Soul music is a style of pop music developed by African-Americans combining elements of gospel（福音的） music and rhythm and blues. 

The term was first used in the 1960s to describe a combination of rhythm and blues, gospel, jazz, and rock music. Characterized by intensity of feeling and earthiness in its earliest stages, soul music was found most commonly in Southern US. But many of the young singers migrated to cities in Northern US and popularized the genre. 

Soul is differentiated from rhythm and blues by its use of gospel-music devices, its greater emphasis on vocalists, and its combination of religious and nonreligious themes.