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i read about how you write reviews for albums and then
try to make an album that hits that mark.
if you were to read this review, would you feel that you got want you wanted?
i guess i want to know if what i hear is what you guys were trying to capture.
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professional writers will have a hard time reviewing this album, because
it's hard to write about it without sounding like you're talking out of your ass.
part of this is questlove's fault. quest is a low key genius when it comes
to creating a mythology. when he was struggling to blow up in the early days with the roots, he made sure that other alternative black artists got signed to his label.
partly because that's what good friends do. but mostly because he knew that
ppl like to like things that are part of a movement.
you don't like the temptations-- you like the Motown sound.
you don't like prince-- it's the Minneapolis sound.
we're not just the roots-- we're a collective. this is a neo soul movement.
knowing that questlove is always picturing his own Wikipedia page even as he
lives his life, it's hard not to think that his constant diefication of dangelo was
questlove playing a long game of chess.
"yeah d'angelo is a beast on guitar now. he's on that Eddie hazel shit."
i laughed when he said that, because the statement is ridiculous on it's face.
but it's like quest telling us not to picture a purple polar bear.
now that i have heard the album-- it's impossible not to think of Eddie hazel.
which makes me skeptical of my own thoughts when i say that this album does remind me of a lot of my favorite legends. quest planted the idea in my head that d'angelo was capable of this type of material.
and although I've only heard the album 6 times... i can't shake the feeling that this album might be a work of genius that will be go down in the ages
as one of the all time great albums.
I'm going to center my review around the album closer-- "another life,"
because that's the song that i feel is most likely to
still sound brilliant after the excitement of a long awaited album wears off
and all we have is the material itself.
"another life" is a brilliant record.
it has the soul of so many brilliant influences in its DNA.
the first thing you hear is the Philly sound influence.
think back to how you feel when you hear the opening notes to "you make me feel brand new". The sound of that harpisichord is so pure
it makes you believe in the goofy parts of being in love.
D'angelo captures that. But this is more than a throwback record.
D'angelo also digs into the prince well by stacking the vocals so thick
and putting a jolt of sex appeal in this record. The stylistics were asexual and pure.
"another life" captures the purity but also let's you know he also wants to kiss you in the
"places that please."
That line isn't shock value or prurient for the sake of it.
He believes sex would be magical as the opening harpisichord on "you make me feel brand new." It would be a true consummation. The ethereal aspects of love
firmly grounded in the bodies actually touching each other.
This isn't a fantasy-- it's a dream come to life.
Then there's the mystical aspect of it. He loves this woman so completely that
he wants to take her to the hidden aspects of his psyche.
exploring all the rooms in his mind that normally stay locked.
and just when he's laid out a perfect picture,
the hook comes in and stabs you in the chest.
it's not quite to be. "in another life," he happily laments to himself.
"i bet you wouldn't know." he smiles to himself because the dreams he has of this love affair is like some inside joke she hasn't quite gotten yet.
this is beautiful, heartbreaking stuff.
but let's be clear-- some of what i hear in this album may be quest overhyping it.
the myth is that this genius has been slaving away in the studio, cooking up something that's 10 years ahead of its time. He's been studying p-funk and Beatles albums.
because i heard that myth, i listen to the album and search for references.
and the truth is, i can hear them.
various guitar effects sound like they were recorded under water.
the you focus on one guitar lick and get lost in it and then realize that there
is another counter melody going at the same time that's equally good
and you think, when is the last time i've heard this much going on in a record.
and now-- without realizing it-- you're thinking of p-funk's "motor booty affair."
dammit quest.
is that actually there, or did you make me imagine it?
i want to talk about the engineering on this record. so many nuances.
for instance-- another song that will likely stand the test of time is "the charade."
there's a handclap that comes in in the down-beat of every fourth measure.
the handclap is so perfect there, it really adds to the groove.
but what adds to the mystery of this album is that the hand clap doesn't just clap on the fourth measure. they used some effect so that it sounds like something is zooming in, whizzing by like a slow bullet, and then the impact is that hand clap on the fourth measure.
the hand clap is so perfect, but the fact that the sound started 3 beats back before landing on that down beat makes it seem that every aspect of this album
was planned. every sound you hear is everything fitting in it's right place.
if funk is all about the one, putting a handclap there instead of a bass
is a subtle subversion of the essence of funk.
d'anglelo's funk always was more subtly disquieting rather than
knocking your ass off with a groove.
this album feels like he broke funk down under a microscope
and then rebuilt it. he was always subtle, but he went inside of that subtlety and added more sonic detail.
the ride cymbals ring out forever.
you can hear every nuance of every snare drum.
this album has more information in it than "Paul's Boutique."
it could take a decade to hear everything they put into it.
(wait... I'm just repeating what is heard questlove say, aren't i?)
this album is impossible to process.
so what's my view of the album.
we know what quest built a myth of d'anglelo...
and in order for this album to be a success, it had to validate the myth.
does it succeed at that?
maybe it's just old questlove interviews talking, but i say the answer is yes.
this album validates the myth.
there is enough here that ppl that already believe will be able to sink their ears into this one for another 10 years.
if questlove wanted to make sure this album lives, he did a perfect job.
dropping an album called "black messiah" at Christmas time,
when racial anxiety is boiling over in the backdrop of fergesun and garner...
that will make this album connect with listeners long after the initial press has worn off.
and while it's impossible to know whether I'd place this album on the list of greats
if quest didn't plant the idea in my head for a decade...
the fact is he did. and then he delivered an album that is so solid that
it doesn't make me scoff at the idea.
quest created the myth, and the album doesn't break the trance.
and really, maybe that's what music is missing these days.
we need more than just the tunes. we also need something to believe in.
is dangelo that guy?
well, no.
i don't believe in dangelo as the savior of black music.
apparently, neither does dangelo.
but i do believe in this album.
hype or no hype, this music is something music lovers have needed for a very long time.
A+
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The Lesson 
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What were you guys on for The Charade? The Family's River runs dry or had you already made this beat like the princy electric circus jawn?
