Words by Ben Jolly The story of UK R&B is littered with great hopes, dashed dreams and a fair sprinkling of global successes. With rhythm and blues being predominantly an American art form - growing from the unique tribulations of the African American experience and the journey of the drum from Africa to America, it’s hard to see how the UK version could ever be more than ersatz. It took some time, but eventually UK artists did eventually seize the initiative, break free of the Americans' musical apron strings and create something uniquely British. One of the first big UK R&B successes was the Average White Band, a Scottish combo who released their debut album in 1973. It wasn't until the year after, however, that true success came when they topped the American pop charts with Pick Up The Pieces; a slice of funk so tight it sounded like it could have been squeezed straight outta Memphis. After AWB blazed the trail it was a little easier for others such as London based bands Light Of The World and Incognito to persuade record companies to take them seriously. Both debuted in the late 70s, but it wasn’t until the early 90s that Incognito flourished after signing to Gilles Peterson’s fledging imprint Talkin' Loud. They became one of the few UK R&B acts to channel their initial creative promise into sustained commercial success, eventually releasing more than 10 albums over the next decade. The eighties were a relatively good period for the genre, with Sade, Soul II Soul and Omar all presenting their unique take on Britishness in combination with rhythm and blues. Sade was perhaps the most commercially successful, releasing a series of big selling albums that continued into the nineties, but while Soul II Soul's first album was both massively influential and profitable both sides of the pond the group failed to sustain the astonishing creative impact of songs like Keep On Movin' and Fairplay into the new decade. Omar is also a true innovator, and one of the artists most respected by his peers - but while adored by the cognoscenti he has not yet achieved the commercial success he richly deserves; a truth evidenced by the fact he has recorded for at least five different labels since his debut. The UK’s R&B juices continued to flow as time went by, and not content with the prior success of their compatriots a new crop of artists stepped up to take the genre in a new direction. Beverly Knight scored five top 40 hits and a MOBO award for her second album Prodigal Sista (released in 1998) and in the new millennium Lemar stepped out of the potentially career killing shadows of reality TV show Fame Academy to achieve chart success; and win Brit awards and MOBOs galore. Most recently out of the blocks, and already having notched up her third album, is the controversial Joss Stone. It’s hard to believe such a sweet looking young woman could cause such a fuss, but for some reason a white girl from Devon singing deep soul in the vein of R&B veteran Betty Wright seemed to put some backs up. With new albums arriving from Omar and Joss Stone the scene is still looking fresh in 2007. While other genres like jungle and grime are more inimitably British, as long as veterans and newcomers alike continue to build their careers based on a distinctive British sound which develops the traditions of American rhythm and blues but adds that sprinkle of musical magic dust that only folk from this side of the pond possess, UK R&B can remain justifiably proud of its achievements.