Black messiah

Description

The surprise return of D'Angelo on the night of December 15, 2014, after fourteen years of absence, is part of the wave of unexpected releases that sometimes catch labels and the public off guard. However, this "Black Messiah" is not an album like the others and can be approached on several levels. First of all, it is D'Angelo's third studio album and follows "Voodoo," which has become one of the iconic albums of the 2000s. So much so that this record has become a true reference in the entire urban pop sphere, from rap to electro, passing through all shades of soul. It is therefore an understatement to say that after such a long absence, Black Messiah was no longer expected, even by the most optimistic. It is also, for the one whom an American journalist had nicknamed "R&B Jesus," a true rebirth - almost a resurrection to stay within a messianic theme - for a man who has gone through this long period with his eyes blindfolded by addiction to alcohol and drugs. D'Angelo 2014 is a new man, a Black Messiah who has decided to speak out. Black Messiah also directly derives from the many racial issues faced by the United States in the fall of 2014, symbolized by the Ferguson riots. Although several songs were at least partially written before this period, D'Angelo is practically the only African American artist to have taken up this theme, becoming, in addition to his already known affiliations, a worthy descendant of Gil Scott-Heron. Sometimes almost tribal, organic and synthetic at the same time, Black Messiah is worth all of Prince's production since "Diamonds & Pearls." The proximity to the Minneapolis man in an approach to jazz funk is, in fact, the only relative weakness of an album that is so exceptional in every way that it borders on perfection.