A review by adamgolden
Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz
4.0
(4/5★)
Marvin Gaye is easily one of my favorite musical artists of all time. From the early days in his career creating soulful Doo-wop music to his later days with sensual R&B and Funk, Marvin seemed to effortlessly be making hit after hit, while reinventing himself with every major release. While reading this book has honestly made me a bit less of a fan of Marvin "as a person", it contains some interesting insight into his often troubled/depressing life and egotistical nature. Marvin, just like everybody else, had his share of flaws, but those flaws helped him create music that was honest and genuine, regardless of the subject matter. If there was one musical artist that I could bring back from the dead, to see thrive in the current era, it'd undoubtedly be Gaye.
Marvin Gaye is easily one of my favorite musical artists of all time. From the early days in his career creating soulful Doo-wop music to his later days with sensual R&B and Funk, Marvin seemed to effortlessly be making hit after hit, while reinventing himself with every major release. While reading this book has honestly made me a bit less of a fan of Marvin "as a person", it contains some interesting insight into his often troubled/depressing life and egotistical nature. Marvin, just like everybody else, had his share of flaws, but those flaws helped him create music that was honest and genuine, regardless of the subject matter. If there was one musical artist that I could bring back from the dead, to see thrive in the current era, it'd undoubtedly be Gaye.