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 Jacksoul frontman Haydain Neale was thoughtful and opinionated about the state of black music. (Sun Media files) |
On my Facebook page Monday night, the testimonials were being posted at a crazy pace.
We’d just heard that lung cancer had claimed the life of singer Haydain Neale of jacksoul and there was no stopping the outpouring of praise and emotion.
Haydain was only 39 and he leaves behind his wife, Michaela, and daughter Yasmin.
I knew Haydain and I respected the man and his work, and although we’d lost touch over the last few years, I often wondered how he was faring after his well-publicized scooter accident in summer 2007.
I was assuming he was back on track when Sony Music Canada announced in late October that jacksoul’s fifth album, SOULmate, would be released on Dec. 1.
I first heard jacksoul sometime in the mid-’90s when a friend hooked me up with a cassette of their music. Alternately sensuous and gritty, it was soul music like no one in Canada was making. And Haydain’s smoky voice and delivery led many to compare him to Seal.
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Few are carrying the soul banner like jacksoul, and Haydain’s voice will be dearly missed.
“Time stood still for me when I heard Unconditional (the gorgeous single off the group’s first CD, Absolute),” says Stephane Lecuyer, who was one of Haydain’s management representatives for five years. “That track was worldly and timeless, and no soul act in Canada has been able to replicate that sound.”
On stage, Haydain oozed sex appeal and commanded the stage. Jacksoul’s live gigs were sweaty, fun, communal affairs.
I interviewed Haydain twice for The Sun and always found him to be thoughtful, opinionated about the state of black music, and humble.
When I wrote about jacksoul’s album, Resurrected, in 2004, I commented that the music wasn’t a radical departure from what they’d served us before, and I took Haydain to task for wearing his influences so explicitly on his sleeve.
Classy guy that he was, he didn’t get defensive.
“What I endeavour to do with jacksoul is bring things forward with new progressions, new melodies, a new way to jump off vocally, but I park it on something that’s universally full of love and vibe and soul,” he said, explaining his philosophy.
Over the course of his career, Haydain earned a reputation as a gifted songwriter. He was awarded the SOCAN Award for R&B Song of the Year; a Canadian Urban Music Award for Songwriter of the Year, and two Juno Awards for Best R&B/Soul Recording.
“Soul is about life and Haydain was uncompromising about how he viewed life and music, and that was reflected in his music,” Lecuyer said. “We became very close over the five years that we worked together, and there was no ego. He was funny, thoughtful and he put his family first no matter what.”
Here’s something Haydain wrote in the liner notes of jacksoul’s previous album, mySOUL, that’s worth sharing only because, as someone who knew him, I can attest that he meant every word:
“I think music can heal and educate. If jacksoul never makes another recording, I’ll always be proud that our music was a positive force, for not just love between couples, but love of self, community and the world. It’s been a crazy place, this earth, since the last record. And if we could all exercise some true tolerance of each others’ existence; some understanding of each others’ cultures; and accurate knowledge of our common histories, we would then find ourselves in a much better world indeed.”
Sony Music Canada has confirmed that SOULmate will still be released on Dec. 1. All proceeds are going to the Haydain Neale Family Trust.