I was at my desk this morning looking at a text when the breaking news popped up on my phone: “D’Angelo, Soul’s Modern Visionary, Dead at 51.” I gasped and dropped my phone. There it was again. That feeling like someone punched me in the heart. These phones know everything about us now, right? Apple, Meta, and whoever else. How is there not a special easing-in before a life-altering breaking news alert? Don’t send me a notification that my favorite artist and someone who I’ve listened to on an almost daily basis for 30 years has passed away with the same amount of urgency that you send alerts about Prince William and his goings on with the royals. There should’ve been some kind of pre-alert that said something like, “Charlie, you’re gonna need to sit down for this one because this is going to break your heart and shatter your soul. It’s not an immediate family member close friend or anything, but we’re just letting you know this is gonna hurt you deeply and suck permanently. Take a deep breath. OK, ready?”
I haven’t processed all of this yet and I’m not ready to write about it yet. I know…it’s ridiculous to write and think this way about a “celebrity” but D’Angelo was just different. I read an Instagram post from Adi Oasis – a bassist, singer and songwriter you should check out if you haven’t already – who said, “D’Angelo’s music touched me in maybe the deepest way music can touch. The way we all feel transported when we hear his music… Inside a tunnel, onto another dimension. It felt like the way music was intended to fit in my eardrums on a chemical level.” I nodded in agreement. I saw another post earlier today by bassist, beatmaker, and content creator Brandon Shaw that said, “My musical life can be divided into two halves: before and after discovering D’Angelo.” Again, I nodded in agreement. The man only released three studio albums, but there hasn’t been a single week that’s gone by since I first heard Brown Sugar in 1995 that I haven’t listened to D’Angelo. He’s been the soundtrack to everything in my adult life.
So, what now? I usually write my way through a moment like this, but I don’t know how to put my feelings into words yet. I still sit at my keyboard tonight wanting to say something – I’m probably only saying it to my brother, but still…I feel a need to turn these thoughts into words. This is what’s about to happen:
If you have read anything of mine you know I’ve been writing about his concept of the Mix CD. A playlist with a time limit so it requires some thought. I’ve already seen a lot of D’Angelo playlists today and of course they’re amazing, but I don’t really see anyone shedding any light on D’s work beyond the obvious. Of course you should listen to “Brown Sugar”, “Lady”, “Untitled”, “Really Love”, and his other best known work. Everyone is sharing D’Angelo’s performance of Prince’s “Sometimes it Snows in April” from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon right now. There’s a reason why those are the songs everyone is recommending. They’re incredible. Yet I’m looking at them I’m thinking to myself…as someone who has been listening to the man non-stop for 30 years and has spent an unbelievable amount of time scouring the internet for any little scrap of music I can get from the man, I might be just the person to share more of it. You want the hits? Check out the other playlists. I’m going to give you the deep shit. I don’t have access to the two years of Voodoo recording sessions or anything other hardcore D’Angelo heads don’t know about. But, I can safely say few people have watched and listened to more D’Angelo for the past 30 years than I have. I think I have a good idea what’s out there.
This is going to be a hybrid playlist. Some of this stuff is only audio. Some you will actually be able to stream on your preferred music platform. There are even a few tracks straight from his albums. Then there’s the live stuff, demos, jam sessions, etc. Not available on Spotify or Apple Music. But, if you really want to get into D’Angelo and understand his greatness, you don’t have to look much further than YouTube. Montreux in 2000. North Sea Jazz Festival and Bonnaroo in 2015. Watching the evolution of a song like “Brown Sugar” from the studio to what it became on the “Voodoo” tour with the Soultronics, and then the “Second Coming” tour with the Vanguard was thrilling. Taking the same classic song and finding ways to make it new. We’re gonna look into things like that.
Instead of me boring you with sadness, let me show you some reasons why D’Angelo was, is, and always will be my favorite musician who ever lived.
“Prayer” – from Black Messiah (2014)
“Prayer” is the stunning eighth track from D’Angelo and the Vanguard’s 2014 album Black Messiah. I’m placing it first on the list because it’s the first song that came to mind today when I heard about D passing. I love the teachings of Jesus, but I’m not a religious person. I’ve always been a bit envious of people like D’Angelo who are so confident in God’s existence. More importantly, D’Angelo always spoke of Yahweh as a source of love and inspiration. I admire people who view God and Jesus as a source of positivity…unlike the dude down the street from me who has both a “Trump 2024: The Revenge Tour” flag and a “God For a Change” sign in his front yard and is too ignorant to understand the contradiction or care about it. God is love. D’Angelo constantly reminded us of that. He’s with Yahweh now. Whatever demons he had on this plane with us are now gone.
“Alright” – from Brown Sugar (1995)
I’ve written about this story multiple times on this site, so if you’ve heard this before just skip it because here I go again. The first time I heard D’Angelo was at Fox River Mall in Appleton, Wisconsin in the summer of 1995. I was at one of those mall music stores, but not a Sam Goody. It might’ve been FYE or something similar. They had CD listening stations. Let me attempt to explain that to any readers I might have under the age of 40. Back when we had to buy an actual physical item – like a CD, cassette, or record – and couldn’t hear music on the internet before we purchased it, stores had spots called listening stations with headphones and a selection of new music that you could check out so you didn’t drop $10-$15 on an album without getting a taste of it first. This particular store had five CDs on the listening station and Brown Sugar by D’Angelo was one of them. Based purely on the cover art it seemed like something I might be interested in, so I placed the headphones over my ear and pressed play. My jaw dropped. I remember looking around the store at other customers thinking, “Get the fuck over here. Have you people heard this?!?” It was literally a life-altering moment. Then I thought, “Well, a lot of people make one good song. The rest of this album might be shit.” So I skipped to the second track – “Alright”. God damn it, this is something special. 30 seconds later I went to the R&B section, found Brown Sugar, and took it straight to the cashier. “Brown Sugar” reeled me in, but “Alright” sealed the deal. The rest is history.
“Chicken Grease” from The Chris Rock Show (1999)
The time between Brown Sugar in 1995 and D’Angelo’s sophomore album Voodoo in 2000 felt like an eternity. We were so naive. Turns out, five years is nothing when you’re a D’Angelo fan. By the fall of 1999 we knew Voodoo‘s release was imminent. The “Left and Right” single dropped and the B-side “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” caught fire. Then came November 13, 1999. The appearance on The Chris Rock Show. After a few years at Electric Lady Studio with the Soulquarians, D’Angelo’s first live appearance to promote Voodoo was a performance on HBO’s The Chris Rock Show where he debuted “Chicken Grease”. He was no longer the guy hiding behind a Fender Rhodes. He was out in front, fit as hell, dancing, singing, and leading the band (hey, it’s the drummer from The Roots!). A complete transformation from Brown Sugar-era D’Angelo, but in a good way. I swear my brother and I watched this so many times we damn near wore out the VHS tape. A tantalizing peek at what was to come on Voodoo and still a goosebump-inducing video every time I see it.
“I Found My Smile Again”
The original version of this song appeared on the Space Jam soundtrack. I liked it, but I always felt the vibe of the song was too dark for the lyrics. Then at some point in the early-2000s (I’m too sad to look up the date) a new, funkier, more upbeat version just magically appeared on iTunes like an angel read my mind and said, “Here you go, Charlie. This is the version you wanted.” It would be impossible for me to count the number of times I listened to this song while my kids were growing up. In my mind, this song was written for them. I still see Phoebe, Andy, and Lucy every time I hear it. “I Found My Smile Again” is a song that feels like it could’ve been ripped from Stevie Wonder’s canon, but it’s all D’Angelo. Oh, also, fun fact: The opening track on Voodoo “Playa Playa” was originally written to be part of the Space Jam soundtrack. That’s why there are so many basketball references. The powers that were chose “I Found My Smile Again” instead.
“Really Love” from Saturday Night Live (2015)
D’Angelo did very little promotion for Black Messiah. He was about the music, not the show business. So, imagine my shock and excitement when it was announced that D would be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on January 31, 2015. He didn’t go to the Grammys that year despite the fact that he was nominated for several. He didn’t do the late night talk show circuit. Only SNL. It was powerful seeing him perform “Charade” during the first hour of Black History Month, but his performance of “Really Love” stole the show. D took a lot of criticism over the years for burying his vocals in the mix, but they were on full display with nowhere to hide during that SNL performance and they were as silky as ever. Isaiah Sharkey’s acoustic guitar and the addition of a string section completed the sound. I don’t know that there’s ever been a more beautiful performance on SNL.
“Your Precious Love” from the High School High soundtrack (1996)
I don’t remember much about High School High, other than it was a spoof of “hood” movies that starred Jon Lovitz, Cassandra from Wayne’s World, and Omar Epps. I can’t believe that ridiculous movie has this gem of a remake by D’Angelo and Erykah Badu on the soundtrack. If you’re gonna remake a song by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell you better be two titans of soul music. D and Erykah were more than up to the task. When my wife and I made a mix CD for all of our wedding guests 20 years ago this song was on it.
“She’s Always in My Hair” from Spotify Sessions (2015)
I’ll attempt to do something I find challenging and make a long story short: Prince released “She’s Always in My Hair” as the B-side to his single “Paisley Park” in 1985. It has become one of the more beloved deep cuts in Prince’s oeuvre. 12 years later D’Angelo remade it for the Scream 2 soundtrack. In 2015 D resurrected it for a Spotify Session recording with The Vanguard to promote the Black Messiah album. As much as Prince inspired and influenced D’Angelo, “She’s Always in My Hair” is the only studio cover of a Prince song D ever released. I personally prefer D’Angelo’s harder take on the song over Prince’s keyboard-heavy original.
“The ‘Notic” from the Men In Black – The Album (1997)
I’m gonna keep rolling with the 90s soundtrack material. “The ‘Notic” is unavailable on streaming services due to what I assume is an issue over the use of “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire in the hook. It’s a perfect five-minute encapsulation of everything I loved about late-90s hip hop. One of my favorite Roots tracks and it kills me that I can’t stream it. I should probably just buy it on CD so I can rip it into my Apple Music library but these are the kind of things I forget when I’m in a record store shopping for vinyl. Gotta remember to check the CDs for the MiB soundtrack! We get the kind of mellow hip hop groove only the Roots can deliver with their live instrumentation. They shone brightest on tracks like this, “Silent Treatment”, and “What They Do”. Young Black Thought delivers clever wordplay with the same precision he always has. “The ‘Notic” isn’t just peak 90s Roots, it gives us D’Angelo on the hook with some bonus vocals by Erykah Badu. It’s an early taste of what the Soulquarians had cooking. It could’ve used a touch of Dilla’s influence, but that would come later.
“Devil’s Pie” from 2000 MTV Movie Awards
As if D’Angelo wasn’t already the coolest motherfucker I’d ever seen in my life, he forever solidified that lofty position with this performance at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. “Devil’s Pie” was the second track on Voodoo, but before that it was also included on the soundtrack to the Nas and DMX-led movie Belly. I assume that’s why he was performing it at the MTV Movie Awards. Here was D in front of a massive television audience (the MTV Movie Awards were a big deal) at the absolute peak of his powers, pacing the stage, delivering a sermon on greed, materialism, fame, and the moral price of success. Two minutes in, after warning the crowd about “ho’ing out for all the loot and all the clout,” The Soultronics exploded into a blast of Funkadelic-inspired fury — flames shooting up, Shelby Johnson looking legitimately terrifying singing backup vocals, and D screaming with two middle fingers up in the air, tossing his mic stand, head banging, and storming off stage. I stand by this: It’s the greatest live music performance in television history. I hope the people there had some appreciation for what they witnessed. I assume most of those idiots would’ve rather seen Ashlee Simpson.
“Bullshit” from the RH Factor album Distractions (2006)
This entire post was actually just an elaborate way to get my readers to listen to this song. “Bullshit” is one of my favorite songs of the 21st century. RH Factor was a group/experiment created by jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove that blended jazz, funk, soul, R&B, and hip hop. Roy Hargrove played trumpet on two of D’Angelo’s albums, and D returned the favor playing on two RH Factor albums. “Bullshit” is everything I want out of 21st century jazz. Not afraid to incorporate things like hip hop beats and Dilla Time. D’s vocals are the cherry on top of this already delicious sundae. Roy Hargrove passed way from cardiac arrest brought on by complications from kidney disease in 2018. Another brilliant musician taken from us too early.
“Shit, Damn, Motherfucker” Live at Montreux 2000
The only thing I don’t like about the song “Shit, Damn, Motherfucker” is that the title makes it easy to dismiss by people who are either easily offended by cursing or think the song is some kind of gimmick or joke. “Shit, Damn, Motherfucker” is a song about a man who walks in on his wife cheating on him with his best friend. He snaps and murders them. It ends with him wondering why he’s wearing handcuffs as if he executed them in a blind rage and didn’t realize what he was doing while it was happening. Yeah…dark. Shit, I just caught my best friend and my wife. Damn, I’m gonna kill y’all. Motherfucker, I’m in handcuffs. What did I just do? Anyway, the beauty of the studio version of the song is that it’s so laid back. He’s way too chill while singing lyrics like, “I’m bout to go get my nine and kill both of y’alls behinds.” In the live version from the Voodoo tour it starts chill like the studio version during the verses but erupts into chaos when the chorus hits. Yet another brilliant reimagining of his music for the live show.
“Tell Me” from the Slum Village album “Fantastic Vol 2” (2000)
I don’t have anything original to say about this song. It’s one of my favorite Dilla beats and D’Angelo sings the hook. What more do you need to know? It’s dope. Just listen to it.
“Ibtihaj” from the Rapsody album Eve (2019)
By 2019 Black Messiah was already five years behind us and D’Angelo was back in hiding. The list of music we ended up getting from D post-Black Messiah is painfully short, but this song is a masterpiece, thanks in no small part to D’Angelo. How did Rapsody get D’Angelo on a track? I have no idea. Maybe because she’s from NC and he’s from Virginia and he was showing some kind of mid-Atlantic love? Maybe because Rapsody is a generational talent and game recognize game. Regardless, I can count on one hand the number of hip hop songs in the past decade I like better than “Ibtihaj”. A genius take on an old GZA track and D’Angelo’s hook is wild.
“Chicken Grease” Live at Bonnaroo 2015
My list. I can put the same song on it twice. It might be the same song but it’s completely different 15 years later and just as good. Once The Vanguard is done with a six-minute uptempo version of “Chicken Grease” and you think it can’t possibly get any funkier one of my favorite occurrences in all of life happens: it becomes a D’Angelo jam session. It’s not really a “song” per se, it’s just some of the most talented musicians in the world playing the absolute funkiest groove you’ve ever heard for ten minutes while D’Angelo screams the crowd into a frenzy. It is one of my greatest regrets in life that I never got to see this in person. It is also truly depressing knowing that I will now never get a chance to. He’s fucking gone. Shit.
“So Far to Go” from J Dilla’s The Shining (2006)
This song sits firmly in the middle portion of the Venn diagram featuring two of D’s most frequent and beloved collaborators – Soulquarians J Dilla and Common. D spent most of the late-90s with Common and Dilla and worked with both of them on multiple occasions. No collaboration better or more soulful than this one featuring each performers’ strengths: Dilla’s soulful hip hop beat, D’s layered vocals, and Common’s thoughtful lyrics.
“Joe Texan” from the Voodoo recording sessions (late-90s)
First off, I don’t know what “Joe Texan” is. I’m assuming a reference to Joe Tex. I know what this song is. Seven minutes of mind-blowing funk courtesy of D’Angelo (vocals), Pino Palladino (bass), James Poyser (Fender Rhodes) and Questlove (drums) recorded during the Voodoo recording sessions. How did this leak and so little else? Could we hear more, please? I’m sure there are dozens if not hundreds or even thousands of hours of it? I’d like to hear all of it. I quietly hoped that there would be a Voodoo 25th Anniversary Box Set this year with hours upon hours of outtakes and studio stuff. To whom it may concern: I would pay an obscene amount of money for such a thing and I’m sure others would, too. Now that D is gone, here is my hope for the supposed hundreds of hours music and finished songs that have never seen the light of day. I hope D was able to get something in writing and give it to someone he loves and trusts. I hope that person is then able to execute whatever plan D had for that music…even if his plan was to set fire to all of it. I truly hope that doesn’t happen, but if that’s his wish, then that’s what should happen. I desperately want to hear it. I need to hear it. I hope D wanted us to as well. I haven’t given up hope that there we’ll hear more D’Angelo music.
“Higher” from Brown Sugar (1995)
When my wife and I were wed 20 years ago my instructions for our DJ at the reception were few but they were strict. 1. No country music. 2. No “Cotton Eyed Joe” (I hate that fucking song and it gets played at every wedding…or at least it used to back in the day when people I knew were getting married). 3. No Dave Matthews Band. Our first dance song was “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. Family friendly stuff until 10:00 PM, but after that nothing but hip hop because we (the “young” people) were taking over the dance floor at that time. Beyond that I only had one other request: I needed to hear the song “Higher” by D’Angelo at some point. It ended up being the final song of the night and will remain until the day I die one of my favorite moments of my life. Dancing with my wife at 11:55 PM, surrounded by my closest family and friends (most of them drunk) on the best day of my life. We were all smiling, laughing, and dancing together. This song is pure joy. It will always put a smile on my face and erase any sadness…well, except for today. All of these songs are making me sad today.
“Brown Sugar” Live at North Sea Jazz Festival 2015
For my final live entry on this list I go back to D’Angelo’s original hit. The song that started it all…with a twist. The version The Vanguard performed during the 2015 “Second Coming” tour transformed that laid back classic that I know and love into a funk masterpiece. The slow flange effect on Isaiah Sharkey’s guitar. The crack of Chris Dave’s snare drum. The persistent thump of Pino Palladino’s bass. Like so much of D’Angelo’s work, it’s perfect.
“Another Life” from Black Messiah (2014)
How was this song not a hit? What’s wrong with you people? What more could you ask for from your music? “Another Life” is gorgeous. Rich and full. Warm and smooth. A lush soundscape. Like a velvety blanket for your ears and soul. What I imagine heaven sounds like. One of the finest songs in D’Angelo’s catalog, yet I never hear about it. A stunning work of art…but now leaves me with one melancholy memory that will haunt me until the end of my days. Black Messiah was released late on a Sunday night. I had a busy day at work that Monday and I was not feeling well. I would’ve normally stayed up for an event as momentous as a D’Angelo album release, but I needed to sleep. I was mature and told myself, “I’ll have the rest of my life to listen to this album. I don’t need to hear it at midnight on a Sunday night.” I soldiered through my workday, performed my spousal and parental duties when I came home, then retreated to my bedroom with my iPhone and my Bose headphones as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Hearing a new D’Angelo album for the first time was a unique experience I was sadly only able to enjoy three times. It’s rare to have something so eagerly anticipated exceed your wildest expectations. It’s even more rare to realize and appreciate it in the moment while it’s happening. The further into the album you get, the more the awe and excitement turns into despair. There isn’t much left. I’m almost done hearing new D’Angelo. When Black Messiah was released in December of 2014 it had been almost fifteen years since D’Angelo’s previous album, Voodoo. While listening to “Another Life” – the final track on Black Messiah – I had a sense of dread creeping in. Was I going to have to wait another 15 years for new D’Angelo? 2029 is a long way off. Even worse, was this the last time I’d ever get to hear a D’Angelo album for the first time? For 11 years I hoped it wouldn’t be. Now I know that it was.
“Africa (Acoustic Demo)” from Voodoo recording sessions (late-90s)
For my last addition to the list I thought I’d keep it simple. Just D’Angelo’s voice and a piano. There’s nothing simple about it, though. D had an extraordinary ability to make a piano sound like an entire band. Playing a bass line with his left hand and a melody with his right…a lot of musicians have that ability, but somehow D’Angelo made it sound like even more. As for the lyrical content, it doesn’t get much more personal than “Africa”. He’s singing about his ancestry. About being a father and passing his identity on to his son. About spirituality and a return home. The version of “Africa” that ended up on Voodoo is flawless. The word that comes to mind when I hear “Africa” is “enchanted”. The drums and the keys are magical. The acoustic demo is more stripped down. Just a man, his voice, his words, and his piano. It’s D’Angelo.
I hope you enjoyed my tour through the D’Angelo I’ve loved for 30 years. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure I missed something and I expect/hope to be reminded of it. For all of the terrible things about the internet, it can do wonderful things like make D’Angelo’s brilliant work available to all of us in just a few clicks. Go out there and look him up. See why your favorite musicians are all on social media talking about this R&B artist from the 1990s. You will likely be as moved and inspired as I and many others have been. I’m sad today because my favorite musician is no longer with us, but I’m even more happy and grateful for all of the joy he’s given me for the past three decades. There will never be another one like him. I’m damn lucky to have been alive while he was here. My condolences to his family – especially his children – and his loved ones. May he rest in peace. He will be deeply missed.
By the way, if you like this I’ve written literally dozens of posts about D’Angelo. I don’t know that any of them are any good or do him justice, but you can check them out here.
mookiefantana 