Who was it that once said, “Ronald Isley’s voice is to ears what silk fabric is to skin”? No one? Well, someone should have. Because it is. And as lead vocalist for The Isley Brothers, Ron Isley has provided timeless soul and late-night mood-setting R&B classics more times than we can count over the course of a 60-plus-year career. Who, then, could Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s esteemed Verzuz series pit against an altogether legendary outfit like The Isley Brothers? None other than another pillar of contemporary Black American music, Earth, Wind & Fire. If listening to The Isley Brothers is like slipping into satiny sheets, the music of fellow all-timers Earth, Wind & Fire is like basking in spring sunlight. Both groups have soul music compositions that play out like Black music symphonies, and both have tapped into expressions of love that encapsulate the Black American experience in ways few others ever could. This particular Verzuz event is so epic that friend and admirer of both groups Steve Harvey had to get involved as host. Let’s just hope he doesn’t feel the need to sing the way he did when he gave Earth, Wind & Fire their BET Lifetime Achievement Award back in 2002. Who are we kidding—it’s everyone’s right to sing EWF! This unprecedented celebration of soul music giants takes place on Sunday, 4 April 2021. Get reacquainted with their catalogues by way of the official The Isley Brothers x Earth, Wind & Fire Cheat Sheet playlist, as curated by Apple Music host Lowkey.