Voodoo
by D'Angelo

I'm not one for unhesitatingly making accusations of bigotry/nepotism etc. That is unless I'm absolutely certain it's justified. This album is horrendously overlooked by this website in my opinion. It's easily one of the biggest influences on artists of the current generation in genres such as Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz etc. The name Voodoo has become so much a part of the lexicon of modern musicians that it deserves to be revered on a similar level to the likes Madvillainy, MBDTF, Illmatic and possibly even the two Kendrick albums.

3 years of recording in the making, this is one of the most perfectly engineered albums you'll ever hear, with every layer of sound recorded to perfection. And there are many layers, sometimes even up to 5 reals of tape were used on single tracks such as 'The Root', most of which where made up of the repeated takes of D'Angelo's voice harmonising with itself at least a dozen times over (none of which would ever be erased). Yet somehow despite the density of the recordings, it remains one of the most delicate and dynamic sounding albums you'll ever hear. And the delicacy is galvanised by the crazy and unsteady-yet-perfect grooves provided by the drum and bass pairing of ?uestlove and Pino Palladino, a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately this leads me to conclude that this website has something of a bias against some black musicians. I'm not saying that I think Radiohead, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd etc probably wouldn't be right at the top of the all time greatest artists list if you're asking hardcore music fans, but I also don't think this website is as meritocratic as it could be based on how overlooked an album like this can be. There's even a Linkin Park album that came out in the same year that is ranked higher ffs.

It's unfortunate that this album somehow didn't find the place it deserves in the critical canon, even if you do find it in the Rolling Stone top 500 list, you won't see anywhere near the same reverence for this album given by critics as you will find given by the relevant musicians of today (including the likes of Solange, James Blake and Thundercat, not to mention the countless many more who have sampled this album to death).

Anyways, rant over, please don't feel pressured to agree, this is just what's currently on my mind whenever I see this album on this website. (Edited)

Up there with some of the most influential R&B singers. People copy this guys style to this day. And on top of that its a really great record. His best work.

Absolute bliss. The last great soul album. A classic of neo-soul. What's next now ?

From mdbaxter TOP 100 COMMENTER 02/13/2018 19:58 | #207988 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Can't believe this album is rated so low. One of my favorite albums ever.

From Anti TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/05/2015 05:40 | #130859 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

A masterpiece of R&B/soul music. It's a hefty album with an 80 minute run time, but not a moment is spared. I loooooove how funky the bass is throughout the entire album. Get some headphones and enjoy the sexual bump and thump.

Oh yeah, don't only judge it by iTunes samples. Listen to the WHOLE ALBUM and you'll get the gist of what all the critics say about it.