unlikely Alabama hamlet over the years will blow your mind.

Speaking of Georgia, West Love received the key to the State of Georgia at The Capitol last month. (Thanks to Stan Butler for the heads-up.)

Overheard in the "Comments" section of YouTube about Marcellus The Singer: "Your voice is like butter on my waffle."

Daddy Be Mean! An Idiot's Guide to AI-Infected Southern Soul

If, like me, you listen to enough southern soul music on YouTube that your algorithms deliver a steady feed of music videos, this has happened to you. You've clicked on one or two new videos and sensed something a little off. Maybe you liked them on first impression. Nevertheless you can feel your brow wrinkling. The songs are a little too perfect. The songs aren't as gritty as you're accustomed to. But it's already too late. By listening to two or three dubious tracks in a row, you're already locked into another algorithm that is feeding you nothing but AI. And if you scroll ahead, you recognize none of your favorite artists in the queue, and contrary to your usual pleasure in "fishing" for the latest and greatest track---the one that'll become your new favorite song---you've pulled in a net of unwanted fish, the carp (a bony "junk" fish) of the present internet: AI-generated tracks. You can't go on because you'll just get more and more insipid AI pablum. You have to close that tab.

When we started discussing AI with the deejays, artists and programmers last year, the consensus was that AI wasn't going away. We would have to learn to live with it and adapt. The one certified "no-no" everyone agreed upon was transparency. If you were using AI, own up to it in your accompanying description. That ship has sailed. The few AI creators who followed that dictum have either disappeared or simply been drowned out in the chaos of AI "artists" who couldn't care less and/or don't give a damn. Here are a few of them, deservedly "outed," and if they don't belong on the list they're welcome to write daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

Miles Hart
Uncle Willie J
Dirty Charlie ("Unapologetic Soul")
Lamont Winfield
Delta Blues Brother
Uncle Sam's Blues
Weston Hale
Dre Southern Soul

I could go on and on---believe me, the list is endless---but why give these charlatans, these dilletantes, the publicity they don't deserve? Especially when they'll have no qualms in simply discarding any exposed moniker and simply taking up another? The sad fact is that many deejays are playing their music. Many performers are unwittingly forwarding the counterfeits, based on enthusiasm from their fans. We are in dire straits here. Just when the southern soul genre has broken through previous barriers and expanded its audience, it's beset by clueless imitators---not unlike what happened to the vibrant and deserving disco genre in the late seventies and early eighties as hordes of money-hungry imitators flooded the market with so much disco junk it soured an entire generation on black music.

AI-generated or "digital" music isn't really new and isn't inherently noxious. The majority of musicians on Facebook no longer call themselves "musicians". They call themselves "digital artists" or "digital creators". I have been nailed to the cross for decades by blues purists who hate southern soul because the bulk of the material doesn't use live instruments. And in the aughts and teens I myself used to rail about "cheesy programmed horns". That was the result of the earliest digital recording apps. One of the most distinguished songs in the contemporary southern soul canon has "cheesy horns": T.K. Soul's "Try Me". So much heart, such shabby raiment.

I just published an enthusiastic four-star-rated review of Avail Hollywood's new album Grown Folks Blues. He recorded it (is that even the right word any more?) all by his lonesome in a little over a week in an RV! And yet, I'm still impressed by the quality of the instrumental tracks (arguably his best ever) and the crisp mixing and mastering. Digital production has come so far since the early days. The digital apps do sound like real instruments, and with AI it's a "pinch-me-am-I-dreaming?" quality.

The AI imposters are taking advantage of all that. From their perspective, AI is just a natural---if seismic---progression in this historical process. But it's one thing to utilize AI to maximize the quality of instrumental tracks if you're a dues-paying, brand-building, live performer with innate vocal talent such as Avail Hollywood and other legitimate southern soul creatives. It's quite another to possess no natural singing talent, rip off some classic artist's vocals from the AI "cloud" and pass off the product under some hastily-chosen name. Let's wake up and call it what it is---copyright rape---and if you're a deejay, radio programmer or social media influencer disseminating this material, you're part of the problem.

Still not convinced? I'll relate another story that illustrates how far out of hand this AI juggernaut has become. Last week I added a new Marcellus The Singer tune to my private, monthly, working playlist of songs from which I eventually construct the Top 10 Singles and Top 40 Singles. I did it without too much thought or after-thought, having just published Marcellus's "That Get Back A Motherfucker" as last month's #1 single. If I had any thought at all, it was, "Damn, this guy is red hot. Already another one?" Two or three days later, I'm listening more closely to these charting candidates. I get to the Marcellus The Singer track, "I Ain't Got No Plans," and---excuse the language---I go..."FUCK!!! That's not Marcellus's voice!" That's some "God knows what?!" I look at the YouTube page, specifically the artwork video which purports to be a rendering of Marcellus, and it's not Marcellus! It's...just...somebody.

This bogus track has already accumulated 7,799 views. I examine the description under the artwork, and it has all the imitative, generic, hollowed-out style of AI writing. I relay it in its entirety so you can better recognize it the next time you see it:

New 2026 heat from Marcellus TheSinger: "I Ain't Got No Plans" – an official track that's all about keeping it real, no drama, chilling unbothered, and real men standing up strong. That signature Southern Soul/R&B groove with grown-folks energy, smooth vocals, and motivation to live your truth. Perfect for late nights, road trips, motivation playlists, or just vibing with no plans needed. If you love Marcellus classics like "That Get Back A MF," "Feelin Alright," or that hardcore love vibe—this one's gonna hit different!

If there are any real human beings left out there...Doesn't that make your stomach churn? And how would you feel if you were Marcellus, the artist he-she-it has ripped off? What in the world can be gained by defying copyright laws and posting such a travesty? I'll tell you what. It's gone beyond even the unethical and clueless people who use AI in nefarious ways. This is AI itself, the computer behemoth unleashed and going berserk. This is like the computer "Hal" in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey who kills the last human rather than be shut down.

And do you want to know the sad closure to this deflating experience? As I glanced down the YouTube queue prior to leaving the page, I see a song video for King George and R. Kelly (who's still in jail, mind you!): "Tonight We Gone Party". It's a heist of George's "Real Good Time". The voices are not King George or R. Kelly. The illustrations are not King George or R. Kelly. And be sure to read the description under the video. It's the same amateurish and flowery drivel as the AI screed quoted above and will assist you in detecting AI in the future, or at least through the coming months before it adapts, metamorphosizes and becomes even harder to detect.

This website received a quarter-million views in January. I have been promoting, championing and caregiving southern soul music for nigh a quarter-century. Must I now see it ransacked, watered-down and bastardized out of all recognition? I believe so deeply that this is an existential threat to the music I am waiving all copyright restrictions (scroll down to the far bottom of this page) on its republication. Copy and post it anywhere, be it YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Linked In, your Auntie's email or any nook and cranny where the tentacles of social media reach. It'd be nice if you accompany it with my logo but in any case just get the message out. AI has made Daddy B. Nice Daddy Be Mean.

---Daddy B. Nice

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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March 6, 2026:

TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: MARCH

An expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in MARCH 2026.

1. "That Get Back A Motherfucker"---Marcellus The Singer
2. "Everybody Hurts"---Al Green
3. "Golden Brew"-----J.C. McKeller
4. "You Got That Magic"-----Willie Clayton
5. "Saddle Up"-----M. Cally
6. "I Will"-----Fat Daddy
7. "Can I Come Home?"-----Breeze MrDo2Much
8. "Treasure"----Mike Clark Jr.
9. "Too Far"-----C-Wright feat. David Sylvester
10. "Eat It"----Da Director

11. "Just In Case"---T.K. Soul feat. Sir Charles Jones
12. "Southern Soul Sex"---Jus K
13. "Want It"---Magic One feat. Jeter Jones, Frank Johnson, Anthony Q., Slym B.
14. "Ten Toes Down"---Jammie Evans
15. "Can I Have This Dance"---Myia B.
16. "Walk That Walk (Remix)"---Anthony Q. feat. Tonio Armani, 803Fresh & Soulful Skonie
17. "Who's In The Building?"---Dee Dee Simon
18. "Perfect Day"---Al Green
19. "Jeans & Boots"---Mr. Sipp
20. "Stand On That"---Houston County Cowboy

21. "Nellie's 1 Two Step"---Nellie "Tiger" Travis
22. "Drop It Down Low"---Boss Lady Coco
23. "Vitamin P"---J.C. McKeller
24. "Soul Train Line (Remix)"---Tee Doe Brown feat. Mike Clark Jr.
25. "Better Watch Charlie"---Karen Wolfe
26. "Good Man"---Chavonna Adams
27. "Country Girls Never Tell"---Vick Allen
28. "Lil' Secret"---Tre' Williams
29. "Something About This Music"---Sky Whatley feat. Jeter Jones
30. "Just Like You"---David Sylvester

31. "Still In Love With You"---Big G
32. "Nobody"---Lady K
34. "Ride"---Devonese
35. "Get Nasty (Remix)"---Mr. Campbell feat. Mike Clark Jr.
36. "Oo-De-Lally-Watch My Shoes (Robin Hood)"---DJ Fat Dog aka Randy Rogers
37. "Stuck In My Wayz"---Poppa Hussein feat. Big Mel & P.J. McGhee
38. "Wobble"---Sunny Ray
39. "I Know I Got A Good Thang"---T.K. Soul feat FPJ
40. "She Got That Oooweee"---Kenny Cox feat. Ida Lee

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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February 15, 2026: Daddy B. Nice's...

News & Notes:

"Motherfucker," Sometime Southern-Soulers, New Albums

"Motherfucker". In the current pantheon of American profanities, it arguably holds the top spot, perhaps second only to a pejorative four-letter word for despicable females. You only use these words at your peril. By the by, Marcellus The Singer has a new song called "That Get Back A Motherfucker". It's turning heads not only for its brazen lyrics (which also contain a never-before-used scatological phrase) but its confoundingly beautiful melody, vocal and production. Marcellus has carved out an enviable career (click link for DBN's artist guide) since his signature song "Toxic Love" garnered a wide audience in 2022, and he's been active in the studio ever since. However, it's safe to say Marcellus has plateaued over the last couple of years, though currently at a lofty #22 in Daddy B. Nice's Top 100: The New Generation chart. "That Get Back A Motherfucker," the opening track of his new album I'm Just Being Me, is about to change all that, destined for success both for its musical elegance and its verbal impudence.

I won't go into the licentious history of southern soul from Little Richard through Clarence Carter to the present day. It's one of the factors that drew your Daddy B. Nice to the music for sure, from the early days of rock and roll to present-day southern soul. So many singles never made it to mainline exposure, and the vast majority of those that violated societal norms (think of Bishop Bullwinkle's "Hell Naw To The Naw Naw") had to be "cleaned up"---i.e. "toned down"---to get airplay. That's what drew me to the chitlin' circuit, hearing these records as they were first recorded. But the example from the recent past that Marcellus's "Motherfucker" reminded me of was none other than my man King George and his career breakthrough with "Keep On Rolling". Today he's the number one star of southern soul music, but it took some creative profanity to initially break through. Profanity does get people's attention. Here are my first reactions to King George's "Keep On Rollin'" when he was still an unknown---just a few years ago!

March 1, 2022: Contemporaneous Notes

Here are some excerpts from the admittedly giddy journey your Daddy B. Nice has traveled since first becoming aware of "Keep On Rollin'" just two weeks ago...

...Which brings me to a new song in the vein of Arthur Young's "Funky Forty". It uses the word "fuck" in such an apt and conversational and seemingly ordinary fashion that it may sneak or even charm its way onto radio platforms. It's by a new artist named King George and it's entitled "Keep On Rollin'". The lyrics in question concern a man whose mate is leaving him. He retorts that she can "go ahead and leave" because "one monkey don't stop no show". King George needs not one or two but three(!) women at the same time, and it goes like this: (I need) "One woman just to hold me down / One woman just to lift me up / And I gotta have at least one woman on the side / That really don't give a fuck."....

....Downloaded onto Daddy B. Nice's huge monthly playlist of new work (from which the monthly Top 10 Singles and Top 40 Singles are culled), "Keep On Rollin'" quickly rises like cream to the top, propelled by its distinctive melody, tempo and vocal performance. And of special mention, two lines from the lyrics immediately stand out as original and powerful additions to the southern soul lyrical canon:...

..."And I got to have at least one woman on the side,
That really don't give a fuck..."

...Another thing that amazes me in the shorts and videos of "Keep On Rollin'". The throngs of women---whom you might expect to disdain the misogynistic lyrics---embracing them, singing along and waving their hands in the air and shouting the "really don't give a fuck" lyrics...

...In my initial write-up in February's "News & Notes" (Daddy B. Nice's Corner) I wondered if "Keep On Rollin'" could possibly "charm" its way onto radio in spite of the "fuck". Well, it has and it did. Listening to my favorite station and deejay (that would be WMPR Jackson, Mississippi and DJ Ragman) the other afternoon, I was astounded to hear the opening chords of the song and I listened raptly to see how they would deal with the "I really don't give a fuck." Very simple, they just blanked out the "fuck". It was great to hear it on radio. (And that's what is called a radio edit.)

Excerpts from an article originally published in Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide to King George.

Amazing King George Factoid

As of February 14, 2026, the original YouTube video of "Keep On Rollin'" has amassed

79 million views!

Listen to King George singing "Keep On Rollin'" on YouTube.

Sometime Southern Soul-ers

Pictured: Grady Champion

You won't see these performers in southern soul venues. You'll never see them in multi-act southern soul shows. Nor will you see them selling out five-thousand-seat auditoriums like their southern soul comrades. You won't see them cropping up on Daddy B. Nice---except once in a blue moon---and you won't see them in southern soul shorts. You won't see Snoop hanging out with them as he does with King George or Tonio Armani.

You will see these artists in blues awards shows and competitions. Lots of award shows! You'll see them touring Europe, in particular the traditional blues-loving Scandinavian countries. These artists get favored by white audiences, by Malaco Records, by Living Blues Magazine. Just as southern soul-ers are outcasts in traditional blues outlets, disdained for not using studio-live instruments exclusively, these musicians are the outcasts of southern soul, shunned for their snobbery (real or imagined) and their ambivalence about their identities, often straddling the fence between the two camps. In a way, you have to feel sorry for them.

Among the most prominent are Mr. Sipp, Crystal Thomas, Eddie Cotton, Ra'Shad The Blues Kid & Grady Champion. But there are many more. I'd actually forgotten Grady Champion's name and literally spent hours searching through names on my site just trying to jar my memory. The reason? Castro Coleman, better known as Mr. Sipp, has just released a southern soul single on Malaco (of course!) which, like Malaco artist Champion's "Make That Monkey Jump" so long ago, will make some noise in upcoming southern soul playlists.

Listen to guitarist extraordinaire Mr. Sipp singing "Jeans And Boots" on YouTube.

It's good. Very good. And I look forward to all my hyperbolic generalizations above being proven wrong by the artists. May both off-shoots of the blues someday mingle and enjoy the mutual fruits of their labor. But no one said it was going to be easy. Just as Mr. Sipp's "Jeans & Boots" is dropping, so is Big Mel's "Boots & Jeans". Welcome to the hyper-competitive southern soul market, Mr. Sipp!

Watch For These New Albums!

In a new short Sir Charles Jones explains why, in this age of digital streaming of singles, he isn't publishing a new album this winter, which he's done annually for longer than just about anybody in southern soul music. He's right, of course. Digital singles are where the action is. But the demise of albums hasn't arrived as predicted. Albums still elevate careers.

Witness one of the new stars of the genre, F.P.J., whose debut album "The Introduction" (after two years of successful singles) won BEST ALBUM OF 2025 and a five-star Daddy B. Nice review, lending significant stature to his claim to being one of the top performers in southern soul. And the list of finalists for "best album" in 2025 was longer than ever.

Best Southern Soul Album
2025 Finalists:

Sir Charles Jones---The Elite King
Jeter Jones---My Fans Only
T.K. Soul---Timeless
David Brinston---David Brinston Live
Fat Daddy---Perfect EP
Ny'Aira---Genysis
Ms. Jody---Cougar On The Prowl
Tucka---The Hit Nation Compilation
Volton Wright---Love Games
Mike Clark Jr.---Keep On Steppin: Big Stepper Edition
Bigg Robb---Juke Joint Soul
F.P.J.---The Introduction
Memphis Jackson---It's All About You
Ronnie Bell---Moments in Time, Pt. 1: Cookout Classics
Tiffany Rachal---Southern Soul Country Girl
Rodnae---Strictly For The Ladies
Joe Nice---The King Of Southern Soul Hip-Hop
Tyree Neal---Love Intervention
Willie Clayton---Double Play Soul & R&B
Sheba Potts-Wright---Ain't Got Time, The New Beginning EP
Avail Hollywood---The King Of Grown Folks Music
Ricky White---Turn My Life Around
Kang 803---New School Blues
J. Red The Nephew---Redemption EP
Lady Songbird Jinda---Tables Turn EP
Magic One---Magic City Volume 1 EP
Arthur Young---A Trucker's Blues Volume 3
Myia B---The Soul Buffet EP
Mr. Willy---Get Drunk And Go Home
J'Cenae---The Evolution Of J'Cenae
Big Mel---Soul Vibes
King Relle---Love & Zydeco
Ghost Ghoston---Willie EP
Pastor Derek "The Change Man" Smith---Live & In My Feelings
Carlin Taylor---Get In Where I Fit In EP
P2K DaDiddy---Dance & Party
Wendell B---Legacy the Tribute Album
L.J. Echols---Reset EP
Jay Morris---Smooth With It
Karen Wolfe---Going Out Tonight EP

Here's what's breaking in southern soul albums in early 2026:

I'm Just Being Me----Marcellus The Singer

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Best Of Both Worlds EP ----O.B. Buchana & Fat Daddy

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It's Over EP----Jeff Floyd

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Southern Soul Lone Ranger----Jeter Jones

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Low Down Dirty Blues EP----Sheba Potts-Wright

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Grown Man Blues----Avail Hollywood

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The Preacher's Son----Adrian Bagher

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Play Me Some Blues----Tyree Neal

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Recharge----LaMorris Williams

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Soul and Seduction----Squirt Kelly

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Do You Remember When?----Anthony Q.

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Deep Inside My Southern Soul EP----Unkle Phunk

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Soul of A Woman----Fat Daddy

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My Artistry----C-Wright

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Pretty Lips the Album----Omar Cunningham

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Celebration Of Life-----Gwen Yvette

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And Coming Soon...New LP's by Breeze MrDo2Much (Dem Country Folk), Mr. Smoke (Too Much Smoke), T.K Soul (Mind Of An Urban Legend), Tiffany Rachal (Tell Me), Bigg Robb, Willie Clayton and more...

---Daddy B. Nice

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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February 6, 2026:

TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: FEBRUARY

An expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in FEBRUARY 2026.

1. "To Love Somebody"---Al Green
2. "Don't Stop"---King George feat. Pokey Bear
3. "Cold World"-----Devonese feat. L. Dot D.
4. "Get With It (Or Get Out)"-----Donnie Ray
5. "Is Dat Alright?"-----Myia B.
6. "We Drink, We Eat, We Party"-----Bigg Robb feat. The Problem Solvas
7. "Brang N Da Dawgs"-----Da Director
8. "(Good Weed & A Bottle Of) Moonshine"----Mr. LD
9. "Shake It"-----Nephew Jones
10. "Make It Right"----T.K. Soul feat. Jake Carter

11. "Playing The Blues"---L.J. Echols
12. "Stand On That"---Houston County Cowboy feat. Nephew Jones
13. "Too Cold"---Mr. Smoke
14. "Step On"---Breeze MrDo2Much
15. "Can I Have This Dance"---Myia B.
16. "Marry Me"---803Fresh
17. "Daddy Wasn't Wrong"---Gwen Yvette
18. "Unapologetic Soul"---Dirty Charlie
19. "Bandana Around Her Boots"---Badd Newz, Big Mucci, Big Meechie
20. "Ooowwee"---David J.

21. "Who's In The Building?"---Dee Dee Simon
22. "Candy Licker"---Uncle Willie
23. "Juke Joint Up On The Hill"---Booker Brown
24. "Step Wit Me"---Marcellus The Singer
25. "Whiskey In My Cup"---Big Kutty
26. "At The Trailride"---James McGhee
27. "Last Goodbye"---Bre Wooten
28. "Look At All This Eye Candy"---Lee Roy Ward
29. "The One"---Rodnae Da Boss
30. "Come And Get It"---O.B. Buchana feat. Fat Daddy

31. "Girl You Fumbled"---J-Wonn
32. "Lose Your Good Thing"---Willie Clayton
34. "Shapeshifter"---David Sylvester
35. "People Gone Talk"---Stan Butler
36. "Celebrating Life"---Gwen Yvette feat. Sean Dolby
37. "Something About This Music"---Sky Whatley feat. Jeter Jones
38. "Southern Soul Sex"---Jus K
39. "Ride"---Gentry-Jones
40. "Tell Me"---Tiffany Rachal

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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January 24, 2026:

Winners Announced! Daddy B. Nice's 19th Annual Southern Soul Awards

Click here.

January 6, 2026:

TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: JANUARY

An expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in JANUARY 2026.

1. "No Rush"---King George
2. "Book Of Love (Chapter Two)"---Tucka
3. "Mobtown Boogie"-----Ida Lee
4. "Being Slept On"-----Unkle Phunk
5. "Still Got It"-----Lina
6. "Thick In All The Right Places"-----Maurice337 feat. J. Neaux
7. "Chocolate Love"-----Stevie J. Bluez
8. "Trailride"----Tonio Armani
9. "In The Truck"-----Avail Hollywood
10. "Cups In The Air"----Mike Clark Jr.

11. "Two Step"---West Love
12. "Family Ain't Shit"---Lady 601
13. "Let's Get Away (Country Remix)"---Bigg Robb
14. "We Came To Party"---T.K. Soul
15. "Jared"---Jeter Jones
16. "Trailride Bounce Remix"---Ladi T. feat. Jeter Jones
17. "Lady Luck"---Young Guy
18. "Like A Tambourine"---Rodney Wilkerson
19. "Big Mama"---K. Morris
20. "Rodeo"---Lamar Brace

21. "Slower"---Arthur Young
22. "Shooting My Shot"---Jay Morris, Zee Brownlow & Big Mel
23. "Smart, Dangerous & Wise"---Highway Heavy, Johnny James & Omar Cunningham
24. "Don't Stop Moving"---King George & Big Pokey Bear
25. "Nickel And Dime"---Mr. Midnight
26. "Is Dat Alright?"---Myia B
27. "Foolin' Around"---Boi Berry
28. "Shapeshifter"---David Sylvester
29. "Walk That Walk (Remix)"---Anthony Q feat. Tonio Armani, 803Fresh & Soulful Skonie
30. "Be Careful"---Breeze MrDo2Much

31. "Ol' Heads"---Bigg Robb
32. "Turn It Loose"---Big Yayo
34. "A Special Night"---O.C. Soul
35. "Southern Flame"---Dolla Bill Dodson
36. “Brang N Dem Dawgs”---Da Director
37. "I'm Talking 'Bout You"---David Sylvester & Antoinette Gabrielle
38. "Walk That Walk (Remix)"---Anthony Q feat. Tonio Armani, 803Fresh & Soulful Skonie
39. "Masters Degree"---LaMorris Williams
40. "Party Down South"---Mizz Cookie

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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December 28, 2025:

SOUTHERN SOUL 2025: The Year In Review!

Pictured: Mike Clark Jr.

What a year! Algorithms. TikTok shorts. Artificial intelligence. Mash-ups. Line dances. Steppers. But more than anything, 2025 marked a seismic shift in the balance of power between the new, young, viral artists pouring into southern soul and the reigning veterans of the genre up to and including the great King George. It wasn't even close. A near complete musical domination by the youngsters. Stars like Tucka, King George, West Love, Pokey Bear and Jeter Jones did good work, but the newbies (and producers backing them) were nothing short of phenomenal, uncovering a vast new audience. 803Fresh topped the Billboard charts (Adult R&B Airplay). Michelle Obama danced to his "Boots On The Ground". Mike Clark Jr. signed with Atlantic Records, Tonio Armani with Snoop Dog's Death Row---national labels previously considered far beyond the wildest dreams of the little genre that couldn't but suddenly, inexplicably could.

And it didn't involve hype, co-option, or the bastardization of the music. The new hit songs were replete with a mystery fans found ravishing. Mystery. Freshness. It was the one element that kept fans trolling obsessively. No one had ever come up with the phrase "boots on the ground". No one had ever asked, "Where 'dem fans at?" There were so many points in the making of these songs at which most musicians would have quit and said, "That's enough." But these young guns---803Fresh, Tonio Armani, Mike Clark Jr., F.P.J. and E.J. Jones (and their producers)---said, "No, we're going to infuse these projects with every possible ingredient to make them sensational." They did and they made history, making 2025 one for the record books.

The first quarter of '25 brought some departures from the country and trailride-dominated southern soul of 24's singles charts. Hip-hop re-emerged with King George's "Unbelievable" featuring Snoop Dogg. And a wave of up-tempo dance jams led by 803Fresh's viral line-dancing smash "Boots On The Ground" gave the new year a jolt of high energy.

"I never thought I'd see it," I remarked in April. "They're street-dancing to 803Fresh's "Boots On The Ground" in NYC's Times Square outside the Broadway discount tickets booth." Mike Clark Jr.'s hypnotic "Keep On Steppin'" and Simply Wayne's raucous re-release of "Juke Joint Love" continued the club-dancing mania. And what had seemed unattainable a couple of decades ago---a younger generation enthused and energized by southern soul music---had become a reality. Meanwhile, Mike Clark Jr.'s percussion-heavy, quasi-military, clap-happy "Keep On Stepping" had taken the social media baton from "Boots On The Ground" and was running away with it, featured in numerous YouTube videos and countless reels of line-dancing shorts.

Then, refreshed and repackaged, came the latest front-runner for streams in this unprecedented harvest of line-dancing highlights gone viral: a beautiful, haunting and comparatively slow-tempo-ed bomb from two years ago---Daddy B. Nice's #1 Single from August 2023---"Cowgirl Trailride," by S. Dott and Tonio Armani. The Sparta, Georgia-native Armani already had a highly-popular line-dancing favorite, "Country Girl," on social media. Now "Cowgirl Trailride" with its own slow but sexy, hip-swaying line-dance, was suddenly everywhere. Drenched in the mystery of its unforgettable, Armani-sung "Horses in the stable/I love the way you ride" chorus, wildly successful on its second run, the song encouraged other overlooked and previously-released tunes such as Meechie's "Trailride Sailing," Gasner The Artist's "Love Entanglement" and Nephew Jones's "My Type Of Carrying On" to follow suit. And midway through 2025, southern soul music already had a banner year for top-streaming records.

Myia B, one of the most popular and productive new female artists of the year, had an interesting aside (with a clear ring of truth) when she commented about her hit single, "5 More Minutes". "I wrote this song," she said, "to capture how partying has felt to me throughout my life and especially where it is now with the marriage of Southern Soul & line-dancing." In a sign of passing eras, King George performed live in Detroit in July with Morris Day---like Snoop Dog a new adherent of southern soul---and George was the headliner over the former superstar of The Time. And in another surprising development, The Jay Morris Group, southern soul's pre-eminent group (and one of the few), fell short of officially disbanding but splintered, with siblings Jay and Kay Morris pursuing solo careers.

The Louisiana Blues Brothas (Pokey Bear, Adrian Bagher and Tyree Neal), whose one and only album Love On The Bayou had kick-started another era of southern soul a decade ago with the classic single "My Sidepiece," reunited for a performance in Gulfport, Mississippi in August. In September the late, great Wendell B's Legacy: The Tribute Album appeared. In October "The Man With The Singing Ding-a-Ling," Frank Lucas, passed away. And by the time leaves were turning, artificial intelligence was invading southern soul, sparking heated debates in Daddy B. Nice's Mailbag amongst deejays and influencers.

In a year boasting the emergence of no less than three major southern soul stars---803Fresh, Mike Clark Jr. and Tonio Armani---you'd have thought not much more could be contained in 2025's bag of musical largesse. But that was before "Gas Station Love," a single recorded by a young unknown from Memphis named E.J. Jones, received more than a million YouTube streams in its first two weeks. It also generated an unprecedented number of accolades (5,000-plus!) in its YouTube page comments, and from the very day it was posted spawned never-before-seen, accompanying YouTube videos: a first. The opinions in these "reaction" videos were split between sheer disbelief (A-I? A young man singing an older man's vocal?) and undiluted praise, citing the song's fusion of vintage sounds (think early-seventies Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street") with today's emphasis on danceable tracks. "Most performers would commit a felony to front this rhythm section," your Daddy B. Nice wrote in November's #1 Single bullet commentary, "but the distinctive elements of 'Gas Station Love' are its lead guitar riffs chiming like church bells amidst the gorgeous spaces between."

Even then, the year wasn't quite tapped out. The southern soul musicians' favorite, Fred Palmer Jr.---better known as F.P.J.---dropped his first album. And in a year featuring a bumper crop of long-play discs by a football arena's contingent of southern soul notables (including Ms. Jody, T.K. Soul, Volton Wright, Jeter Jones, David Brinston, Sir Charles Jones, Tucka, Bigg Robb, Fat Daddy, Rodnae, Tiffany Rachal, Ronnie Bell, Memphis Jackson, Joe Nice, Tyree Neal, Willie Clayton, Sheba Potts-Wright, Myia B, Calvin Richardson, Avail Hollywood, Jay Swag, Kang803, J. Red The Nephew, Mike Clark Jr., 803Fresh, Ricky White, Magic One, Lady Songbird Jinda, Arthur Young, Jay Morris, J'Cenae, Big Mel, Ghost Ghoston, King Relle, Derek "The Change Man" Smith, Mr. Willie, Carlin Taylor, P2K DaDiddy, L.J. Echols, Jeff Floyd, Karen Wolfe and Unkle Phunk),... FPJ's "The Introduction" was arguably the most eagerly anticipated. The title song ranked #2 in November (DBN's Top 10) and #1 in December, with your Daddy B. Nice writing in the latter: "Intro's to albums are usually after-thoughts, composed after the main tracks are completed. I doubt even FPJ realized what a perfect vehicle for his talent "Intro" would become. "The blood running through my veins" indeed... I no longer think of this song as the introduction to an album (which by the way is excellent and is reviewed with five stars in Daddy B. Nice's Reviews) but a southern soul classic to be enjoyed and admired completely on its own."

All in all, I think I could have been forgiven for gloating, in a mid-year column titled "These Are The Good Old Days":---"How does it feel, Southern Soul Nation, to have the hottest-trending music in America? Another day, another reel of TikTok "shorts" and YouTube videos to get your feet tapping. Anyone tiring of "Boots On The Ground?" Hell Naw! By the way, Bishop Bullwinkle's "Hell Naw To The Naw Naw!" went viral ten years ago. And 803Fresh has been in TikTok's top ten streams for months now, often #1. This is the "Cupid Shuffle" (17 years ago, 99 million views) all over again."

And to any long-timers who think the music has left them behind, let me recount something that just happened in December. A letter-writer sent in a "looking for a song" question:

Hi. I need your help. I heard this southern soul song with the first lyrics being "Come out here on the floor" and it's not "Baby Workout." I know it came out in 2007 by an older performer. I know that's not a lot but I figured I'd give it a try.

I replied:

Funny. I found your question amusing on two counts. One, I was just wondering in the "Mailbag" about "looking for a song" being outdated by the emergence of A-I. Two, the lyric "Come out here on the floor" made me immediately think of the first line of Simply Wayne's current hit single, "Juke Joint Love". It's #14 in "Daddy B. Nice's Top 25 Southern Soul Songs of 2025," currently posted on Daddy B. Nice's Corner. Otherwise, not enough clues for me!

If you're positive about it coming out in 2007 (I continued), I'd recommend going to the navigation bar and clicking "Best of 2007," which will instantly bring up all the top ten singles from that year. (Troll the right-hand column under Top 10 Singles.) In the meantime I'll post your question in The Mailbag and see if any of those far more savvy deejays than I can come up with an answer.

The letter writer replied:

Thanks for getting back to me. I appreciate your help.

A week---maybe a week and a half---passed. Then the letter writer wrote me again:

You were right. It's "Juke Joint Love". Thanks so much for your help.

---Daddy B. Nice

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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December 14, 2025:

Daddy B. Nice's THE BEST OF THE BEST!

The Top 25 Southern Soul Songs of 2025

1. "Boots On The Ground"---- 803Fresh
Listen to 803Fresh singing "Boots On The Ground" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide.

2. "Keep On Steppin'"---- Mike Clark Jr.
Listen to Mike Clark Jr. singing "Keep On Steppin'" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide.

3. "Gas Station Love"---- E.J. Jones
Listen to E.J. Jones singing "Gas Station Love" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide.

4. "Cowgirl Trailride"---- Tonio Armani & S. Dott
Listen to Tonio Armani and S. Dott singing "Cowgirl Trailride" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide.

5. "Intro"---- F.P.J.
Listen to F.P.J. singing "Intro" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide.

6. "Lovers & Friends X Sunrise"---- Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Lil' Jon & The East Side Boyz, Usher, Ludacris (DJ TFitzz Mashup)
Listen to Morgan Wallen, Usher et.al. singing "Lovers & Friends X Sunrise" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's original Top 10 bullet commentary.

7. "Help Me Find My Drawls"---- Tonio Armani
Listen to Tonio Armani singing "Help Me Find My Drawls" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide.

8. "Cheat Code"---- Lacee
Listen to Lacee singing "Cheat Code" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide.

9. "Love Me For Real"---- Breeze MrDo2Much
Listen to Breeze MrDo2Much singing "Love Me For Real" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Artist Guide.

10. "My Type Of Carryin' On"---- Nephew Jones
Listen to Nephew Jones singing "My Type of Carryin' On " on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 bullet commentary.

11. "Magic Show"---- David Sylvester
Listen to David Sylvester singing "Magic Show" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's bullet commentary.

12. "Grateful"---- Myia B.
Listen to Myia B. singing "Grateful" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice Artist Guide.

13. "Trailride Sailing"---- Meechie
Listen to Meechie singing "Trailride Sailing" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's bullet commentary.

14. "Juke Joint Love"---- Simply Wayne
Listen to Simply Wayne singing "Juke Joint Love" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's bullet commentary.

15. "Good Thang"---- Devonese
Listen to Devonese singing "Good Thang" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's bullet commentary.

16. "Don Julio"---- Houston County Cowboy
Listen to Houston County Cowboy singing "Don Julio" on YouTube.
See Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 bullet commentary.

17. "Louisiana Lovin'"---- David Sylvester
Listen to David Sylvester singing "Louisiana Lovin'" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's bullet commentary.

18. "Side By Side"---- Cecily Wilborn & King George
Listen to Cecily Wilborn & King George singing "Side By Side" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice Artist Guide.

19. "All Night"---- King Relle
Listen to King Relle singing "All Night" on YouTube.
See Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 bullet commentary.

20. "She Badd"---- Wendell B.
Listen to Wendell B singing "She Badd" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice Artist Guide.

21. "Southern Night Southern Love"---- Ny'Aira
Listen to Ny'Aira singing "Southern Night Southern Love" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's bullet commentary.

22. "Toe Up"---- Myia B and CharMeka Joquelle
Listen to Myia B and CharMeka Joquelle singing "Toe Up" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice Artist Guide.

23. "Blow The Whistle"---- Big Mel
Listen to Big Mel singing "Blow The Whistle" on YouTube.
See Daddy B. Nice Artist Guide.

24. "Juke Joint Party"---- Karen Wolfe
Listen to Karen Wolfe singing "Juke Joint Party" on YouTube.
See Daddy B. Nice Artist Guide.

25. "Mr. Jody"---- Uncle Willie
Listen to Uncle Willie singing "Mr. Jody" on YouTube.
Read Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 bullet commentary.

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION...UNDER CONSTANT REVISION....

April 6, 2026:

TOP 40 SOUTHERN SOUL SINGLES: APRIL

An expanded list of the songs vying for "Top Ten Singles" in APRIL 2026.

1. "Every Cowgirl Need A Horse To Ride (Re-Entry)"---Breeze MrDo2Much
2. "Soul Train Line (Remix)"---Tee Doe Brown feat. Mike Clark Jr.
3. "Tear The Night Down"-----Tucka
4. "Nellie's 1 Two Step"-----Nellie "Tiger" Travis
5. "Better Watch Charlie"-----Karen Wolfe
6. "Smoke In The Air"-----Roi "Chip" Anthony
7. "Still In Love With You"-----Big G
8. "On The Loose"----Highway Heavy feat. Johnny James
9. "Just In Case"-----T.K. Soul feat. Sir Charles Jones
10. "Mind They Bizness"----M. Cally

11. "Break Rules"---Ciddy Boi P feat. S'Bijou
12. "My Type Of Woman"---Squirt Kelly
13. "Soul Groove"---Meme Yahsal
14. "Peanut Butter Thick"---B.J. Moodswing
15. "Ain't Gettin' That Thang No Mo"---Arthur Young
16. "What's The Move"---West Love feat. Jones
17. "Whoopdy Doo"---Kandy Janai
18. "Stuck In My Wayz"---Poppa Hussein feat. Big Mel & P.J. McGhee
19. "That's Me and Yo Boo "---T.K. Soul feat. Mr. Sam
20. "Good Cookin'"---Jake Carter

21. "Fill You Up"---Marcellus The Singer
22. "No Chaser"---Mike Clark Jr. feat. K. Camp
23. "Steppin'"---Terry B.
24. "What A Country Boy Do"---Breeze MrDo2Much
25. "Got Me Gone"---David J.
26. "Do What You Gotta Do"---Lady Kay
27. "Hard On 'Em"---Ashley Ave
28. "If You Gotta"---J. Lake
29. "Sticks And Stones"---Marcellus The Singer
30. "Standing In The Rain"---Al Green

31. "My Kountry Kin Folk"---Lacee
32. "Repo Man"---Cookie D.
34. "God's Been Good"---West Love
35. "Grown And Ready"---Coco Wade
36. "The Only One For Me"---T.K. Soul
37. "I Can't Leave"---Miss Lady Blues
38. "Country Man (Re-Entry)"---Denise Cannon
39. "I Saw You Looking"---DJ A.J. Capone feat. Willie P.
40. "Gas Station (Remix)"---E.J. Jones

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

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