28. "RE: Brown Sugar .vs Voodoo" In response to In response to 0
I say VOODOO!!! The shit is just amazing. I have never listened to an album like I listen to this one (and mind you I am notorious for playing an album over and over). It's like a fuckin' drug or something. I need my fix everyday. I'm still trying to get that feeling I had when I heard it for the first time. Just like a drug addict, right? hahaha. But, really, the first time I heard it I was just amazed.
I really don't understand people who say they aren't feeling this album. They are just so caught up in all of that commercialized watered down R&B that's out there now. They can't recognize real soul music when they hear it. It's funny because I was playing The Root in my car and my mother was with me. Her: Who is that? Me: D'Angelo. Her: It sounds terrible. My guess is that she didn't like the raggedness of it. She couldn't feel its poly-rhythmic elements (another African musical trait). The Root is my second favorite song on the album. Africa is #1.
Another thing I like about Voodoo (Brown Sugar too) is D's backgrounds. He doesn't let anybody fuck with his backgrounds. I like to call them "beautifully stingy." On Voodoo I love how the backgrounds are layered. They're sung in unison, but not really in harmony--another African musical trait.