Thoughts?

On the one hand, I love listening to him, generally like his style, and he has one of the best voices in the world, period.

On the other hand, album feels very slight, given how long the wait for it was --11 tracks, 35 minutes. And one of them, Plastic, has been out in various versions for years; another, Lonely World, had a version released on his Lamentations EP last year. Worse, though, too many of these tracks barely sound like songs. Take Make Out in My Car - it's basically one phrase repeated for two and a half minutes, while the admittedly gorgeous production pulses around it.

I still really like him as an artist, but given my expectations this feels like a real disappointment.

Take into account though, I was just exposed to his music recently. I saw him live on Monday and bought his album after that. Before seeing him live I had only heard one song by him. I really like the way it was produced, the sparse, pristine production is a really nice compliment to his voice. That said, there could be more variety in the type of songs on the LP, but that's where the short length helps it I think. I actually love "Make Out In My Car", but see what you are getting at with the length/repetition. My favorite track is probably "Quarrel" that portion near the middle of the track when the electric guitar comes in is awesome.

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

1 Man on the Moon (Reprise) 0:37 -- Introlude which reprises
2 Don't Bother Calling 4:00
3 Plastic 3:09 -- New version of previously released song
4 Quarrel 6:46
5 Stoicism 1:02 -- Interlude
6 Lonely World 4:49 -- New version of previously released song
7 Make Out in My Car 2:36
8 The Cocoon-Eyed Baby 1:09 -- Interlude
9 Doomed 4:28
10 Indulge Me 3:16
11 Self-Help Tape 3:01

All right, so we got three interludes, two previously released songs, and six new songs. After like 4 years? And some of these songs, like Make Out in My Car, Indulge Me... there's just not much development to me. Idk maybe it's coz my expectations were so high, but I'm let down.

but it all sounds great to me haha. We didn't go in with the same expectations, you were looking for growth and I wasn't. I had no prior exposure really. It's an album extremely easy to put on loop with a consistently beautiful sound.

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

--------------------------------------
I ain't NEVER seen a hungry, happy muthaf*cka!

Heavy Ro'
Jay Rock - Redemption
Roc Marci - RR2
Travis Scott - Astroworld
Taz Arnold - rAd americA

as an album I need to return to it a few more times

Agreed. Feels like it was messed with just to have something "different" for the full-length.

Really dig it. Kinda hit me like Meshell’s Bitter back in the day.

I’m new to his music, so I had no expectations.

I’d love to see him live!

Happy 50th D’Angelo: https://chrisp.bandcamp.com/track/d-50