WAYBACK REVIEWS #1 | D’ANGELO & THE VANGUARD: BLACK MESSIAH
14 years. 14 damn years since the last D’Angelo album. Yes, that D’Angelo, the one with “Lady”, “Brown Sugar” and the music video. You know which one I’m talking about. 2000’s Voodoo was a classic, but things had gotten to the point where I was ready to place the VA soul wizard on the early retirement bracket with Andre 3000. That all changed near the final buzzer of 2014, December 15th to be exact, in the form of his third studio release, Black Messiah.
Fortunately, and I say that in jest, this album is incredible. It’s unapologetic and thunderous. It’s funk, soul, R&B, jazz and rock. Most importantly, it’s a more capable, fearless, creative and fierce D’Angelo. While the Vanguard (drummer Chris Dave, bassist Pino Palladino, guitarists Jesse Johnson and Isaiah Sharkey, vocalist Kendra Foster and keyboardist Cleo Sample) effectively deliver black power in sound waves, D’Angelo’s creative control can be felt from front to back, similar to how Prince’s fingerprints were all over his records.
Rolling Stone states in its review that “it will take at least 14 years to absorb all the pleasures in Black Messiah.” I completely agree. In addition to the gang of adjectives I threw at you earlier, this is album is deft. Everything from the experimental instrumentals to D’Angelo’s sometimes soulful, sometimes chaotic vocals add up to an album that will take you more than a couple of listens to fully comprehend. As a friend of mine would say, you will have to sit with this one.
Black Messiah is a soul lexicon. The leadoff track, “Ain’t That Easy”, is completely irresistible with funky-as-hell guitar licks and a silky smooth transition near its latter half. Think George Clinton, but with more R&B . “The Charade” evokes the power and smoothness of Do The Right Thing. Penned weeks after the deaths of Eric Garner, this song combines a beautiful two-step inducing melody with unforgettably tragic lyrics. “Sugah Daddy” is black as hell, in the best possible way. The stuff funk dreams are made of.
For better or worse, Black Messiah is an epic, as amazing and exhausting as the Lord of The Ring trilogy. While D’Angelo took a good while to follow up Voodoo, he made me wish more artists took their time in between albums.