i'm convinced that this is the end... and i'm going to try to sleep my days away<P>alot of reasons.<P>for one - i PRE-ordered voodoo from the site (twec or some company), and it's not here yet - i'm going to go INSANE with all this snow, and no D in my cabin-feverish life...<P>for two - it's been a long time D. it seems like you were blessed enough so that you could become me, before i could become myself (and let the public know me) in this creative meta-morposis i went under. <P>okay - you came out first - then i get signed and i try to make my music the way my spirit moves me - THEN EVERYONE THINKS I'M TRYING TO BE YOU MAN !! LOL. <P>i listened to brown sugar 10 times, then i gave it away because it was affecting my writing and production. i knew you had something great, but i couldn't allow myself to come out being a mimic, so i looked towards myself more so that i could get some ill content and abstracts with my songs (spirit, the world, love). then i read about your project, and it's supposed to be on the same tip ! lol, i was shocked.<P>listening to voodoo (when it gets here) is going to be very hard for me to do. to keep it real - i may just cry listening to some of your material - and not necessarily because of it's beauty ( i know it's going to be beautiful though *). i'm going to cry because somehow during the time that we were creating 2 totally different projects, we seemed to have some kind of crazy psychic-creative connection - and you may have beat me to the draw with alot of things man :). <P>your lyrics may be a little bit like mine, you may present your voice the way i've done or would do. that shit is going to hit me hard, and i know i'm going to have to NOT release some powerful material, just to preserve the creative aim of my project - which is NOT SOUNDING LIKE ANYTHING YOU'VE EVER HEARD. i tried my hardest, and i know in my heart that i was winning at it, but people like to put every artist in the box - the public would surely put me in the "d'angelo box". i can see definite differences, and i'm sure you would too, but the world just wouldn't understand.<P>i don't know how many spins i can give voodoo - but i promise (myself) that i'll listen at least 1 time before i give it to my sister or something :).<P>your album, judging by the material i've heard will be revolutionary. i wish you all the best, because you deserve it. maybe next time around i can beat you to the draw when I come out - somewhere in that 2 - 3 years respite between voodoo and your next album. or will it be another 5 - 6 ? :). hopefully not D. there are people out there who are living for you. this masterpiece you've created will only sustain them for a lil' while - they need you more than you know.... peace out.... <BR> billy<P><BR>"you gaze confused/ at me from the stage while my camera rewinds/ yes - flashed a contraband memoir of an obsession divine/ in this life i want just a mere fraction of your prescious time/ when i relinquish to you all of mine" - <P><a href="http://www.geocities.com/gabbana36/billy1.html" target="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/gabbana36/billy1.html<;/a>