https://pitchfork.com/fea...sic-album/

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Excerpt:

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In December 2014, D’Angelo released his third studio album, Black Messiah. It was a timeless reflection on love and survival within the maelstrom of American racism that nevertheless inspired one mostly prosaic, and slightly demanding, question from critics and fans: What took him so long?

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Journalist Tavis Smiley basically asked D’Angelo as much in a rare interview nine months later. “I’m always writing and learning. It’s about growth,” the reclusive legend said of what he did in the 14 years since his previous release, Voodoo. “That’s what a true artist’s supposed to be doing. Constantly growing and finding new territories.” He then went on to mention Prince and Miles Davis as exemplars of such artistry.

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In his answer, D’Angelo didn’t get into the specifics of the gap—namely his personal struggles and tussles with his label. But in it, he touched on a tension underlying the expectations listeners and consumers have for their favorite artists. While D’Angelo is as much a “true artist” as Davis or Prince, his approach to releasing music could not be more different. Prince released 39 studio albums over the course of his 38-year solo career, in addition to a considerable slew of singles, live albums, collaborations, and other projects. Davis was just as, if not more, prolific. And neither the triumphs of Davis’ 1959 classic Kind of Blue, released just a year after his album Milestones, or Prince’s Purple Rain, which took him less than a year to record, were diminished by their relatively short gestation periods.

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There's more. Go read the whole article.

BartVanHemelen said:

https://pitchfork.com/fea...sic-album/

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Thanks.

Very interesting article!

It shows a change in perception of the labels w.r.t. the market and how much music the market can bear.

Also certain machinations in `screwing` the artists...

Nice read