Which soul singer recorded the album "What's Going On" in 1971?

Which soul singer recorded the album "What's Going On" in 1971? Marvin Gaye recorded and released it as his landmark eleventh studio album.

Released on May 21, 1971, the album appeared through Tamla, a Motown subsidiary. Gaye also served as producer, a notable change in an era when Motown artists often worked within tightly controlled production systems. The record was shaped by the Vietnam War, racial conflict, poverty, drug abuse, and environmental concerns.

Rather than a collection of unrelated singles, What's Going On works as a connected song cycle. Tracks such as "What's Happening Brother," "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)," and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" flow together thematically and sometimes musically. The project helped establish a more socially conscious, album-oriented direction for soul music.

A common mix-up is confusing the album with Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On, released later in 1971. That similarly titled album was by a different artist and was partly a response to Gaye's record.