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D'Angelo
D'Angelo
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D'Angelo was one of the founding fathers and leading lights of the neo-soul movement of the mid- to late '90s, which aimed to bring the organic flavor of classic R&B back to the hip-hop age. Modeling himself on the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, and Al Green, D'Angelo's influences didn't just come across in his vocal style -- like most of those artists, he wrote his own material (and frequently produced it as well), helping to revive the concept of the R&B auteur. His debut album, Brown Sugar, gradually earned him an audience so devoted that the follow-up, Voodoo, debuted at number one despite a five-year wait in between.

Michael D'Angelo Archer was born February 11, 1974, in Richmond, VA, the son of a Pentecostal minister. He began teaching himself piano as a very young child, and at age 18, he won the amateur talent competition at Harlem's Apollo Theater three weeks in a row. He was briefly a member of a hip-hop group called I.D.U. and signed a publishing deal with EMI in 1991. His first major success came in 1994 as a writer/producer, helming the single "U Will Know" on the Jason's Lyric soundtrack; it featured a one-time, all-star R&B aggregate dubbed Black Men United. That helped lead to his debut solo album, 1995's Brown Sugar. Helped by the title track and "Lady," Brown Sugar slowly caught on with R&B fans looking for an alternative to the hip-hop soul dominating the urban contemporary landscape; along with artists like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell, D'Angelo became part of a retro-leaning, neo-soul revivalist movement. Brown Sugar received enormously complimentary reviews and sold over two million copies, and D'Angelo supported it with extensive touring over the next two years.

And then -- not much of anything happened. D'Angelo took some time off to rest and split acrimoniously with his management; meanwhile, EMI went under, leaving his 1998 stopgap release Live at the Jazz Cafe out of print. On occasion, D'Angelo contributed a cover tune to a movie soundtrack, including Eddie Kendricks' "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" (Get on the Bus), the Ohio Players' "Heaven Must Be Like This" (Down in the Delta), and Prince's "She's Always in My Hair" (Scream 2). He also duetted with Lauryn Hill on "Nothing Really Matters," a cut from her Grammy-winning blockbuster The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Still, fans awaiting a proper follow-up to Brown Sugar remained frustrated -- at first by no news at all, and then by frequent delays in the recording process and the scheduled release date. Finally, the special-guest-laden Voodoo was released in early 2000 and debuted at number one, an indication of just how large -- and devoted -- D'Angelo's fan base was. The extremely Prince-like lead single, "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," was a smash on the R&B charts and won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal; likewise, Voodoo won for Best R&B Album. Reviews of Voodoo were once again highly positive, although a few critics objected to the looser, more atmospheric, more jam-oriented feel of the record, preferring the tighter songcraft of Brown Sugar. ~ Steve Huey, All Music GuideMore

Official Profile

D'Angelo
"I Found My Smile Again (Remake)" is a prelude to D'Angelo's next full-length album releas...
Songs: 2, Videos: 0, Playlists: 1, Blog Posts: 4, Polls: 0, Battles: 0

Fan Comments

Nov 30th, 10:19pm
one love baby.. you the only one. :)
Oct 26th, 10:33pm
Im A Big Fan.......Happy To See You Back!
Oct 6th, 8:11pm
I love your voice D Angelo. never stop.
Sep 13th, 3:59pm Last edited Sep 13th, 4:03pm.
About time, REAL music makers are back. For many years now we have been listening to Brown Sugar, and Voodoo, thanks for coming back on the scene.( Put it on the line is the bomb.)
Aug 29th, 9:25am
Bigs To you homie. Hope you Drop a Jewl like Maxwell soon.
Aug 17th, 7:42am
x] Hopefully your third album is coming along nicely. Looking forward to hearing what direction you're going in now though. I mean, you had the Contemporary R&B Meets Jazz sound with Hip-Hop mentality for Brown Sugar and followed up with a Funk Concoction of Voodoo. So, rumors go that you're heading in a more rock-oriented direction which I'd imagine could be Funkadelic possibly, but regardless, I hope you don't dilute the music with the BS of the record labels >> And I pray you don't use an AutoTune anytime soon. But uh, best of luck with your artistic endeavors, I can't wait to support ya.
Jul 21st, 7:55am
I am looking forward to a new CD or @ least some show dates in Philly it is good to have you back. ;)
Jul 12th, 3:55am
Jul 10th, 9:38pm
:) LOVE your music. Bring back R&B!!!
Jun 29th, 5:09pm
Man, it's good to see u back on the music man. we needed to hear real music again. i play myself and bcuz of u i have tryed to get every instrument under my belt nd i would love to shed with someday in the near future. hit me up on youtube.com/Drumsnkeyz. Be Blessed man nd plz keep doin exactly wut ur doin.