D'Angelo - Black Messiah (2014)

oh and

another life

music d'angelo, questlove
lyrics d'angelo, kendra foster

that cock-eyed groove on 'Prayer' is so killer. Has a west coast hh feel too it, Quik-esque claps coming in at the end, Dre-esque bells placed perfectly, that spooky sound that never leaves. Could probably spend a few full listens just trying dig my ears into these guitars too.

thx jord

ok I just got to "Really Love" and holy FUCK

wow, prayer

"another life" is making me wanna lay down naked on a grand piano rn

"betray my heart" started and i covered my face with my hands and started crying idk
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson)

Sugah Daddy sounds more like Left, Right which is wonderful but not earthshaking. Looking forward to contact with the stellar.
― a stupid red mute juggalo (forksclovetofu)

"another life" is making me wanna lay down naked on a grand piano rn

otm, see you there

prince made the second best prince album of 2014 go figure

Another Life is so enveloping.

Impossible not to grin like a motherfucker throughout "Betray My Heart"

yeah. coda on that one is too good.

oh man "Another Life" is too good, nobody was lying. this album feels so short!

I'm amazed at how disciplined it is - no wooly long-in-the-making vibes, just craft and attention and care.

I've been listening to the Sturgill Simpson album and was struck by how after two listens I was already bowled over and that pretty much never happens to me.
I don't think I've ever been so completely taken by EVERYTHING on an album on first listen before and this had every card stacked against it. really impressed.

if i was nitpicking, i'd like a version of really love for over and over replay use that has the first minute or so of the intro clipped.

just craft and attention and care.

ding ding ding

off a couple listens, my faves are "1,000 Deaths", "Really Love", "Sugah Daddy", "The Charade", "Another Life" in roughly that order. Only one I'm not so sure about is "The Door" but I have a hard time with whistling in general.

I had the same reaction to "The Door," but not because I don't like whistling. It just seems...unnecessary? I may grow to love it, though, who knows.

imo "the door" rules

imo everything rules

door has some vague pomplamoose vibes which i was able to relocate as SotTimes vibes a'la Starfish and Coffee and that helped

"Prayer" reminds me of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker," which is the first song I ever really got into that purposely sounded like something was wrong with the tape during playback.

are you trying to get kicked out of the thread? (xp)

i dig that the door, sitting on the dock of the bay vibes imo

if i was nitpicking, i'd like a version of really love for over and over replay use that has the first minute or so of the intro clipped.

― a stupid red mute juggalo (forksclovetofu), Monday, December 15, 2014 12:53 AM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this opinion is wrong via facts

the concierto de aranjuez vibes of the intro are one of the best parts

I just heard "The Door" again during my second run through the album and I've gone from neutral to positive. This album is now a 12/12 slam dunk.

the concierto de aranjuez vibes of the intro are one of the best parts

anyways, if we can't unite as a board around this album we're all fucked so let's take quibbles with a grain o salt plz

this opinion is wrong via facts

― deej loaf (D-40), Sunday, December 14, 2014 11:11 PM Bookmark

word

omg this album

wow @ "prayer"

i ordered it from amazon. seems weird to have it here when its been expected for so long. not sure i actually want to listen to it yet. that corny saying, 'they aint ready', im actually not lol.

though from hearing sugar daddy, which is nice in a sort of dilla-makes-gangstarr's manifest'-meets-NOLA funk way, i think

questlove was maybe being just a tad hyperbolic when saying this album is 10 years ahead of the game...

I gotta report to jury duty in an hour; I worried that I'd have no new music. ARREST ME PLZ I'M NOT LEAVING THESE CHAMBERS

Mumbles strikes again

Another Life is like listening to, "Never Too Much, "Can't Hide Love", "Baby" from Prince's debut and something else I can't quite remember rn all at once. Incredible.

second half of the album is better than the first imo

1000 Deaths is completely batshit
Yeah this is the best, missed this guy's crazy mixing and fall-off-the-bone feel so much

Only a couple listens in a car so far but this is the most compelling argument for analog recording I've heard in years

Say they be wondering
About the shape I'm in
I hope it ain't my abdomen
You're referring to

ha!

this album really hits its stride with "sugah daddy" for me, it'll all take time to sink in - d'angelo reactions really can't be rushed - but the first couple of tracks made me think i'd perhaps downloaded some dodgy files

also...he and his lyrics are not as foregrounded as i'd thought they might be

"questlove was maybe being just a tad hyperbolic when saying this album is 10 years ahead of the game..."

he said that? lol

it's awesome nonetheless.

xp
He's retreated even further into his head voice over the years which I can't help but think is a bit of a shame

Yeah the first two tracks reminded me of the first time I heard "Amerykahn Promise", love that there's an avant streak off the top
The bell on "Prayer" >>>>>>

when i first heard "amerykahn promise" i was confounded in a brilliant way but on "1000 deaths" i thought perhaps two songs were playing at the same time