Zack: I was excited when Emily selected D’Angelo in
this batch of albums, because I wanted to verify if his music really is
as…potent as I’ve heard. While the rating for Robin Thicke is clearly way off, 90% seems
about right here. Brown Sugar is every bit the masterpiece I’ve always heard it
to be and I definitely see why his forthcoming third album, which has been
forthcoming about as long as Detox, has so many people anxious. I thought Brown
Sugar started slow, but worked into a nice groove by the halfway point and then
was just consistently excellent until the end. It reminded me a lot of channel
ORANGE by Frank Ocean, except Brown Sugar was more compact and featured
stronger compositions while the lyrics on channel ORANGE are more diverse and
mature.
Favorite Tracks: Cruisin’; Brown Sugar; Lady
Emily: D'Angelo definitely has a smooth way with words and sounds. I'm pretty sure he's the only one who can make a song called Shit, Damn, Motherfucker, with lyrics that are pretty much just those three expletives repeated over and over again, sound panty-droppingly sexy. I didn't even realize that's what he was saying until about two-thirds of the way through; I was just grooving along with the beat. Those smooth beats kept me swaying throughout the entire album, and the lyrics on many other songs matched the sexiness of the music. My favorite song, however, was D'Angelo's cover of Smokey Robinson's Cruisin'. That song was the informal theme song of my trip to Israel a few years back, as played on acoustic guitar by a smattering of Americans and Israelis and eventually sung by our entire group around many a campfire. D'Angelo's version takes it from acoustic old-school soul to smooth R&B neo-soul, making a great song even greater and creating a classic in its own right.
Favorite Tracks: Cruisin'; Brown Sugar; Shit, Damn, Motherfucker
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