Image Source: Disney Plus [1]
Disney+'s Soul [2] will warm your heart with its uplifting story, but it will also bless your ears with its incredible soundtrack. The film, which premiered on Christmas [3], follows a middle-school band teacher named Joe (Jamie Foxx [4]) who has big dreams to become a famous jazz musician [5]. However, when he finally gets his big break, he is transported to another realm where he must help a young soul named 22 find her "spark" so that he can return back to his body on Earth. Since the film centres around an aspiring musician, there are a handful of incredible songs throughout, but the most notable musical moment isn't actually one of Joe's songs.
During a scene in the subway station, Joe and 22 happen upon a very talented singer. As the singer strums the guitar and croons beautiful lyrics about love, it's hard not to get lost in their incredible voice. So, just who is the talented musician? The subway singer is voiced by R&B singer Cody Chesnutt. In fact, the Atlanta native wrote, produced, and performed the track featured in the film, which is titled "Parting Ways [6]."
In addition to appearing on the Soul soundtrack, Chesnutt has a handful of other notable singing credits. In 2002, Chesnutt released a double LP titled The Headphone Masterpiece, which received positive reviews from critics. The album even caught the attention of The Roots, who rerecorded the track "The Seed" for their album Phrenology. Chesnutt even appears in the music video [8] for the updated track! Interestingly enough, Soul also features an appearance from The Roots' drummer QuestLove, who voices Curly in the film.
Get a glimpse of Chesnutt's appearance in the movie ahead, and be sure to check out the rest of his music catalogue [9].