there have been a handful of recordings i like this year; however, i have to say that this album is my favorite. not only do d'angelo and the vanguard pay homage to those such as curtis mayfield (with titles such as 'back to the future', as well as utilizing portions of 'we people who are darker than blue'), sylvester stewart, prince and so many others; but they take you on a journey of our histories (with everything from the spanish guitar, to the down home porch funk).
d'angelo's ongoing connection with folks such as pino palladino, chris dave and ahmir thompson are definitely there... in addition to this, roy hargrove and jesse johnson (both underrated, if you ask me) bring their energies to the album.
'voodoo' explored traditional/ancestral spirituality; 'black messiah' was the realization of it. we are the drum, we are the guitar, we are the heartbeat... we heed the call when we encounter it. the state of modern music has muffled the sounds with low frequencies and stuffed our ears with expensive headphones. now is the time we actually LISTEN, not hear.
