The Resurrection of D’Angelo
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
In the 14 years since Voodoo — the legend of music's lost Divine Savior has grown steadily, expanding almost into the mythic.
In the 14 years since the release of D’Angelo’s last album — the spectacularly dark and dreamy Voodoo — the legend of this singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist as soul music’s lost Divine Savior has grown steadily, expanding almost into the mythic. Roots drummer ?uestlove, a frequent D’Angelo collaborator, told Billboard that the new album was about “99 percent done” back in January of last year. This August, D’Angelo played a well-received headlining set at Brooklyn’s Afro-Punk festival.
All of this, it turns out, was leading up to last week’s surprise release of Black Messiah. Credited to D’Angelo and the Vanguard, this much-delayed album arrives neither late nor early but right on time.
Full of nimble grooves, gorgeous arrangements, achingly personal lyrics and some of the most inventive vocal harmonies on a pop record since Björk’s Medulla, Black Messiah is much more than a mere “return to form” — it’s actually D’Angelo’s strongest work to date. Several moments have the singer offering up self-conscious nods to his own backstory, the mythos that surrounds him and his own desire for personal and artistic reconciliation. Stylistically, Black Messiah is ambitious; D’Angelo sounds equally comfortable referencing everything from Sly Stone’s riotous rock on “1,000 Deaths” to a sunshiny psychedelic pop vibe on “The Charade.”
The New York Times has reported that D’Angelo — angered by the police murder of two unarmed Black men: Eric Garner and Michael Brown — pressured RCA to release Black Messiah earlier than anticipated. Despite the very real and present political undertones that move throughout the album, the story being told here is fundamentally personal. Black Messiah is about a man who knows that his voice can be used to bring about healing and clarity, but before he can use that gift in service of others, he must first use it to clarify his own vision and heal himself.
