Everyone is batshit crazy about ''Voodoo'' from D'Angelo.

People on the orge, hipsters, rock purists, old school r&b purists i mean everyone is always crazy about Voodoo.

But what about Brown Sugar? it seems the debut album by D'Angelo gets downplayed a lot because people treat Voodoo as if it was the second coming of Songs In The Key Of Life or Highway 61 Revisited

This album is full of just great jazzy numbers that also have a bit of rock infused with it... and i also think songs like Shit, Damn, Motherfucker is the closest a mainstream artist came to making a full out blues song.

[Edited 1/25/13 1:09am]

I always thought Voodo was nothing special. Brown Sugar is where its at.

Sh1t...Damn...Mutha-fuk-ka!

"Brown Sugar" is a solid album.

"Voodoo" is exemplary though.

Somebody listed this in the "albums you must hear before you die" thread, so I listened to it, and it bored me. I didn't like it at all. But I don't love Voodoo either.. It's just ok to me.

It seems like the other way around to me. Many people, including critics, music hipsters, and others are just getting into the musicianship and production of Voodoo. Brown Sugar has generally been acknowledged as a landmark in alternative soul. I love both albums, but Voodoo remains his magnum opus.

silverchild said:

It seems like the other way around to me. Many people, including critics, music hipsters, and others are just getting into the musicianship and production of Voodoo. Brown Sugar has generally been acknowledged as a landmark in alternative soul. I love both albums, but Voodoo remains his magnum opus.

.......and it seems like his last.

Graycap23 said:

silverchild said:

It seems like the other way around to me. Many people, including critics, music hipsters, and others are just getting into the musicianship and production of Voodoo. Brown Sugar has generally been acknowledged as a landmark in alternative soul. I love both albums, but Voodoo remains his magnum opus.

.......and it seems like his last.

True. If he ever comes out with his next, it'll be a "compilation of sessions" just like Voodoo was. The only difference will be the strength of the songs.

silverchild said:

Graycap23 said:

.......and it seems like his last.

True. If he ever comes out with his next, it'll be a "compilation of sessions" just like Voodoo was. The only difference will be the strength of the songs.

I'm wild about his third album titled___________________. The compositions find him in his creative prime.

Identity said:

I'm wild about his third album titled___________________. The compositions find him in his creative prime.

EVIDENCE PLEASE...

The songs he has recently previewed in concert have been stellar, but that's it!

Identity said:

I'm wild about his third album titled___________________. The compositions find him in his creative prime.

It's called............NEVER...mind.

The likelihood of a "third album" grows dimmer and dimmer. I've all but given up on D'Angelo re-emerging with an album of new material before he meets AARP eligibility requirements.

Both albums are masterpieces, however, I'VE ALWAYS preferred Brown Sugar over Voodoo. ALWAYS

"It's Alright"

"Smooth"

"Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine"

These three songs alone on "Brown Sugar" trumps the "Voodoo" album in itself.

[Edited 1/17/13 17:03pm]

Identity said:

missfee said:

Both albums are masterpieces, however, I'VE ALWAYS preferred Brown Sugar over Voodoo. ALWAYS

"It's Alright"

"Smooth"

"Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine"

These three songs alone on "Brown Sugar" trumps the "Voodoo" album in itself.

I love both, but Brown Sugar has always been my favorite, too. "Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine," "Higher," "Lady," and "When We Get By" are my cuts. On Voodoo, I gotta give it up to "One Mo'gin," "The Root," "Spanish Joint," and "Africa." Not a bad track on either, though.

i got "brown sugar" when it was released, so in the time before music became

so easily available at the click of a button.

back when you got an album in the store and if you loved it you listened to it

a hundred times, start to finish. at home, or on the bus with your home made

cassette copy of the disc.

that album is etched onto my brain. every single note. even my friends loved

it and always had it on, the club we went to on saturdays was always playing

cuts from it. so to me it's not just the album but also the memories, the whole

time period and the nostalgia of those last days before internet music came up

and swept so much of recorded music's magic away.

so for that reason alone, i have always loved brown sugar more than voodoo.

but i can't find fault with voodoo either. it's a solid album and i still listen to it

regularly in my car especially.

yet my main connection with voodoo is one of mild sadness because it turned

out to be, probably, his last album. and that makes it a bitter sweet experience.

when it was first released i was nuts about this record. finally, a new album from

d'angelo. could not stop listenting to it. but as i said, over the years it souered a

bit because it never had a follow up.

imagine if prince had released Parade and called it quits. that kinda feeling.

AlexdeParis said:

missfee said:

Both albums are masterpieces, however, I'VE ALWAYS preferred Brown Sugar over Voodoo. ALWAYS

"It's Alright"

"Smooth"

"Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine"

These three songs alone on "Brown Sugar" trumps the "Voodoo" album in itself.

I love both, but Brown Sugar has always been my favorite, too. "Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine," "Higher," "Lady," and "When We Get By" are my cuts. On Voodoo, I gotta give it up to "One Mo'gin," "The Root," "Spanish Joint," and "Africa." Not a bad track on either, though.

How could I had forgotten about "Lady"? THAT.IS.MY.JOINT

'95-'96

received wisdom is that vooddoo is a classic

it iant

its just okay.

but i fucking love BROWN SUGAR! that shits on voodoo

Voodoo is gold.

Brown Sugar is great, but Voodoo is just so much more textured, sophisticated, organic, gutsy, moody, evocative and the vocal layering is on another level.

Brilliant piece of art. If you ever get the chance to play it on a high end sound system, it's quite an experience.

I'd say songwriting wise they're relatively even, but for me Voodoo has everything else all over Brown Sugar for the reasons above.

Voodoo will stand the test of time as a popular music classic.

I. HAVE. NEVER HEARD. VOODOO.!!! Only the lead (and only?) single, which was overrated IMO. Perhaps i'll use my free used cd coupon and cop it, immerse myself and report back. I hear its a grower. It wasn't well reviewed when it came out if I recall. Something about being too obtuse. I recall the same being said of Maxwell's Embrya but when I'm copped that years later, I was like DAYUM! I SLEPT. But I keep my "late pass" on my person and bump that ish on the regular. Maxwell's best IMO. Not to jack the thread but is Voodoo as good as Embrya?

datdude said:

I. HAVE. NEVER HEARD. VOODOO.!!! Only the lead (and only?) single, which was overrated IMO. Perhaps i'll use my free used cd coupon and cop it, immerse myself and report back. I hear its a grower. It wasn't well reviewed when it came out if I recall. Something about being too obtuse. I recall the same being said of Maxwell's Embrya but when I'm copped that years later, I was like DAYUM! I SLEPT. But I keep my "late pass" on my person and bump that ish on the regular. Maxwell's best IMO. Not to jack the thread but is Voodoo as good as Embrya?

Better.

missfee said:

Both albums are masterpieces, however, I'VE ALWAYS preferred Brown Sugar over Voodoo. ALWAYS

"It's Alright"

"Smooth"

"Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine"

These three songs alone on "Brown Sugar" trumps the "Voodoo" album in itself.

[Edited 1/17/13 17:03pm]

I like the Beatminerz Remix of "Brown Sugar", kinda rare though!

I Brown Sugar. Couldn't wait to get Voodoo. When I played it through the first time I was very disappointed. My opinion hasn't changed over the years. In fact, I played Voodoo for the first time in a few years just last week (sparked by all the glowing comments in a discussion over at Okayplayer). I was really hoping that something would "click" and it would all make sense. But, no. It left me with the same impression I've always had. Which is this: Other than the Prince rip-off track, it feels like there are no "songs" on Voodoo. That's a dealbreaker for me.

livewire said:

I Brown Sugar. Couldn't wait to get Voodoo. When I played it through the first time I was very disappointed. My opinion hasn't changed over the years. In fact, I played Voodoo for the first time in a few years just last week (sparked by all the glowing comments in a discussion over at Okayplayer). I was really hoping that something would "click" and it would all make sense. But, no. It left me with the same impression I've always had. Which is this: Other than the Prince rip-off track, it feels like there are no "songs" on Voodoo. That's a dealbreaker for me.

That is the main difference between D's first and second album: the first one has the songs, and the second one is groove-orientated. For me the songs on the first album are better, but the production and musicanship on Voodoo are superior. Hard to tell which album I like best!

Love em both...BUT....

Upon first spin of Voodoo, I dubbed it his "mumbling" album. After repeated spins, Voodoo strikes me as one of the strongest "vibe" recordings ever made. Not so much a collection of songs....but more a "destination". It's singular for its time, for sure.

Brown Sugar is just straight up solid from tip to wire. Material, execution, timing.....it was (is) brilliant. Not "transportive" like VooDoo....but still...one of the best albums of that period, for sure.

livewire said:

I Brown Sugar. Couldn't wait to get Voodoo. When I played it through the first time I was very disappointed. My opinion hasn't changed over the years. In fact, I played Voodoo for the first time in a few years just last week (sparked by all the glowing comments in a discussion over at Okayplayer). I was really hoping that something would "click" and it would all make sense. But, no. It left me with the same impression I've always had. Which is this: Other than the Prince rip-off track, it feels like there are no "songs" on Voodoo. That's a dealbreaker for me.

Exactly how I felt as well, however, over time Voodoo grew on me. I love the album, but Brown Sugar just hits my spot harder than Voodoo does.

Graycap23 said:

datdude said:

I. HAVE. NEVER HEARD. VOODOO.!!! Only the lead (and only?) single, which was overrated IMO. Perhaps i'll use my free used cd coupon and cop it, immerse myself and report back. I hear its a grower. It wasn't well reviewed when it came out if I recall. Something about being too obtuse. I recall the same being said of Maxwell's Embrya but when I'm copped that years later, I was like DAYUM! I SLEPT. But I keep my "late pass" on my person and bump that ish on the regular. Maxwell's best IMO. Not to jack the thread but is Voodoo as good as Embrya?

Better.

Wow, better than Embrya?! I'm interested. But I think I'll feel like Livewire who says:

I Brown Sugar. Couldn't wait to get Voodoo. When I played it through the first time I was very disappointed. My opinion hasn't changed over the years. In fact, I played Voodoo for the first time in a few years just last week (sparked by all the glowing comments in a discussion over at Okayplayer). I was really hoping that something would "click" and it would all make sense. But, no. It left me with the same impression I've always had. Which is this: Other than the Prince rip-off track, it feels like there are no "songs" on Voodoo. That's a dealbreaker for me.