D'Angelo

Just getting back from Tampa. I wish I could say I had a crazy night, but it wasn't. Anyways, I listened to the Brown Sugar album for the 45 minute drive back.

Now lets agree on this: The modern era of hiphop began in 1993 with Midnight Marauders, Enter the 36 Chambers, Boom Bap, 93 Til Infinity and Enta Da Stage. The post-modern era of jazz began in 1983 with Think of One and New York Second Line. Modern/alt rock began in 1991 with Nevermind, Gish and Ten. The neo-soul movement (truly began in 1993 with Toni Tony Tone's Sons of Soul) but essentailly began with Brown Sugar.

Everyone, drop whatever it is that you're doing at this moment, go get the CD liner notes to Brown Sugar and look at three things: produced by, vocal arrangements by, all vocals by.

I have one of the most powerful imaginations that a grown man can have without it becoming a debilitation. But I cannot imagine one artist being more important to each genres modern music than D'Angelo.

I gotta go get some breakfast at Nellie's right now. But check those liner notes and then do me a solid...sit down and do some SERIOUS knowledge on Brown Sugar. Check the background vocals. Check the vocal stylings. Check the hollow snares. Check the bassline on "Allright".

I finished listening to the album and came to this conclusion: D'Angelo has been music's greatest loss of our lives. The sad thing is that homeboy aint even dead.

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Post breakfast addendum: I didn't go to Nellie's, I went to Dunkin Donuts and I listened to "Youre My Lady" there and back.

I've decided that Brown Sugar is gonna get its own novel blog. We'll have an online conversation and it's basically gonna be a one-way convo, consisting of me telling u what to think.

Until then, know that you've never heard a "clap" like you've heard on "Youre my lady". I'm serious about that. Never. More on that in novel blog, but know that right there. That was a brand new clap. Music niggas get the significance of that statement.

One other thing before I hop offline: my big sis Lyd know too much soul music. Lyd knows soul like u know its time for u to go to bed. Lyd knows soul like JJ Redick knows these are his last two weeks as a superstar. Anyways, she didnt know it at the time, but when we were teens Lyd was actually puttin me on to "the singer as a musician". Before I knew Sara Vaughn and Betty Carter were actually soloing when they sang, Lyd was unknowingly puttin me on to how niggas used vocals to not only season the dish, but bake it. Please check "Youre My Lady" and check the background vocals, keeping in mind the name that you find after "all vocals by..."

D'Angelo novel-blog comin soon