D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah ALBUM REVIEW

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D’Angelo is one of the most revered musicians of the 90s and early 2000s. After his classic album Voodoo, his career began to tumble down after entering rehab. Throughout that time, he was dropped from his label and his career eventually came to an end. Throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, he slowly collaborated with other artists while rumblings of a new album were popping up left and right. Then, nearly fifteen years after Voodoo, D’Angelo is back with Black Messiah, one of the most anticipated albums in recent memory. Let’s get into Black Messiah.

Black Messiah is a neo-soul album with jazz, funk, R&B, and rock influences. This album is pure atmosphere. While funk and R&B are well-played genres, Black Messiah leans into this sound to a large degree to much success. This feels like an experience that is meant to listen through, and that’s the least positive thing I could say about Black Messiah. I have to compare this to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly because of its similar themes in racial awareness and things like that. The production on this album is absolutely perfect. Every single instrument can be heard. It’s complex, but it’s mixed so well that you can hear every little detail in the track. This is also so experimental, with each track being its own special beast, but it’s also still exceptionally D’Angelo. I have to admit, there’s not a lot of negatives in this record, and I’m just gonna keep it at that.

Black Messiah is what To Pimp A Butterfly is to a lot of people. This is one of the most important albums ever because of its themes and vulnerable writing, and the great sounding music backs that up. I’m going to be honest with you in saying that this is one of the best albums of the 2010s, and is one of my favorite albums ever. Don’t miss this at all.


10/10


Stream Black Messiah here

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