DL'd it. First run through: Good, not a revelation and not a comeback on the level of, say, Portishead's Third - something that could meet and exceed expectations growing over a decade+ layoff after a masterpiece. That said, production super interesting if not a bit more "thin" than I would have expected - Revolver seems an apt comparison. "Back to the Future (Part 1)" is transcendentally good. Very glad to be able to listen to this album and happy for D'Angelo.
"Back to the Future (Part 1)" stuck out to me as well–definitely one of the highlights.
I dig it & would definitely come back to this, but I'm not all that confident that it's strong enough in the brutal dog-eat-dog world of 2014 when the entire history of music is available in seconds to anyone with an internet connection. The fans will cop to support, but you need to come with the A+ game if you're gonna run things today, and this is like an A-, IMO. If you didn't come up with voodoo (let alone brown sugar) i don't think this album's gonna sell you...
DL'd it. First run through: Good, not a revelation and not a comeback on the level of, say, Portishead's Third - something that could meet and exceed expectations growing over a decade+ layoff after a masterpiece. That said, production super interesting if not a bit more "thin" than I would have expected - Revolver seems an apt comparison. "Back to the Future (Part 1)" is transcendentally good. Very glad to be able to listen to this album and happy for D'Angelo.
"Back to the Future (Part 1)" stuck out to me as well–definitely one of the highlights.
I dig it & would definitely come back to this, but I'm not all that confident that it's strong enough in the brutal dog-eat-dog world of 2014 when the entire history of music is available in seconds to anyone with an internet connection. The fans will cop to support, but you need to come with the A+ game if you're gonna run things today, and this is like an A-, IMO. If you didn't come up with voodoo (let alone brown sugar) i don't think this album's gonna sell you...
Time will tell, but I really dig it. It's not going to run things, but I never expected it to and not sure that was really the goal. He's got a big fan base and it'll do really well with them (whatever that means now) and hopefully that fan base will grow somewhat.
But I am also just happy it's out and doesn't suck. With so much hype and anticipation I was prepared to be disappointed and I am definitely not right now. Really looking forward to hearing the wax on a proper home set up rather than through my ok ear buds in my office...
But I am also just happy it's out and doesn't suck. With so much hype and anticipation I was prepared to be disappointed and I am definitely not right now. Really looking forward to hearing the wax on a proper home set up rather than through my ok ear buds in my office...
Gave it a very quick preview listen on the itunes store today. Couple of the songs caught me right away. I'm happy this is out but I haven't been waiting for it like the coming of the next messiah (no pun) so I guess I'm just glad dude got it done and is back to making music. The previews weren't enough for me to buy it right away, which makes me think I will probably download this in a few weeks, give it a listen, and then never come back to it. But you never know... as mentioned already, dude's songwriting seems to creep up on you and sorta worm it's way into your ear with repeated listens.
the stretch of sugah daddy to till it's done is classic stuff. an altogether original set. looking forward to listening more. i always loved the original mix of really love that came out a while back, but it sounds really good here.
Because of the stupid way I listen to music (iPod Shuffle-related) I haven't d/l'd this yet but I've been listening repeatedly to live clips of him for a year now, especially - though it seems to have disappeared off YouTube - the Made In America show that was filmed professionally. That band The Vanguard should be locked up, especially the backing singers.
I have listened to Sugah Daddy and Really Love on the album and notice the production is super-detailed. Both those songs I fucken adore. Shout out to the clarinet on Sugah Daddy.
Looking forward to ripping the whole cd/ putting on the vinyl and I've booked seats (?) for the live show in London in Feb.
Praise Be!
I cant wait, i dont give a shit if his last album was 20 years ago, the guy has obviously (and publicly) been through a lot in that time. In my opinion he has a serious talent, and I would rather celebrate and get hyped over that than some flash in the pan shit you wont even remember in 2 months
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
The Waxidermy thread on this record is pretty much the reason why I've never registered at Waxidermy.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
This new album is light years ahead of his earlier work. He's been studying his Prince and his Donny Hathaway and his Raphael Saadiq for sure. And that's a good thing, along with the guitar playing...that has evidently taken D'Angelo far beyond my prior criticism.
Sugah Daddy is unlistenable.
Totally agree with Back in the Future I being the best track, but even then it's some off-brand Voodoo ish.
I am glad it makes so many people glad but I'll turn to There's A Riot Goin On if in the mood.
I like it for him, not for the music.
I feel you on one level but I think it works in spite of itself. It's really well composed. The bass and drums are real fonky.
bassie said:
I am glad it makes so many people glad but I'll turn to There's A Riot Goin On if in the mood.
I don't get why so many people are making that comparison. Did D say something about Riot...? Or is it that it's a soul singer making a socially-aware album?
What's the great songwriter/producer stuff coming from?
AFAIK he's always led the production of his albums albeit with the help of others. He seems to have handled more of it himself on this album. He seems to write with a mixture of others too, although this time its mostly with one person, Kendra Foster. (I don't actually know her own stuff at all... seems she's in P-Funk/Funkadelic. Anyone?)
I wonder what the balance was between then in terms of actually writing lyrics and composing other parts of the music. I think this album is years ahead of his older stuff in terms of composition.
I feel you on one level but I think it works in spite of itself. It's really well composed. The bass and drums are real fonky.
bassie said:
I am glad it makes so many people glad but I'll turn to There's A Riot Goin On if in the mood.
I don't get why so many people are making that comparison. Did D say something about Riot...? Or is it that it's a soul singer making a socially-aware album?
Maybe its the dark sparse-minimal plucky Funk thang.
i am underwhelemed but not disapointed..but it is not that great
solid 7.5 Really love is the most interesting track i agree with bassie (welcome back) about Sugah Daddy
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
ketan said:
DocMcCoy said:
The Waxidermy thread on this record is pretty much the reason why I've never registered at Waxidermy.
What's the deal? Are they talking about changes to his abdominal musculature or something?
Just the usual "rock-snob-inflated-to-IMAX-proportions" carry-on. Generally there's some deep knowledge and some interesting opinions over there, but when it comes to anything with the faintest whiff of mass appeal, I feel a lot of those dudes can't show their arses quick enough.
Don't understand the D'angelo hatt (even if this release rivals Chinese Democracy). Brown Sugar was a mid 90s R&B classic... Voodoo a new millennium R&B classic...
Upon first listen... there are some stand out tracks like "Another Life", "Really Love," and the lead off track "Ain't That Easy". And yes there are some unlistenable jams. I'm curious as to how this will stand up in the disposable digital age. Voodoo & Brown Sugar were in my 5 disc changer for a while.
And I would call both records a touch more than just "socially-aware".
i know there are a couple "message" songs on Riot (like "africa talks to you") but for me that album is mostly a turn away from the socially conscious or socially aware ("everyday people", "dance to the music", "hot fun" etc) towards the deeply, darkly personal, paranoid and apathetic.
the first line of the album kind of sums the whole thing up for me "feels so good inside myself, don't want to move". "you caught me smiling" is about the importance of keeping up a solid front to the world. "family affair" is along the same lines, "blood is thicker than mud", ie don;t trust outsiders, everything is to be dealt with in the family. "spaced cowboy" is about getting wrecked and detaching from reality altogether.
on second thought, maybe Riot should be classed as socially aware in that there is an implicit awareness of the un-fixable evils of society and a conscious rejection of this society in favour of insularity, hedonism and self-gratification....
while i prefer to listen to "fresh", Riot is truly the masterpeice. it's not fair to compare anything else to it.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
crabmongerfunk said:
bassie said:
And I would call both records a touch more than just "socially-aware".
i know there are a couple "message" songs on Riot (like "africa talks to you") but for me that album is mostly a turn away from the socially conscious or socially aware ("everyday people", "dance to the music", "hot fun" etc) towards the deeply, darkly personal, paranoid and apathetic.
the first line of the album kind of sums the whole thing up for me "feels so good inside myself, don't want to move". "you caught me smiling" is about the importance of keeping up a solid front to the world. "family affair" is along the same lines, "blood is thicker than mud", ie don;t trust outsiders, everything is to be dealt with in the family. "spaced cowboy" is about getting wrecked and detaching from reality altogether.
on second thought, maybe Riot should be classed as socially aware in that there is an implicit awareness of the un-fixable evils of society and a conscious rejection of this society in favour of insularity, hedonism and self-gratification....
while i prefer to listen to "fresh", Riot is truly the masterpeice. it's not fair to compare anything else to it.
Yes, all that Crabmongerfunk said, mixed with some deep cocaine addiction. That aside, "Riot" is great.
Comments
"Back to the Future (Part 1)" stuck out to me as well–definitely one of the highlights.
I dig it & would definitely come back to this, but I'm not all that confident that it's strong enough in the brutal dog-eat-dog world of 2014 when the entire history of music is available in seconds to anyone with an internet connection. The fans will cop to support, but you need to come with the A+ game if you're gonna run things today, and this is like an A-, IMO. If you didn't come up with voodoo (let alone brown sugar) i don't think this album's gonna sell you...
Time will tell, but I really dig it. It's not going to run things, but I never expected it to and not sure that was really the goal. He's got a big fan base and it'll do really well with them (whatever that means now) and hopefully that fan base will grow somewhat.
But I am also just happy it's out and doesn't suck. With so much hype and anticipation I was prepared to be disappointed and I am definitely not right now. Really looking forward to hearing the wax on a proper home set up rather than through my ok ear buds in my office...
the stretch of sugah daddy to till it's done is classic stuff. an altogether original set. looking forward to listening more. i always loved the original mix of really love that came out a while back, but it sounds really good here.
I have listened to Sugah Daddy and Really Love on the album and notice the production is super-detailed. Both those songs I fucken adore. Shout out to the clarinet on Sugah Daddy.
Looking forward to ripping the whole cd/ putting on the vinyl and I've booked seats (?) for the live show in London in Feb.
Praise Be!
Totally agree with Back in the Future I being the best track, but even then it's some off-brand Voodoo ish.
I am glad it makes so many people glad but I'll turn to There's A Riot Goin On if in the mood.
I like it for him, not for the music.
What's the great songwriter/producer stuff coming from?
I feel you on one level but I think it works in spite of itself. It's really well composed. The bass and drums are real fonky.
I don't get why so many people are making that comparison. Did D say something about Riot...? Or is it that it's a soul singer making a socially-aware album?
AFAIK he's always led the production of his albums albeit with the help of others. He seems to have handled more of it himself on this album. He seems to write with a mixture of others too, although this time its mostly with one person, Kendra Foster. (I don't actually know her own stuff at all... seems she's in P-Funk/Funkadelic. Anyone?)
I wonder what the balance was between then in terms of actually writing lyrics and composing other parts of the music. I think this album is years ahead of his older stuff in terms of composition.
Maybe its the dark sparse-minimal plucky Funk thang.
What's the deal? Are they talking about changes to his abdominal musculature or something?
I honestly haven't listened to the lyrics on Messiah all that closely as yet. Something about his mumble-core tendencies...
solid 7.5 Really love is the most interesting track i agree with bassie (welcome back) about Sugah Daddy
Just the usual "rock-snob-inflated-to-IMAX-proportions" carry-on. Generally there's some deep knowledge and some interesting opinions over there, but when it comes to anything with the faintest whiff of mass appeal, I feel a lot of those dudes can't show their arses quick enough.
Upon first listen... there are some stand out tracks like "Another Life", "Really Love," and the lead off track "Ain't That Easy". And yes there are some unlistenable jams. I'm curious as to how this will stand up in the disposable digital age. Voodoo & Brown Sugar were in my 5 disc changer for a while.
Hell I'm just glad this came out because it got me back onto his first two lps!! Ha!
Agreed, it's a fine listen
Thanks!
Ladeee
i know there are a couple "message" songs on Riot (like "africa talks to you") but for me that album is mostly a turn away from the socially conscious or socially aware ("everyday people", "dance to the music", "hot fun" etc) towards the deeply, darkly personal, paranoid and apathetic.
the first line of the album kind of sums the whole thing up for me "feels so good inside myself, don't want to move". "you caught me smiling" is about the importance of keeping up a solid front to the world. "family affair" is along the same lines, "blood is thicker than mud", ie don;t trust outsiders, everything is to be dealt with in the family. "spaced cowboy" is about getting wrecked and detaching from reality altogether.
on second thought, maybe Riot should be classed as socially aware in that there is an implicit awareness of the un-fixable evils of society and a conscious rejection of this society in favour of insularity, hedonism and self-gratification....
while i prefer to listen to "fresh", Riot is truly the masterpeice. it's not fair to compare anything else to it.
Thank you!!! *tips hat*
Yes, all that Crabmongerfunk said, mixed with some deep cocaine addiction. That aside, "Riot" is great.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak