I listened to Brown Sugar for the first time a couple of nights ago. Tonight I sat down and listened to Voodoo.

I know who D is, and I know about him. I recognized a couple of songs from the first CD, and of course I knew "Untitled (How Does it Feel)".

I guess somewhere along the way, I just skipped over the brother. As I was talking Orger, and old Navy buddy from 22 years ago, Temecula, and as we always talk tons of music, D was brought up. He really enjoys D's albums. I got to thinking that I should probably just go listen to them, at least once, and give it a chance.

Sometimes you get so bombarded with new stuff, that it's hard to keep track of everyone. Sometimes an artist gets lost in the cracks. That's what D was for me. Just lost along the way. I dug both albums, but I preferred the first over the second. That's not to say Voodoo was bad. I just felt Brown Sugar more.

So the question becomes: Which of the two albums is more your thing? Brown Sugar, or Voodoo?

PS Yes I know his Prince cover, and I really always hated it. But didn't he ask to record a Prince bootleg at one point? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

Voodoo is one of my all time favorite albums.. ever.

so.. yeah

I love both...I can't pic...

I think Voodoo is the better album, but I also think Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine and Shit, Damn, Motherfucker are probably my favorite songs of his.

I love love love D'Angelo!

Brown Sugar and Voodoo are my favorite R&B albums of their respective decades. If pressed, I'd probably give the slight edge to the debut, but you can't go wrong with either.

Can't bring up D without mentioning one of my favorites, "I Found My Smile Again." It was first released on the Space Jam soundtrack in '96, then re-released with a different mix when his hits album came out.

Brown Sugar

I originally dug on Brown Sugar, but after repeated spins, Voodoo was the clear standout for me.

The first couple listens sounded "murky" (I remember calling it his "mumbling album")....but it has a great "vibe". It's one of the few that can play straight through & never seems to get old.

Agreed on "I Found My Smile", too...great track.

Voodoo, no question.

Some of the alternate versions/demos are better than some of the stuff that ended in Voodoo.

I absloutly LOVE the piano version of Africa.

The B-Sides should've been in the album too.

ernestsewell said:

I listened to Brown Sugar for the first time a couple of nights ago. Tonight I sat down and listened to Voodoo.

I know who D is, and I know about him. I recognized a couple of songs from the first CD, and of course I knew "Untitled (How Does it Feel)".

I guess somewhere along the way, I just skipped over the brother. As I was talking Orger, and old Navy buddy from 22 years ago, Temecula, and as we always talk tons of music, D was brought up. He really enjoys D's albums. I got to thinking that I should probably just go listen to them, at least once, and give it a chance.

Sometimes you get so bombarded with new stuff, that it's hard to keep track of everyone. Sometimes an artist gets lost in the cracks. That's what D was for me. Just lost along the way. I dug both albums, but I preferred the first over the second. That's not to say Voodoo was bad. I just felt Brown Sugar more.

So the question becomes: Which of the two albums is more your thing? Brown Sugar, or Voodoo?

PS Yes I know his Prince cover, and I really always hated it. But didn't he ask to record a Prince bootleg at one point? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

D´Angelo, being the huge Prince fan that he is, asked Prince to release "Movie Star", hence its inclusion on the Crystal Ball triple CD set.

There are a lot of connections between the D´Angelo/Okayplayer camp and the Prince camp but you probably already know about them ( Alan Leeds was or still is D´Angelo´s tour manager, Angie Stone, D´Angelo´s ex-girlfriend and baby mother, recorded U Make My Sun Shine with Prince....and many consider that song to be Prince´s answer to D´Angelo´s Prince hommage"Untitled", then there are songs that D´Angelo has covered out of a fondness for Prince (his cover of She´s Always In My Hair being the most wellknown one...also the only one that saw an official release).

Many compare Voodoo to Parade because of the sequencing....I don´t know about that.

I saw D´Angelo back in 2000 in Hamburg/Germany, and his show was phenomenal.

Voodoo and Brown Sugar are both very interesting albums.....the latter probably being a bit more accessible and "mainstream" than the experimental ( and at times a tad too experimental) Voodoo.

I love both albums. I think he was a bit more ambitious and had more drive while recording the first one but that´s normal.

Too bad he´s still going through difficult times but I still have faith in him, no matter what kind of bullshit he does to sabotage his talent and career. He´s not to be written off yet.

Do you know about the 2001 incident with D´Angelo and Questlove and Prince at Paisley Park?

Prince acted a bit like a moron there towards his disciples (and biggest fans) D´Angelo and Questlove. I guess he tried to take revenge for Questlove mentioning in VIBE that Prince forgot the bridge to Dorothy Parker and they had to help him out during a show.

Also, Prince made some sort of hidden snide remark about D´Angelo in the song and videoclip to "The Daisy Chain", with Morris Hayes sort of impersonating a weed smoking D´Angelo, but maybe that´s just my imagination.

There´s also the "Yoda" bootleg album by D´Angelo...I think it´s not a legit release. The Yoda reference on 20Ten might have some D´Angelo/Questlove connection, too.

His officially released live album, recorded in London and released in Japan,is also a must-have CD.

Very good live release recorded at the Jazz Cafe London.

KoolEaze said:

ernestsewell said:

I listened to Brown Sugar for the first time a couple of nights ago. Tonight I sat down and listened to Voodoo.

I know who D is, and I know about him. I recognized a couple of songs from the first CD, and of course I knew "Untitled (How Does it Feel)".

I guess somewhere along the way, I just skipped over the brother. As I was talking Orger, and old Navy buddy from 22 years ago, Temecula, and as we always talk tons of music, D was brought up. He really enjoys D's albums. I got to thinking that I should probably just go listen to them, at least once, and give it a chance.

Sometimes you get so bombarded with new stuff, that it's hard to keep track of everyone. Sometimes an artist gets lost in the cracks. That's what D was for me. Just lost along the way. I dug both albums, but I preferred the first over the second. That's not to say Voodoo was bad. I just felt Brown Sugar more.

So the question becomes: Which of the two albums is more your thing? Brown Sugar, or Voodoo?

PS Yes I know his Prince cover, and I really always hated it. But didn't he ask to record a Prince bootleg at one point? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

Many compare Voodoo to Parade because of the sequencing....I don´t know about that.

The stripped, rough demo-like mix def brings Parade to mind. I think the drum playing in "Africa" is a dead giveaway that "I Wonder U" is a constant listen, in fact it could be segued had he performed it live.

Of course "Parade" is not the only inspiration he drew from in "Voodoo", Funkadelic imprinted their stamp on it as well.

This is the ONLY album from the past 10 years that I don't mind getting a full fledged re-release treatment with liner notes, alternate/demo, b-sides, instrumentals and the whole works getting done.

Harlepolis said:

KoolEaze said:

Many compare Voodoo to Parade because of the sequencing....I don´t know about that.

The stripped, rough demo-like mix def brings Parade to mind. I think the drum playing in "Africa" is a dead giveaway that "I Wonder U" is a constant listen, in fact it could be segued had he performed it live.

Of course "Parade" is not the only inspiration he drew from in "Voodoo", Funkadelic imprinted their stamp on it as well.

This is the ONLY album from the past 10 years that I don't mind getting a full fledged re-release treatment with liner notes, alternate/demo, b-sides, instrumentals and the whole works getting done.

Indeed.

As for albums, Voodoo is more experimental and sounds less dated than Brown Sugar, which is undeniably a neo-classic. So I prefer Voodoo.

Harlepolis said:

I absloutly LOVE the piano version of Africa.

Co-sign.

KoolEaze said:

His officially released live album, recorded in London and released in Japan,is also a must-have CD.

Very good live release recorded at the Jazz Cafe London.

Yep, love that one, too. D takes forever to put ish out, but when he does, it's always worth it.

I'm not a huge fan but I do have both albums. For me I would say that Brown Sugar probably features better songs but Voodoo has a better sound. Hopefully, if it is ever released, his next album will combine great songs with a great sound.

I know there are a few on the hits collection but are any of these b-sides you guys are talking about collected or would a person have to find them using "other" means?

rialb said:

I'm not a huge fan but I do have both albums. For me I would say that Brown Sugar probably features better songs but Voodoo has a better sound. Hopefully, if it is ever released, his next album will combine great songs with a great sound.

I know there are a few on the hits collection but are any of these b-sides you guys are talking about collected or would a person have to find them using "other" means?

As I mentioned above, there´s the "Yoda Album" bootleg which contains a couple of songs that were either on soundtracks, or never released before, or b-sides.

Looks like this:

[img:$uid]http://www.inandout.at/images/ean/0187245270198.jpg[/img:$uid]

Tracklist:

TRACKS

1. Features 2. Really Love 3. I Found My Smile Again 4. Your Love Is So Cold 5. Heaven Must Be Like This 6. Everybody Loves The Sunshine 7. Superman Lover 8. Devil's Pie 9. Send It On In 10. Can't Hide Love 11. I'm So Glad Your Mine 12. Sweet Sticky Green 13. Sexy Little Things U Do 14. She's Always In My Hair 15. Go Back 2 That Thing

......and he´s also appeared on other people´s songs.

Harlepolis said:

Some of the alternate versions/demos are better than some of the stuff that ended in Voodoo.

I absloutly LOVE the piano version of Africa.

The B-Sides should've been in the album too.

Beautiful

KoolEaze said:

ernestsewell said:

I listened to Brown Sugar for the first time a couple of nights ago. Tonight I sat down and listened to Voodoo.

I know who D is, and I know about him. I recognized a couple of songs from the first CD, and of course I knew "Untitled (How Does it Feel)".

I guess somewhere along the way, I just skipped over the brother. As I was talking Orger, and old Navy buddy from 22 years ago, Temecula, and as we always talk tons of music, D was brought up. He really enjoys D's albums. I got to thinking that I should probably just go listen to them, at least once, and give it a chance.

Sometimes you get so bombarded with new stuff, that it's hard to keep track of everyone. Sometimes an artist gets lost in the cracks. That's what D was for me. Just lost along the way. I dug both albums, but I preferred the first over the second. That's not to say Voodoo was bad. I just felt Brown Sugar more.

So the question becomes: Which of the two albums is more your thing? Brown Sugar, or Voodoo?

PS Yes I know his Prince cover, and I really always hated it. But didn't he ask to record a Prince bootleg at one point? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

Do you know about the 2001 incident with D´Angelo and Questlove and Prince at Paisley Park?

Prince acted a bit like a moron there towards his disciples (and biggest fans) D´Angelo and Questlove. I guess he tried to take revenge for Questlove mentioning in VIBE that Prince forgot the bridge to Dorothy Parker and they had to help him out during a show.

Also, Prince made some sort of hidden snide remark about D´Angelo in the song and videoclip to "The Daisy Chain", with Morris Hayes sort of impersonating a weed smoking D´Angelo, but maybe that´s just my imagination.

That was a bad look.

Even Miles Davis, who was known pretty much ALL of his life for being a HARD fuck, showed alot of grace to the ones who acknowledged his influence through their music(Prince being one of them).

That whole episode showed how petty Prince was, he could've been smart and embraced them instead, but hey, shoulda coulda woulda.

[Edited 7/10/10 12:59pm]

KoolEaze said:

D´Angelo, being the huge Prince fan that he is, asked Prince to release "Movie Star", hence its inclusion on the Crystal Ball triple CD set.

That's what I'm thinking of!!!

Earnest, you have been real quiet about 20ten.

Sdldawn said:

Voodoo is one of my all time favorite albums.. ever.

so.. yeah

Co-sign.

ernestsewell said:

I listened to Brown Sugar for the first time a couple of nights ago. Tonight I sat down and listened to Voodoo.

I know who D is, and I know about him. I recognized a couple of songs from the first CD, and of course I knew "Untitled (How Does it Feel)".

I guess somewhere along the way, I just skipped over the brother. As I was talking Orger, and old Navy buddy from 22 years ago, Temecula, and as we always talk tons of music, D was brought up. He really enjoys D's albums. I got to thinking that I should probably just go listen to them, at least once, and give it a chance.

Sometimes you get so bombarded with new stuff, that it's hard to keep track of everyone. Sometimes an artist gets lost in the cracks. That's what D was for me. Just lost along the way. I dug both albums, but I preferred the first over the second. That's not to say Voodoo was bad. I just felt Brown Sugar more.

So the question becomes: Which of the two albums is more your thing? Brown Sugar, or Voodoo?

PS Yes I know his Prince cover, and I really always hated it. But didn't he ask to record a Prince bootleg at one point? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

BORING = Voodoo

Brown Sugar = Good

D just doesn't really do it for me. He has talent, but he seems to go through the motions, soul wise. He doesn't really make music that surprises. An artist like Rahsaan Patterson is more badass as a soul artist. Even Bilal is, if we could find him..lol

2freaky4church1 said:

D just doesn't really do it for me. He has talent, but he seems to go through the motions, soul wise.

The man is suffering from a full TRIBE of demons(thats not saying much considering that this industry is full of dysfunctional people) its not passing judgement on him though, its just is.

So much so, that they kept him from developing as an artist. If he released an album every two years since Voodoo, I'm sure he could've been a household name by now, because the man will push himself to the limit had he been consistent.

Lauryn Hill is the same, although her other MAIN issue is with the industry itself,,,,and god knows, I can't even blame her for it.

I am talking about his music not his demons.

Harlepolis said:

Some of the alternate versions/demos are better than some of the stuff that ended in Voodoo.

I absloutly LOVE the piano version of Africa.

The B-Sides should've been in the album too.

I like it. Was vocally rough...but isn't that how most songs are hatched out initially? Alica Keys should sit back and learn.

2freaky4church1 said:

I am talking about his music not his demons.

I know what you were talking about, money.

Harlepolis said:

2freaky4church1 said:

D just doesn't really do it for me. He has talent, but he seems to go through the motions, soul wise.

The man is suffering from a full TRIBE of demons(thats not saying much considering that this industry is full of dysfunctional people) its not passing judgement on him though, its just is.

So much so, that they kept him from developing as an artist. If he released an album every two years since Voodoo, I'm sure he could've been a household name by now, because the man will push himself to the limit had he been consistent.

Lauryn Hill is the same, although her other MAIN issue is with the industry itself,,,,and god knows, I can't even blame her for it.

Very true. D' Angelo came on during a time when the people started to become really thirsty for an artist with true talent. The Neo-soul thing was the perfect "outfit" for D. Too bad he could not pull himself away from all the bullshyt long enough to continue to develop his craft. But hey...remember, he's "cooking up somethng" for us now so we'll just have to wait and see.