D'Angelo - Black Messiah (2014)

if the vinyl is actually mastered from a HD digital mix via the original audio tapes it might be one of the very few times buying the vinyl edition of a contemporary album will actually be worthwhile. but chances are you aren't going to hear anything you don't hear on the CDs, except for some degree of needle static and added reverberations of course (the amount depending on your system).

that And Justice For All sticker is great. odd that metallica of all folks (or their record company I guess) would be audiophiles.

http://i.imgur.com/EgL338s.png

finn26 not OTM

"except for some degree of needle static"

lucky for everyone who has the cd (like me - and this album sounds so much better on cd than mp3), they put some static at the side of what would be 'side 2' already (i hate that actually, its a bit corny, and a touch TOO retro-fetishy for me).

not to keep banging on about it, but this album REALLY needs to start with 1000 deaths. it works so much better that way. no idea why it isnt the starter.

Absolutely. It sets up the whole record.

secretly hoping dangelo realises the error of his ways for the vinyl pressing.

as i said, until yesterday that was how the album began for me, and it really, really works like that

Ben Kane @kanevibrations · 1h 1 hour ago
Sugah: James Gadson (one of the funkiest humans) is playing the KICK and tapping his LAP on this song. Funky as hell even on the lap.

Idg why people are so down on "Ain't That Easy".

Wow xp

I played this for my guitar teacher yesterday and he all but welled up with awe at the degree of musicianship and groove. I think his point of comparison was the way some of the jazz genius giants would throw in weird versions of chords and phrases just to throw people off, this album does with rhythm. He also noted of little there seemed to be of D'Angelo's single voice, vs. the wall of warbling.

The guitar work on Really Love (I think that's it) is particularly special.

Wonder where Saadiq was in the 15 years hence? So disappointing they didn't collab on this

You should BE HERE Raphael!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCJY2NSSU1g

recording his own albums

I kind of feel like Raphael Saadiq is a super-talented guy who is never quite brilliant in the way D'Angelo is. He always paints within the lines, if that makes sense.

Raph was supposed to producing this album, they'd been working over a year together on it at one point.

http://i.imgur.com/SMjvX7N.png

if they whittled black messiah tracklist down from something like 50 songs it stands to reason that saadiq's collabs just didn't make the cut

One of the "challenges" of this corner of neo-soul is that it often sits in a sweet spot between song and groove in a manner that makes it harder to grapple with than if it drifted more firmly into either territory.

I think this post nails why I struggle with D'Angelo (and a lot of neo-soul in general) but have no problem with either older soul or more modern R&B. There's lots of individual elements I like about this album but I'm finding it difficult to get a foothold in it emotionally.

the saadiq tracks couldn't be any worse than "ain't that easy" and "1000 deaths"

u mad

WAHT xp

I kind of feel like Raphael Saadiq is a super-talented guy who is never quite brilliant in the way D'Angelo is. He always paints within the lines, if that makes sense.

― Dej & the Fommly Loaf (The Reverend),

Solo I thought so until 2011's album, which has crazy shit on it.

saddiq is musically good, lyrically pretty naff. solo that is, not with TTT. not sure what hes been up to since trying to ride the retro 60s bandwagon, post-amy winehouse. but i dont really miss him on this. hes written some good songs with dangelo, but its not like hes THAT essential. id be more interested in him making another TTT album cos i think hes kinda sucky as a solo artist.

have you heard Stone Rollin'?

nope. im interested, but also a bit wary. i found the way i see it pretty vacant and hollow. kind of a soulless exercise. is stone rolling better?

One of the "challenges" of this corner of neo-soul is that it often sits in a sweet spot between song and groove in a manner that makes it harder to grapple with than if it drifted more firmly into either territory.

I think this post nails why I struggle with D'Angelo (and a lot of neo-soul in general) but have no problem with either older soul or more modern R&B. There's lots of individual elements I like about this album but I'm finding it difficult to get a foothold in it emotionally.

― Matt DC,

Possibly the whitest post ever made.

to my ears yeah. I had the same reaction to The Way I See It. SR boasted some cool arrangements with Mellotron and guitars that I dug in 2011. Now you've made me return to it.

cos i think Saadiq kinda sucky as a solo artist.

― StillAdvance,

Haha.

Instant Vintage is a recognized classic. I seriously doubt you've even heard of it though, checking your ridiculous posts in this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_W2Ja-Yi_U

i guess pino palladino played on this!

you seem like one of those people who call anything vaguely good/old sounding a classic. instant vintage has has some great stuff going on, but his lyrics arent one of them. they were offensively dumbed down. the last great album he did was house of music. lucy pearl was better in fact. hes not a good solo artist.

xpost.

and im not even someone who cares that much about lyrics in R&B, but the writing on his first two solo albums ruined them for me.

pino is the most indispensable part of D's crew imo, moreso than Quest for sure.

then again ive not cared to hear them since they were released so who knows what id think of them now.

back to black messiah though, i think the door might be the lightest, most playful, bluesiest, and most country thing dangelo has ever done. also maybe the catchiest (and happiest). id like to hear him do more like this.

i want to love this album as much as y'all do but the vocals and the shape of the low end sincerely just don't sound good to me :/ it's great otherwise

i gotta side with RT here, though saadiq of the last few years has been entirely too doowop-y and uninteresting to me.
I prob listen to instant vintage about once every two months since it's been released.

pino is the most indispensable part of D's crew imo

Pino, and the guy that hits the pad that triggers the finger snap/clap on the 2 and 4.

That's actually one of my strongest memories from seeing D'Angelo tour behind "Voodoo," the dude who pretty much every song just hit the snap/clap trigger pad. Also, D'Angelo tore off his shirt and ran around during "Shit, Damn ..." Oh, and the band was dressed like Jawas or druids or something?

saul williams calling d'angelo a "messiah" in this 2008 piece, heh https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ul7jcf4HvN4C&lpg=PA70&ots=9pRiIrTJ_M&dq=d%27angelo+j+records+virgin&pg=PA72&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=d%27angelo%20j%20records%20virgin&f=false

this record reminds me of born walden robert cassotto

how much guitar was d'angelo playing in voodoo era? some of the articles say he spent a chunk of his "missing years" working on his guitar skills, if so it shows pretty strongly huh.

he is an awesome freak of nature imo

There's no way the tasty licks on this new album are him playing guitar. I'm not even sure a lot of the piano playing is him, tbh, but that's at least more plausible.

Like, check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsEmucVdeXw

It's competent, but still pretty simple. Some of the jazzier licks on the new disc are total pro, though.

Guitar-wise, it seems to be a mix of D, Isaiah Sharkey and Jesse Johnson on the album.

Now, see, Sharkey has chops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJgMBUCxg9g

i love that a dude in The Who is one of the stars of the new D'Angelo album

Um he is an amazing piano player. Have you ever heard that solo version of Spanish Key? Also the videos from those duet gigs where he's playing Rhodes w/left hand bass are ridiculous.

Sorry Spanish Joint. I don't usually post from a phone, it's weird.