Miami was once such a soul music mecca that it could rival Motown. This was thanks to classic local labels like Henry Stone's Deep City Records and legendary recording artists like Clarence "Blowfly" Reid, Betty Wright, and the Moovers. Of course, our local melting pot of both Caribbean and American Southern musical influences made for a special homebrewed soul flavor unique to our neck of the woods.

Now while the golden era of Miami soul might be long gone, it's certainly not forgotten by stylistic heirs Ketchy Shuby. For years, these local indie favorites have kept Miami soul alive to the rhythm of their own modern, vibrant beat.

See also: Ketchy Shuby on New Album and Miami Soul, "Grind and Hustle With Integrity and Heart"

Miami soul is "the bright lights, with the grind and hustle mentality, with integrity and heart," Ketchy Shuby frontman and singer, Jason Hernandez-Rodriguez, told Crossfade back in 2013. "Miami has a huge chunk of history that without it, hip-hop, R&B and soul music would be greatly affected by it."

Ahead of Thursday's Ketchy Shuby show at Bardot, we here at Crossfade caught up with Hernandez-Rodriguez to hear about some of the classic, essential Miami soul records that have most inspired the band's sound.

Betty Wright's "Clean Up Woman"

"What can we say about this song that hasn't been said. First time I heard this song (or lick, better yet) was in '92, sampled by Mary J Blige in the 'Real Love' remix which featured Notorious B.I.G. -- Puff Daddy was the remixer who used the sample. I remember just hearing the guitars and being like 'those guitars are mad tropical.'

"Of course, as we got older, we did our homework and learned about Betty Wright and the legendary Clarence Reid (now known as Blowfly) and Willie Clarke. This song will always be a classic, and has helped catapult artists and producers to dig and sample Miami soul."