Black Messiah – D'Angelo, The Vanguard (2xLP)

The recordings for the 40 year old US-American's third longplayer took place over the past fifteen years in collaboration with his band The Vanguard. In addition, Pino Palladino, James Gadson and Questlove were involved in some of the twelve songs. Besides D'Angelo also Q-Tip and Kendra Foster contributed to the lyrics. Due to the quality of the musicians, digital plug-ins could be completely dispensed with in the studio. The recordings, editing, effects and mixing were done analog on tape, for the most part old (vintage) equipment was used.

"'Black Messiah' is an attention-grabbing name for an album. He can easily be misunderstood," explains the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. "Many may think this is about religion. Some might assume that I call myself the 'Black Messiah'. But it's about the world. It's about an idea we can all aspire to. We should all strive to be a black Messiah. It is about the people who rise in Ferguson and in Egypt and in the Occupy Wall Street movement and everywhere where a community has enough and decides to bring about change. It's not about celebrating a charismatic leader, but thousands of them. Not every song on the album has a political background (although many do), but giving an album the title 'Black Messiah' creates an environment in which these songs can unfold to the maximum. Black Messiah is not a single person. It's the feeling that we're all this leader together."

Already with his album "Brown Sugar", which was released in 1995, D'Angelo from Richmond, Virginia, caused a worldwide sensation. He created a completely new, unmistakable sound, became the pioneer of Neo Soul and landed several hits with "Brown Sugar", "Lady" and "Cruisin". Five years later he released his second album "Voodoo", which reached platinum status in the USA. The critically acclaimed longplayer was awarded a Grammy in the category "Best &&B Album" and the single "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" was awarded a Grammy in the category "Best Male R&B Vocal Performance".

"Dominated by relaxed grooves and many acoustic guitars, this mix of songwriting, soul funk, jazz and hip hop seems like a session between Marvin Gaye, Cat Stevens and Prince: very smart! (Audio, March 2015)

"D'Angelo's return is more than an album. It's an event." (music express,

March 2015)

"After 14 years, D'Angelo surprises with a new soul-funk masterpiece." (Rolling Stone, February 2015)