There are some who waited almost 15 years for this album. There are many people who justifiably had no faith in this seeing the light of day. To use a hip hop analogy, take out the two previous classic albums and D'Angelo, before this, would be the original Jay Electronica. This is to say - loads of talent, long wait, media hype, quotes from famous peers, but no albums. People who follow D'Angelo, especially those who post on Okayplayer forums, knew the story all too well. Once upon a time a singer named D'Angelo released two fantastic records that arguably set a new bar for Neo-Soul. His musical chops and voice combined with a certain music video made him ridiculously famous. Perhaps he struggled with the fame, with being a sex symbol - the only way to really know is to ask the man. In any case, in the years after Voodoo, the public was patiently waiting, and eventually the public gave up.
Throughout these years, Questlove said many things about this album, some of them definitely being hyperbole. For example, in regards to D'Angelo's guitar playing, the drummer said this to Rollingstone in 2012: "I think in his head, if he doesn't surpass Eddie Hazel, Santana, James Blood Ulmer and Frank Zappa as an axeman, he doesn't want to share it with the world." Anyone who has listened to Black Messiah, which has a strong emphasis on D'Angelo's recently obtained prowess on guitar, knows that D'Angelo, while quite good, is not on the level of the people Questlove mentioned. Despite this, it's hard to blame Questlove for hyping this record up, considering that back then, he probably already knew it was going to be this good. Black Messiah does the thing that albums with meteoric hype behind them rarely do - it delivered. The abrupt release of the extremely funky "Sugah Daddy" as a single seemed random as hell at the time, and the fact that 12 hours later physical copies of a new D'Angelo album were in stores was shocking.
D'Angelo had already put out two stunning works of art. He didn't really owe anyone anything, but he also made people wait almost 15 years and the high amount of media teasing by Questlove did not exactly help matter. Everyone knew there were new songs, just go to YouTube and you can find live versions of "Really Love" and "Another Life" from 2012. Thanks to a recent Q&A, people on Okayplayer forums now know that the most recent song (yes, most recent) was written sometime in 2010. Despite all of this, with a product this excellent in hand, it's easy to forget about all of that. Black Messiah is somehow on par with the quality of the first two D'Angelo records. The voice is still fantastic and the style, while notably heavier, is still instantly classic.
The first vocals that hit the listener come from "Ain't That Easy", a tune that is clearly inspired by the likes of Sly & The Family Stone and Funkadelic. It's like getting hit with a tidal wave of soul - these are extremely powerful layered vocals. Next, nothing can prepare the listener for the raw energy and frantic chaos of "1000 Deaths", which is driven by urgent drum and bass work. It is followed by "The Charade", which sounds like something Prince might have done in a different life - it's a song that explodes with soul.
Although all the songs here are good, "Really Love" is arguably the best. A Spanish Flamenco inspired intro is probably not expected in a D'Angelo song (the guitar style on "Spanish Joint" is completely different), but it works perfectly. The song opens with a gorgeous transition between guitar and strings with seductive Spanish vocals in the background. The rest of the song manages to be just as good as the beginning, featuring beautiful, strings, horns and harps. After this, there is "Back To The Future", a fun tune that is given an extremely funky reprise five tracks later.
One possible criticism of this album is that despite the top notch melodies, it can be hard at times to make out exactly what D'Angelo is saying, but on "Till It's Done (Tutu)", the singer is loud and clear. "Till It's Done (Tutu)", with its questions of war, pollution and the human race in general, is probably the album's strongest track lyrically. Right after, "Prayer" immerses the listener in a funky spiritual atmosphere full of eerie gongs and skillful guitar work. The guitar on "Betray My Heart" is impressive as well, but in a different way, instead of the slightly psychedelic tone of "Prayer", D'Angelo opts for the clean guitar sound of a straight ahead jazzman.
The album ends with "Another Life", a song that could be described as D'Angelo releasing years of pent-up soul. Vocally, it's the most stunning song of the album. The entire second half is an incredible vocal call and response. It's the perfect way to end a ridiculously successful comeback record. If the next wait is another decade, at least there can be no doubt that the end product will be great.
