#28 D’Angelo, 'Voodoo' (2000)

Previously #481

D’Angelo’s sophomore album came 5 years after ‘Brown Sugar’ (#183).  Recorded at Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York, this album previously came up when I reviewed Erykah Badu’s ‘Mama’s Gun’ (#158), as the two were recorded almost back-to-back sharing a lot of the same musicians, a collective known as the Soulquarians. Along with that record, it’s a landmark album in Neo-Soul. It’s more loose than its predecessor, funkier with more groove, care of the one and only Questlove. Questlove would say at the time “It's not a middle-ground record—you're either going to love it or hate it.” The record explores themes of spirituality, love, sexuality, maturation, and fatherhood. Following ‘Brown Sugar,’ D’Angelo would suffer a major bout or writer’s block. He found inspiration to write again when his son with Angie Stone, Michael was born. He returned to his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, where he wrote ‘Voodoo.’ He cited Gospel, Blues, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone as reference points for the music.

Highlights on the record for me include ‘Devil’s Pie,’ ‘Left and Right (feat. Redman and Method Man),’ ‘The Line’ and the breakthrough single, ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel).’ So many of the songs exude Prince, in attitude and sound. D’Angelo’s vocals, and specially his falsetto, reminded me a lot of Prince. The album debuted at #1 on the charts, knocking off Santana’s ‘Supernatural.’ By the its first two months, it had sold more than half a million copies. ‘Voodoo’ would remain on the charts for a total of 33 weeks. It was hailed as a masterpiece and landed up taking home two Grammys. Its success, and especially that of ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ forced D’Angelo into taking another hiatus. He would descend into alcoholism, lose his girlfriend and manager & was subsequently arrested for DUI following a car accident. It would be 14 years before D’Angelo would make a return with the brilliant ‘Black Messiah’ (#395).

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