BM is a knockout album with emotional depth and complexity. D'Angelo is back on top--and that's reason to rejoice.

[Edited 12/20/14 21:18pm]

How can anyone say there's not any good arrangements? Just because a song isn't styled in the typical "pop" way, doesn't mean it isn't great. Would you say that about a Miles Davis composition? No cause it's a different style. People tend to to state their own tastes/bias as fact. This song has a great chord progression and melody. It's refreshing too because nothing on the radio sounds like it.

https://www.youtube.com/w...4MQRMK6YO4

[Edited 12/21/14 0:46am]

[Edited 12/21/14 0:56am]

Most of the album is more Sly influenced than Prince. This song is more Prince tho

https://www.youtube.com/w...3CunfPYkME

i'll say this... if you haven't listened to this album on a good setup, you're really missing something

I think people have varied opinions about lots of different music..

Here on the Org people seem to be Obsessed w/D'angelo..

Thats cool, he's a talented dude.. but..

I think its to be expected that some people will 'get' what he's doing, & some wont.

I personally dont have enough interest to try to force myself to'get it' !

Miles Davis.. is another story..

Prince... same..

Stevie.. same..

Sly.. same..

JB ..same..

Marvin ...Same..

Curtis.. Same.

D'angelo... Some of his new album sounds cool to me.

I'll be first in line to congratulate him when all his Hit singles go racing up the charts in 2015.

ozone14 said:

How can anyone say there's not any good arrangements? Just because a song isn't styled in the typical "pop" way, doesn't mean it isn't great. Would you say that about a Miles Davis composition? No cause it's a different style. People tend to to state their own tastes/bias as fact. This song has a great chord progression and melody. It's refreshing too because nothing on the radio sounds like it.

https://www.youtube.com/w...4MQRMK6YO4

[Edited 12/21/14 0:46am]

[Edited 12/21/14 0:56am]

[Edited 12/21/14 1:55am]

Just a heads up for anyone listening on Windows: You might get better quality by using a program that allows bit-exact playback. Long story short, what can happen is your system will alter the quality of audio in accordance to some software requirements, but you can get around it. I'm using foobar2000 with this component. Steps:

1. Download foobar and the component

2. In Foobar: File -> Preferences -> Components

3. Select 'Install', locate the downloaded component. Hit Apply.

4. Foobar should handle the rest. Restart foobar if required.

5. Foobar: File -> Preferences -> Playback -> Output

6. In the drop down list for 'Device', select one of the options with the WASAPI prefix. (The suffix will refer to the physical device i.e. speakers, headphones, etc)

7. Hit Apply.
8. Open the folder with your BM tracks. Drag them into the foobar playlist.

9. Play!

[Edited 12/21/14 2:18am]

KingSausage said:

The reaction of Prince fans to Black Messiah relative to AOA is STRIKINGLY similar to the reaction of Prince fans to Voodoo relative to Rave. Perhaps others if you who were here on the Org during the old black & purple days will know what I mean. Oh it's nothing but one groove the whole time he mumbles there's no hooks or songs he's just copying Prince he has no range Prince has so much more diverse sounds blah blah blah wank wank wank AOA is much stronger than Rave (confession: I enjoy Rave). But I hear the same old shit now as I heard then. Both times, D's album dropped just a couple of months after Prince's album. The Prince albums flopped. D got massive love from critics. With Voodoo v. Rave, the world remembered Voodoo and still listens to it. Rave? Not so much. I wonder if this same scenario will play out again.

You seem to be overlooking the fact that in the time it took D to come up with BM, Prince has done The Rainbow Children, NEWS, ONA, Musicology, 3121, Planet Earth, Lotusflow3r, MPLSound, 20Ten, AOA and Plectrum Electrum.

You cannot deny that the buzz and hyperbole surrounding D's album largely comes from the fact that his albums are rarer than a sighting of the Northern Lights, whereas Prince's work is often taken for granted because we get new music from the man on such a regular basis.

MattyJam said:

MattyJam said:

Ego101 said:

I'll be first in line to congratulate him when all his Hit singles go racing up the charts in 2015.

What difference would that make to you?

Will the music be better if there are hit singles than if there are not? No. It will be the same music.

You either like it, or you don't. A song becoming a hit doesn't make it better...

wonder505 said:

KingSausage said:

And don't bring up PLECTRUMELECTRUM in this discussion. That album is a lump of shit.

I would take Another Love, Funk N Roll and Wow over anything on Black Messiah.

MattyJam said:

KingSausage said:

And don't bring up PLECTRUMELECTRUM in this discussion. That album is a lump of shit.

I would take Another Love, Funk N Roll and Wow over anything on Black Messiah.

"Another Love" sings with such conviction & passion! Plus the instrumentation alone slays it! It should definitely be the next single, from his number#1 album "PLECTRUMELECTRUM"...

purplethunder3121 said:

Top 10 Lyrics From D'Angelo's 'Black Messiah'

But how can anyone understand most of the lyrics? Not from the vocals that's for sure.

Guess people must be looking at a lyric booklet. If so, that's sad.

I've just broken out Brown Sugar after years of not listening. For me, two or three decent tracks, but it pretty much sounds like the same song played at slightly varying mid-tempos. With semi-mumbled lyrics, which immediately diminish the potential power of his songs/ music.

I'd describe it as a talented young musician channelling '70s Marvin Gaye, Roots-style hip hop and Riot-era Sly, complete with slurred/ under-confident vocals.

Voodoo was similar as I recall, just with more organic instrumentation and production. After a while, it all just flows into a monotonous mush of sameness.

In short, D'angelo, he fonkay, he's got cool grooves at times, but he ain't bringin' the songs. He's often better when he's doing a cover version, cos then you might know the song, so stand a chance of understanding what he's singing about .

Also, the lack of musical diversity on his first two records doesn't inspire me to dig deeper and try to decypher the words. This might seem harsh, but if he can't be bothered to sing 'em clearly, then why should the listener bother to make the effort to understand them?

Just some opinions based on listening to his first two albums and some covers he's done. Maybe the new one is more focussed and has clearer vocals, but it don't sound like it. He frustrates me, and imo clearly needs an outside producer to kick his ass to change things up once in a while and just damn sing more clearly and upfront in the mike.

KingSausage said:

I've seen some ridiculous shit on this site regarding D'Angelo. First there's the charge that all the songs on Black Messiah sound the same. If you can't tell these songs apart, you seriously have a problem and it's pretty fucking embarrassing. Then there's the charge that the songs are just continuous grooves and have no traditional song structure. Is nobody here a fan of 70's Marvin? The What's Going On? album is mostly one similar sounding groove. And Here, My Dear had multiple songs that don't rely on traditional structure. I Want You? Same fucking deal. It's like people here need lasers, WHOOSH noises, and duck voices before they think music is good. And don't bring up PLECTRUMELECTRUM in this discussion. That album is a lump of shit.

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.

getfunked said:

Just a heads up for anyone listening on Windows: You might get better quality by using a program that allows bit-exact playback. Long story short, what can happen is your system will alter the quality of audio in accordance to some software requirements, but you can get around it. I'm using foobar2000 with this component. Steps:

1. Download foobar and the component

2. In Foobar: File -> Preferences -> Components

3. Select 'Install', locate the downloaded component. Hit Apply.

4. Foobar should handle the rest. Restart foobar if required.

5. Foobar: File -> Preferences -> Playback -> Output

6. In the drop down list for 'Device', select one of the options with the WASAPI prefix. (The suffix will refer to the physical device i.e. speakers, headphones, etc)

7. Hit Apply.
8. Open the folder with your BM tracks. Drag them into the foobar playlist.

9. Play!

[Edited 12/21/14 2:18am]

Thanks for the tip.

wonder505 said:

Finally had the chance to give Black Messiah a good listen and I must say its one of the best albums ive heard. Yes i cant understand some of what hes saying but thats the crazy thing it almost doesnt matter. it surprised me when i found myself loving at least 5 or 6 songs. If i need to bring Prince into this, its a much stronger cd than AOA but i still love AOA. AOA is a different vibe. Plus you know me, I feel after 30 years Prince has nothing to prove anymore. Also i think people take music too seriously. You cant force anyone to like a CD and cant force anyone to stop liking Prince or become this angry fan because you think a cd another artist releases is better than Prince. Sometimes i feel sorry for people on this board because music is supposed to be fun and some of you act miserable. I love Black Messiah and whoever dont like it oh well. With AoA, BM, Billy Idol's release its been a good year of music for me. My favs are 1000 deaths, prayer, really in love, another life, the door. Got these on repeat.

Have fun girl...and thanks for making your point without belittling anybody else's tastes....you classy!

babynoz said:

MoBettaBliss said:

i'll say this... if you haven't listened to this album on a good setup, you're really missing something

Blastin' it on my Bose speaker system right now!

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]

MattyJam said:

KingSausage said:

And don't bring up PLECTRUMELECTRUM in this discussion. That album is a lump of shit.

I would take Another Love, Funk N Roll and Wow over anything on Black Messiah.

Me too.

Van Hunt is probably the most underrated/unrecognized/underapperciated songwriters and lyricist of all time. Love his stuff!

Militant said:

[...]

Prince really is one of the few people that can get away with producing his own work.

[...]

Up until 1995 and including TRC, I agree.

KingSausage said:

Militant said:

This is what I'm saying. There's a distinct lack of arrangements, progressions, and structure. The production in that sense is very self indulgent.

Prince really is one of the few people that can get away with producing his own work.

D'Angelo shouldn't. This album would have been a lot better with an objective producer on board. Someone's who job it is to make the decisions that are right for the song, not the decisions that are right for the artist.

As it stands? Only pre-existing D'Angelo fans are giving a fuck about this record.

Hahahaha. What a joke. Except for the reviews are absolutely glowing, the buzz is off the charts, and the album has already shown it's going to sell way more than AOA. Only pre-existing D'Angelo fans care? Come on. We can disagree about liking it disliking D'Angelo without engaging in flat out fabrications.

And? Those things are to expected when somebody hasn't dropped in album in a decade and a half.

The same thing happened with Guns N' Roses, "Chinese Democracy", which was a MUCH stronger album than Black Messiah. Actually, I like it just as much as their debut album "Appetite For Destruction", which is widely considered one of the greatest records ever made.
Sadly, nobody was still talking about Chinese Democracy 12 months later. All the great reviews, all the buzz, all the strong initial sales were forgotten. And I don't think anybody will still be talking about Black Messiah in 12 months.

See, the thing is though, I replied to a comment another user made about there being a lack of song structure, a lack of memorable songs, and D'Angelo's lack of objectivity, thinking he could do it all, leading to a what I hear as a very forgettable, self-indulgent record.

You then replied which a comment about sales figures and buzz. Which are meaningless. Some of my favorite albums ever sold next to nothing. Plenty of terrible albums sell a lot of records. So I'm sort of confused why you think telling me it's sold more records than Prince has this year (which it hasn't, anyway), has any relevance. to the discussion at hand. If both Prince and D'Angelo sold exactly 23 records each, I'd still make the exact same points about why I like Prince's record more and why I think D's record fails to hit the mark.

But if you like it, cool. I'm aware that some people do. I find it completely forgettable.

People complain about almost the same things they complained about when Voodoo came out. Anyone noticed it's still considered a classic?

Not saying it's a classic. But maybe it's a bit too early to be a "fundamentalist" in either direction. Let's see where it grows

Replica said: