D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
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Music CD Cover
Artist: D'AngeloEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1995-07-03
Music Label: Virgin Records Us
Soundtracks:
- Brown Sugar
- Alright
- Jonz In My Bonz
- Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine
- Sh*t, Damn, Motherf*cker
- Smooth
- Cruisin'
- When We Get By
- Lady
- Higher
Free Music Notes for Brown Sugar
Free Music Review: More soul than a sock with a hole
Hit: 5 Stars
By 1995, the new jack swing era was history and mainstream R&B was dominated by glossy productions, calculated harmonies, and hip hop electronica. Chart-toppers even exhibited strong influence from the thriving rap scene, and the seemingly unlikely man to change the tides was a 21-year-old from Richmond, D'Angelo, with his absolutely brilliant debut "Brown Sugar."
"Brown Sugar" proved immeasurably influential as the first to explore a sound that would be labeled neo-soul and imitated by many in both the R&B and hip hop worlds for years to come. Bearing many nods to 1970s-era soul music as well as jazz and blues, D'Angelo manages to execute a gorgeous, nostalgic sound while maintaining a foot in the modern hip hop era as well. Produced, written, and recorded entirely by D'Angelo with a few contributions by legends Raphael Saadiq and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, the album is a masterpiece on all fronts, with beautiful music, wonderful performance, and incredible artistry.
To call "Brown Sugar" smooth is like calling Jordan a pretty good ballplayer. D'Angelo's ingenious sound relies on slick keyboards, organic percussion, laidback basslines, and often other instrumentation including strings, horns, and pipes. And if the creative music isn't enough, vocally he is fantastic. With a range stretching well into falsetto, his voice moves from a light, airy, angelic quality to a smooth, full-bodied soulful tone. He has a one-of-a-kind voice, but his delivery is equally essential to his sound. In addition to his melodic singing, his delivery is just as often conversational and flowing, lending to a periodic hip hop vibe in light of the rich soul music.
At ten tracks, "Brown Sugar" is a perfect length and bears incredible consistency. While he effectively explores a wide range of emotions, it never deviates from smooth soul and remains a powerful mood-setter throughout. Beginning with the classic title track, a hit, D'Angelo enters with a hypnotic groove immediately evoking an earlier urban era. D'Angelo uses a clever double entendre to croon simultaneously to a woman and his beloved herb, using language reminiscent of 1970s ballads but a sly humor as well. The hook is gorgeous, his light delivery allows his voice to soar, and this is truly one of the finest singles of the 1990s.
After the superb "Alright," an inspiring midtempo jam, and the yearning of "Jonz in My Bonz," "Me and Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine" impresses as a melodic love song with great guitar instrumentation. The transition into its follower, "S..., D..., Motherf....," is flawless, barely noticeable until D'Angelo begins to express his surprised rage at discovering infidelity in a relationship. Even with all the raw feeling in this song, the music remains extremely mellow and enjoyable.
The intro to "Smooth" is fine live jazz on piano, building into an uptempo jazz track. He then covers Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" with a lush arrangement of strings and soaring vocals. Still my favorite song might be "When We Get By," a catchy, jazzy blues number with a tight horn arrangement, winding bass, and one of D'Angelo's finest performances. This song has a really inspiring feel and great mood. Both closers are absolutely brilliant, the awesome "Lady" and the moving "Higher."
It's amazing that this album is over fifteen years old now, because its currents are still so visible in modern soul and hip hop. Its nostalgia hasn't aged a bit and it still sounds brilliantly fresh and innovative. This is the type of feel-good music that never gets old and can be appreciated by any listener. Ever an artist, D'Angelo has only released one follow-up to date (1999's Voodoo), and I highly recommend this essential listen to any music fan.
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