The Atlanta area has a rich music history and the music scene continues to thrive to this very day. With so much happening in the industry right in the heart of ATL, there are plenty of local natives who have made a big name for themselves as artists and we wanted to take some time to celebrate them and their work! Atlanta has been dubbed the capital of hip-hop, R&B, and gospel. It’s also been the home to a thriving-indie-rock scene in recent years. Check out our list of albums you don’t want to miss from music artists and groups from around Hotlanta that you may already know and love and get to know the ones you might not be familiar with!
“The Payback” – James Brown
Referred to as “The Godfather of Soul,” “Soul Brother #1,” and “Mr. Dynamite,” James Brown is easily one of the most iconic, influential artists to represent Atlanta in the last century. Starting off his career as a gospel singer and eventually moving through the blues genre into what’s been credited as the earliest influences of funk, Brown has 59 studio albums alone, which doesn’t even count his live albums and compilation ones. Wondering where to start? Check out his 37th album and the only one to become certified gold: “The Payback.” You can listen to it on YouTube here!
“Voyage to India” – India Arie
With over 10 million records sold worldwide and 23 Grammy nominations (four of them won). Atlanta’s own India Arie has plenty of “acoustic soul” to go around. Realizing her love for songwriting and performing while attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, India Arie tapped into her sensitivity which she cited as what helped her hone her songwriting skills and eventually led her to put out her debut album “Acoustic Soul.” A year after “Acoustic Soul” was released, Arie released “Voyage to India” which debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, and went on to win a Grammy for Best R&B album along with her hit single “Little Things” which won in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category. You can listen to the award-winning album on YouTube here!
“Emperor of Sand” – Mastodon
Formed in Atlanta In 2000, Mastodon has made quite the name for themselves in the heavy metal community in their over two decades of releasing music. With multiple albums racking up multiple Grammy nominations over the years, there are plenty of options to choose from to get your metal kick, but “Emperor of Sand” most definitely stands out. If you’re a metal fan, you may already be familiar with their most famous single to come off of that album “Show Yourself,” but the rest of the tracks are most definitely worth a listen. Ready to give Mastodon’s seventh studio album a try? You can listen to the album on YouTube here!
“Genius Loves Company” – Ray Charles
Regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers ever, Ray Charles most certainly deserves a spot on this list. A Kennedy Center Honors, Polar Music Prize, and National Medal of Arts recipient, along with inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, and Black Music and Entertainment Hall of fame, as well as his 18 Grammy awards, and number 10 place on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” list, there’s a whole lot to cover when it comes to Charles’ soulful, monumental career and impact on the arts. It’s hard to know where to dive in to such a complex and extensive discography (60 albums plus an additional over 200 compilation albums) but an album that goes three times platinum here in the United States can’t go wrong! Check out “Genius Loves Company,” Charles’ final studio album that was released posthumously. You can listen to the album in full on YouTube here.
Does all this Atlanta area music talk have you wanting to stick around long-term so you can soak in even more of the impressive music scene? Check out all the homes for rent that we at PMI Perimeter have to offer on our website!
