I wonder why Saadiq didn't participate in Black Messiah. He helped create some of his best songs. The project would have went to an even higher level than it already is. I hope they didn't fall out.

KingSausage said:

Replica said:

Been listening alot now, and I really love this lp. However as someone has mentioned, you can hear he's even inspired by Van Hunt. Actually it was a smart move to steal some ideas from Van Hunt. Nobody will write about it, since he's not big enough to be mentioned in a review even. What You Were Hoping For was an incredible record. That's an album that would get universal praise if he was more popular. Black Messiah actually made me respect What You Were Hoping For even more.

I think it must have been the least smart move from Van hunt ever to not make that album available for streaming or downloading on sites like iTunes. He won't ger recognized for that. He knows that the money he makes are from concerts. Available music can make people atleast know who he is.

D'angelo knows he wont earn shit on streaming, but it attracts people to his concerts. Thank you for understanding that!

[Edited 12/21/14 11:27am]

What Were You Hoping For? is so amazing. What an unrecognized masterpiece! It is, however, available on iTunes and Rhapsody. I'd go as far as saying that What Were You Hoping For? is even better than Chinese Democracy.

Too bad it isn't on the european iTunes :/

And CHinese Democracy is a... I dunno I guess it's wrong to compare the two. If apples and oranges ever meant anything...

On Saadiq, I suspect he was just tired of dealing with D'Angelo after all these years. They've probably fallen out over the stops and starts many times.

>

As for Chinese Democracy, yeah that's a pretty forgettable album.

i believe this album will push many other artists to make better music

i think if someone has been chasing hits... trying to sound "current" etc at the expense of their art, they'll listen to this album and think "shit... it can be done"... and be more than a little annoyed and embarrassed that they fell into the trap of not going deep enough with their musical expression

i'm looking forward to seeing how some other great musicians respond

on another note... i hear so many different syles in the production... even pink floyd

and the acoustic guitar on 'really love' is perfection... anyone who thinks there is no melody here needs to have another listen to this track

SanDiegoFunkDaddy said:

I wonder why Saadiq didn't participate in Black Messiah. He helped create some of his best songs. The project would have went to an even higher level than it already is. I hope they didn't fall out.

To be honest, the best stuff on "Voodoo" was the stuff co-produced by Saadiq and the stuff co-produced by DJ Premier, like "Devil's Pie", which to give full credit where it's due, is a song that stopped me in my tracks when I heard it.

Too bad there's nothing as good as that on Black Messiah.

And Chinese Democracy has three songs (title track, Better, Street of Dreams) that are as good as anything Guns ever made. For me, you can't say that about Messiah.

ok i don't like the album anymore.. thanks for setting me straight militant!

*rushes off to buy chinese democracy*

MoBettaBliss said:

ok i don't like the album anymore.. thanks for setting me straight militant!

*rushes off to buy chinese democracy*

You are very welcome! *hugs back*

KingSausage said:

babynoz said:

Could you please stop trolling already? It's not funny anymore and it's ruining the thread. You have made your point a thousand times and might be discouraging others from posting who might have something interesting to add to the discussion.

I'm not trolling, fool. I think it's disingenuous or baffling when people say they can't tell D'Angelo's songs apart. It makes me question their listening abilities or, at minimum, the level of effort they put into listening to his new songs. There's no way anyone with clean ears and a functioning brain can't differentiate between Another Life, Ain't That Easy, and 1000 Deaths, for example. That's just willful ignorance. The complaint about the constant groove/too many songs sound similar is ridiculous because people could say the same shit about What's Going On?, which is an undisputed classic. People can say they don't like things, but to dismiss D's music with such nonsensical arguments is just dumb. Sorry if you think I'm trolling, but it's just not the case.

I may be a fool but yeah, you've been pretty much all over the place....no manners and no restraint. It's an over-reaction to get so upset to the point where you think you can dictate how another person should percieve something.

However you phrase it you don't need to resort to name calling and personal insults to make your point. All I'm saying is you can disagree without being so obnoxious about it.

Like Wonder505 said, this is supposed to be fun...this is you,

[img:$uid]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/delivertheword/gifs/flaminghead-runner.gif[/img:$uid]

Take a deep breath and let somebody else have a say. I am interested in all of the insights being posted here and Militant has given some good anaylsis. He even caused me to go back and give BM a few more listens.

babynoz said:

Both Chinese Democracy and What Were You Hoping For are better albums than BM.

KingSausage said:

babynoz said:

I may be a fool but yeah, you've been pretty much all over the place....no manners and no restraint. It's an over-reaction to get so upset to the point where you think you can dictate how another person should percieve something.

However you phrase it you don't need to resort to name calling and personal insults to make your point. All I'm saying is you can disagree without being so obnoxious about it.

Like Wonder505 said, this is supposed to be fun...this is you,

[img:$uid]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/delivertheword/gifs/flaminghead-runner.gif[/img:$uid]

Take a deep breath and let somebody else have a say. I am interested in all of the insights being posted here and Militant has given some good anaylsis. He even caused me to go back and give BM a few more listens.

Cool. Sorry for my past posts that were offensive. I'll be more chill moving forward. Again, my sincere apologies. Peace?

No worries....

Shacklers Revenge is where my moneys at!!

MattyJam said:

Both Chinese Democracy and What Were You Hoping For are better albums than BM.

to you

to me, BM is the best thing i've heard in a long time

So I've been listening to Black Messiah for the week and I have to say, it's fantastic. Couple things I wanted to address:

1. EQ/Production: Some people were talking about the low end being really oppressive and I think on some systems/headphones it can be. I definitely found the mix breathed a lot better when I cut the low end on my car stereo a bit, and when I listen to it thru my monitors I'll likely mess with the EQ a bit. This makes it easier to hear the guitars, keys, and VOCALS!

2. Low Vocals: I almost wonder if D'Angelo thinks of his voice as more of a texture than a lead instrument. I'd almost liken it to a horn player in a sense, he just happens to be singing those notes rather than playing them. Either way, this isn't really a pop album so it won't be mixed like one.


3. Songs: This album's definitely a grower not a shower, just like Voodoo was. If you listen to it once expecting to be bowled over, you're going to be sorely disappointed. I'm a huge fan of D's and It's taken me a few listens to really appreciate this, but I'm absolutely loving Black Messiah now. Songs I didn't like as much before (1000 Deaths in particular) are really growing on me and becoming some of my favorites.


Overall, this album has made me realize that there truly is something missing with a lot of music these days. I like that he's not going for hits, that this is just music for music's sake and that there's an element of truth both in the lyrics and the music itself that I can't quite explain but that when I heard BM for the first time, I knew it was there. Even if you don't like the album, you can't deny that D'Angelo's an artist and it's nice to hear someone who's really deserving of being called an ARTIST doing his thing. That and I like that he's covering current events rather than trying to pretend shit isn't going down like a lot of "artists" out there these days.


NinjaEdit: I'm one of the biggest Van Hunt fans you'll ever meet, even sorta know him personally, and WWYHF? is NOT better than BM. Not by a long shot. When Van gets back to writing melodies he'll find his way back, but until then, he's got work to do.

[Edited 12/21/14 14:33pm]

MoBettaBliss said:

MattyJam said:

Both Chinese Democracy and What Were You Hoping For are better albums than BM.

to you

to me, BM is the best thing i've heard in a long time

Out of curiousity, what are you listening to BM on? And what format? I've only listened to it on my monitors once (while I was drunkenly cooking breakfast at 3am after finding out the album had just dropped lol!) so I've only listened to it on other stuff and couldn't really make a judgment. Did you have to cut the low end at all?

MattyJam said:

Shacklers Revenge is where my moneys at!!

YESSSS, I love that track. A classic.

KingSausage said:

babynoz said:

I may be a fool but yeah, you've been pretty much all over the place....no manners and no restraint. It's an over-reaction to get so upset to the point where you think you can dictate how another person should percieve something.

However you phrase it you don't need to resort to name calling and personal insults to make your point. All I'm saying is you can disagree without being so obnoxious about it.

Like Wonder505 said, this is supposed to be fun...this is you,

[img:$uid]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/delivertheword/gifs/flaminghead-runner.gif[/img:$uid]

Take a deep breath and let somebody else have a say. I am interested in all of the insights being posted here and Militant has given some good anaylsis. He even caused me to go back and give BM a few more listens.

Cool. Sorry for my past posts that were offensive. I'll be more chill moving forward. Again, my sincere apologies. Peace?

dont' worry much about him...........he calls everyone a troll

SanDiegoFunkDaddy said:

I wonder why Saadiq didn't participate in Black Messiah. He helped create some of his best songs. The project would have went to an even higher level than it already is. I hope they didn't fall out.

yeah that would have been nice

last time I saw him he was playing bass and singing back-up for Elton John's band at the Bruce Springsteen tribute concert

guitarslinger44 said:

So I've been listening to Black Messiah for the week and I have to say, it's fantastic. Couple things I wanted to address:

1. EQ/Production: Some people were talking about the low end being really oppressive and I think on some systems/headphones it can be. I definitely found the mix breathed a lot better when I cut the low end on my car stereo a bit, and when I listen to it thru my monitors I'll likely mess with the EQ a bit. This makes it easier to hear the guitars, keys, and VOCALS!

2. Low Vocals: I almost wonder if D'Angelo thinks of his voice as more of a texture than a lead instrument. I'd almost liken it to a horn player in a sense, he just happens to be singing those notes rather than playing them. Either way, this isn't really a pop album so it won't be mixed like one.


3. Songs: This album's definitely a grower not a shower, just like Voodoo was. If you listen to it once expecting to be bowled over, you're going to be sorely disappointed. I'm a huge fan of D's and It's taken me a few listens to really appreciate this, but I'm absolutely loving Black Messiah now. Songs I didn't like as much before (1000 Deaths in particular) are really growing on me and becoming some of my favorites.


Overall, this album has made me realize that there truly is something missing with a lot of music these days. I like that he's not going for hits, that this is just music for music's sake and that there's an element of truth both in the lyrics and the music itself that I can't quite explain but that when I heard BM for the first time, I knew it was there. Even if you don't like the album, you can't deny that D'Angelo's an artist and it's nice to hear someone who's really deserving of being called an ARTIST doing his thing. That and I like that he's covering current events rather than trying to pretend shit isn't going down like a lot of "artists" out there these days.


NinjaEdit: I'm one of the biggest Van Hunt fans you'll ever meet, even sorta know him personally, and WWYHF? is NOT better than BM. Not by a long shot. When Van gets back to writing melodies he'll find his way back, but until then, he's got work to do.

[Edited 12/21/14 14:33pm]

this is a great take on it imo... agree completely about the low vocals

guitarslinger44 said:

MoBettaBliss said:

to you

to me, BM is the best thing i've heard in a long time

Out of curiousity, what are you listening to BM on? And what format? I've only listened to it on my monitors once (while I was drunkenly cooking breakfast at 3am after finding out the album had just dropped lol!) so I've only listened to it on other stuff and couldn't really make a judgment. Did you have to cut the low end at all?

man i'm still stuck with the itunes download... i've been trying to get the CD but it's been delayed here in australia for some reason... if it doesn't drop soon i'll hit up hdtracks... i know it will sound much better in another format

i'm listening through lynx aurora converters going into a midas venicef 24 mixing desk (the desk has it's own converters but i don't use them)... monitors are Adam A7Xs... i'm in a treated room with a lot of bass trapping

i'm fine with the bass... it's thick, but it's working for me... i'm not eqing at all

3rdeyedude said:

KingSausage said:

babynoz said: Cool. Sorry for my past posts that were offensive. I'll be more chill moving forward. Again, my sincere apologies. Peace?

dont' worry much about him...........he calls everyone a troll

1. Me and Sausage are cool. Please don't bring drama here from another forum...I told you I wasn't the reason you got banned, so stop blaming me.

2. I'm not a he.

3. We are discussing D'angelo and Black Messiah and I already told Sausage that I would give it a few more listens.

babynoz said:

I'm gonna get a physical copy like I started to do in the first place and see how it sounds on a good system instead of this computer.

KingSausage said:

babynoz said:

1. Me and Sausage are cool. Please don't bring drama here from another forum...I told you I wasn't the reason you got banned, so stop blaming me.

2. I'm not a he.

3. We are discussing D'angelo and Black Messiah and I already told Sausage that I would give it a few more listens.

We are all good. Don't worry! Plus, it's the holidays. Time to be merry!

Absolutely!

Militant said:

SanDiegoFunkDaddy said:

I wonder why Saadiq didn't participate in Black Messiah. He helped create some of his best songs. The project would have went to an even higher level than it already is. I hope they didn't fall out.

To be honest, the best stuff on "Voodoo" was the stuff co-produced by Saadiq and the stuff co-produced by DJ Premier, like "Devil's Pie", which to give full credit where it's due, is a song that stopped me in my tracks when I heard it.

Too bad there's nothing as good as that on Black Messiah.

And Chinese Democracy has three songs (title track, Better, Street of Dreams) that are as good as anything Guns ever made. For me, you can't say that about Messiah.

CD is very underrated honestly. I went in with no expectations at all. This I Love, Better, Madagascar, Chinese Democracy, If The World. Are quality songs in my humble opinion. But maybe I'm not the best one to give it on GNR. I actually enjoy The Spaghetti Incident

Listened it this morning. After some here called it a masterpiece, I was expecting great things. But, after it was over, I was like, he really made us wait 14 years for this???? Nothing on this CD will be even remotely memorable for me. It's not a bad album. But, again, after 14 years, I was expecting a lot more than what he was able to offer up. I have a feeling because of his long absence, if he would have released a CD where he was moaning and tapping his foot on every track, both fans and critics would deemed it pure brilliance. But, in reality, the album is, at best, average.

kitbradley said:

Listened it this morning. After some here called it a masterpiece, I was expecting great things. But, after it was over, I was like, he really made us wait 14 years for this???? Nothing on this CD will be even remotely memorable for me. It's not a bad album. But, again, after 14 years, I was expecting a lot more than what he was able to offer up. I have a feeling because of his long absence, if he would have released a CD where he was moaning and tapping his foot on every track, both fans and critics would deemed it pure brilliance. But, in reality, the album is, at best, average.

In reality, critics were waiting for D'Angelo to fall short so they could jump on the easy "we waited 15 years for this garbage" trope, but Black Messiah has instead blown them away. D'Angelo came out swinging hard with an album that's filled to the brim with amazing musicianship, perfect production, a unique vibe, politically conscious lyrics, killer beats, etc. It's cool if you don't like it, but statements like "in reality, the album is, at best, average" are not facts and are, at best, steaming bullshit.

In D'd defense re Saadiq not working on BM, I have never heard a positive thing about Saadiq other than his musical talent. I have heard he is a straight up asshole.

scriptgirl said:

In D'd defense re Saadiq not working on BM, I have never heard a positive thing about Saadiq other than his musical talent. I have heard he is a straight up asshole.

Kind of like Princem right.