Exactly one year ago Beyonce launched by surprise, a homonym album, and stole him that way from standard promotion mechanisms. Although the aim is always the same: to excite the curiosity of the general public.
This time the holiday gift is the responsibility of D’Angelo. Fourteen years after he recorded one studio album, finally returns with new album – Black Messiah is available from Monday on iTunes – although here the surprise effect is smaller because since 2009 that had been speculating that there would be new album on the hori zon.
The two are at different times. Beyoncé is now probably the biggest celebrity of popular music, while D’Angelo tries to revive his career. When this last album released in January 2000 still the singer was in Destiny’s Child, but not difficult to devise D’Angelo is also a great reference for Beyoncé
With only two albums -. Brown Sugar (1995) and especially with Voodoo (2000) -. it’s like having established a canon for the soul music of the last decades
With the first assimilated what was coming back (Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield or Prince) and attributed to his songs soul an organic quality that were to connote with the neo-soul movement of the 1990s, which also are noteworthy Erykah Badu, Jill Scott or Maxwell.
The second album was sonically more ambitious, minimal movement, insinuating balance, lewd environments, a classic. It’s almost impossible to look for soul music, funk or R & B that followed, the more exploratory the most popular, without a glimpse of the influence that was leaving behind. Of OutKast Beck, of Spacek Frank Ocean, Kanye West to The Weeknd, James Blake FKA Twigs, the range of names that took influences that disk is endless.
It was one of those works that not very common thing, became a sales success and at the same time, seduced the most discerning music lovers, easy reach of the 1st of many lists of the best of 2000 -. it happened in ancient supplement PUBLIC Sounds
Albums well, so marked, can be a burden if their authors are not able to manage expectations. That’s what seems to have happened to D’Angelo that after the launch of the tour this record and many awards received (including two Grammy), entered a crossing excesses that put prison for disorders, driving under the influence of alcohol, possession drug or detoxification treatment.
A trip darker side of the success that only in recent years appears to have been mitigated. In 2009 it was said that was preparing to release new album and that the same would entitle James River , but nothing happened. Then two years ago, drummer and leader of the group The Roots, Questlove, who had worked in the past with him, said that now but would even return after overcome problems with additions that had led almost to death.
At that time the musician, who is also known for participating in the Jimmy Fallon TV program, ensuring that the album was almost finalized. So they went to succeeding, since then, many news veiculavam the imminent release of a new album, also grounded in the fact that it has performed live with some new songs.
The following numerous false alarms came to an end on Sunday with a listening session for guests in New York and with the launch of a new song, followed by the entire album on Monday, credited to D’Angelo and his collective The Vanguards. A European tour, starting in February, also already aligned, so this is the same firm return of D’Angelo.
It is possible that the twelve songs that comprise the disc have been composed in different periods, with the soul and funk to be pulled to the limits, with a dense but spacious sound, structured from the balance of bass lines, percussion and guitar chords of itself.
Almost fifteen years later his voice remains unscathed, soft and passionate, but also unpredictable, sometimes seeming take several characters for a single song. There are some political consciousness of letters – “all we wanted was a chance to talk / stead we only got outlined in chalk “, sings in The charade – which is not surprising, having to note the reason for the album title.
Black Messiah has nothing to do with religion or with individuality celebrations explains. It is an ode to feel collective, whether in Ferguson, Egypt during the Arab Spring or the Wall Street protests. It is a way of affirming that we are all leaders, he says.
There are some collaborations (Questlove, Q-Tip or Kendra Foster), but it is clearly a very personal album. As expected does not have the conceptual unit of the former. At that time the environments were lush, now sensuality is exposed more tortuous way. But in its diversity just to keep the essential elements that earned him cult, with an intense sonic apparatus – more funk, Sly Stone in line, than soul, as Marvin Gaye.
Last year Beyonce’s album it was not included in the Year Best list, because it was released in mid-December when most publications had published their lists. This year, D’Angelo will also no longer the time, but his career seems relaunched.
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