SingStar R&B Review

If there is one thing music nerds love, loath, and spend hours squabbling over, it’s genre definitions. While the same is true in gaming circles, nowhere else is debate over the jargon of classification so prolific. With definitions of course comes confusion. In the same way that ‘shooter’ could refer to a modern FPS or an aging 2D scrolling shmup, a musical term like ‘garage’ could refer to smooth, seductive girl-group groove, off-beat two-step clubbing anthems, American house music, or aggressive, nerve-stretching lo-fi punk.

And If there’s one genre title that causes those very same music nerds the most engrossing indulgence in contests of knowledge, it is R ‘n’ B. Purists might insist it alludes to the legends of rhythm and blues like John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Mississippi Fred McDowell, while scrawny Union-Jack clad mods would have you believe it refers to The Who, Booker T. and the MGs and the mighty MC5s. Most should eventually conclude R ‘n’ B is actually a broader term that covers the meeting point of the boundaries of all things soulful, from Motown’s mesmerising, upbeat heart, through to funk, ska, calypso, reggae, dancehall and hip hop.

While there’s certainly no intention on Sony’s behalf, all this means SingStar R&B’s title could cause a certain amount of confusion. Those expecting gloom-ridden tales from America’s Deep South might well be disappointed, but on the whole SCEE’s informed approach has applied a fairly open-minded, all-encompassing attitude to track selection. That said, there is a substantial emphasis on modern R ‘n’ B; the likes of which have been made popular by MTV Base, rap crossover and the dubiously named ‘urban’ section of record shops.

The result is a perhaps one of the most controversial SingStars with regard to taste. Almost everyone with even a distant interest in R ‘n’ B will likely find a gem they love on this compilation, but they will equally feel a handful of tunes are an insult to the genre and their understanding of the music.

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas’ seminal hit Dancing in the Street for example, is included alongside the likes of drag queen wannabes The Pussycat Dolls and the geisha baiting Gwen Stefani, while Marvin Gaye bares sharing disk space with Anastacia and the most curious inclusion; Mark Ronson.

Still, Sony knows what tunes make for good karaoke, and they know the spice of variety, evident in a huge range of tracks that make for hilarious booze-addled party gaming. While Luther Vandross and groups like the Four Tops give fans of the classics a chance to join in, Salt ‘n’ Pepa and The Fresh Prince add a healthy dose of ironic, laugh out loud syllable dribble.

There are also less obvious masterworks, including Good Life by Inner City, and Womack and Womack’s superb Teardrops, and momentous tunes from younger lungs, like OutKast and the funky junkie who calls herself Amy Winehouse. The best tune to sing at neighbour bothering volume at two in the morning, however, is the barnstorming funk behemoth that is War, from the explosive voice of Edwin Starr, though be warned, because for a tune about pacifism, it can take your vocal chords to the torture rack and leave your living room looking like the frontline.

Around half of SingStar R ‘n’ B is actually made up of more commercially viable content, and if the likes of En Vogue, Destiny’s Child, Jamelia, Chris Brown and the Black Eyed Peas share your heartbeat, you’ll find yourself in audible bliss.

Of course, if there is one thing that unites all of the above artists, and perhaps defines R ‘n’ B as much as any other criteria, it is incredibly powerful singing ability, and a voice that could put raw sexuality and emotion into a reading of the phonebook at a Thatcher-era Conservative party conference. The trouble with that of course, is that most of us have voices more suited to howling and wailing, and resultantly, while SingStar R&B is as fun as any previous edition, it knows how to make you feel like you have all the vocal dexterity of a braying ass.

Other than the tunes though, this is fairly familiar console karaoke. While there is a continued focus on broadening the range of medleys, that bombard players with a barrage of themed snippets from the compilation’s master list of tunes, the formula for solo and multiplayer games is as it has always been in the mainstays of the irresistible SingStar series.

All that means is that again Sony has produced a well-considered sing-along and once more broadened the range of genres and styles covered by SingStar. If there are any real classics missing, it is largely because they have already appeared on previous PlayStation2 karaoke compendiums from the Japanese electronics giant, and the result is bound to be another success, as Sony fills the closing chapter of its glorious console with the most unlikely system-seller.