NEWS FLASH
The following link is to one of the best online
sites featuring D. It has bio,photos and digicards.
Enjoy!
LEVI'S & Virgin Records Presents VOODOO: Episode II
D'ANGELO's "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" is up for three awards at the 2000 Billboard Music Video Awards on Nov. 10 at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Universal City, Calif.
From Sonicnet.com:
Thurs., September 21, 2000 3:00 AM EDT
Macy Gray, D'Angelo, Others Honor Fela Kuti
Members of the Roots, Femi Kuti also will contribute to Red Hot + Riot.
A new tribute album in the Red Hot AIDS benefit series is in the works, this time celebrating the music of the late Nigerian Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who died in 1997 at the age of 58 after contracting the disease.
An all-star recording session earlier this month at New York's Electric Ladyland studios featured Macy Gray, D'Angelo, rapper Common, the Roots' ?uestlove, former Chic member Nile Rodgers, producer James Poyser, guitarist Pino Palladino, percussion group Africa 2000 and Kuti's son Femi, among others.
The ensemble recorded the classic Fela track "Water No Get Enemy" (from 1975's Expensive Shit), with D'Angelo and ?uestlove (born Ahmir Khalib Thompson) handling production duties.
A spokesperson for the Red Hot AIDS Charity Trust said it expects to issue the song as a single on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, and that it hopes to release the full album, titled Red Hot + Riot, early in 2001. The spokesperson added that a second track, "Shuffering and Shmiling" (RealAudio excerpt), is under way, featuring Dead Prez, Money Mark, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove and Brazilian samba-funker Jorge Ben Jor.
The charity has previously released a number of well-regarded compilations, beginning with 1990's Red Hot + Blue, which featured the music of Cole Porter. Other LPs include the George Gershwin compilation Red Hot + Rhapsody, the genre albums Red Hot + Rio and Red Hot + Country, and the alt-rock comps No Alternative and Red Hot + Bothered.
An all-star cover of Fela's "Water No Get Enemy" will be released on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.
— Sorelle Saidman
From Manhunt.com,Wednesday November 15,2000:
Gangsta rap pioneer, super producer Dr. Dre is remixing D'Angelo's "Chicken Grease." The two have discussed touring together but D'Angelo says they will more than likely continue their separate plans.
From New York Times: The groove is everything on "Voodoo." It's a rendezvous for musical impulses from funk, jazz, gospel and rock. It's a playground and a refuge. And it's where desire, ambition, intelligence, faith and freedom swirl together in songs that turn the earthy and the metaphysical into dance partners.--
Jon Pareles. ALSO from the NYTimes: D'ANGELO: `VOODOO' (Virgin) Beginnings are easy; the middle is where so-called experts get nervous thinking about the world's judgments. D'Angelo's long- awaited second album prioritized art and idiosyncracy and was a hit anyway. More critics looked to Radiohead to relieve their anxieties about the crass marketplace, but "Voodoo" did the trick first, and was funky too.--Ann PowersFrom CDNOW.com: D'Angelo's follow-up to the smoldering Brown Sugar is his finest, most assured work yet. Bolstered by an eye-popping video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" and reams of positive press, this was the album that turned D'Angelo into a literate, sexy, R&B superstar the likes of which haven't been seen since Dirty Mind-era Prince.From Wall of Sound.com: Smooth and sexy, Voodoo glides along a base of hot grooves and lustful thoughts. Like a soft whisper in your ear, D'Angelo's music isn't so much sexual as sensual, made for both the bedroom and the car, embodying the best of both Marvin Gaye and Barry White. The entire album is a sticky affair, and D'Angelo loses no points for appearing nude on the album's cover...From Amazon.com:
D'Angelo Artist of the Year
Nudity, emotional and corporeal, is unusual among R&B's slick crop of crooners. So D'Angelo's body-and soul-baring style is a revelation. D's power lies not just in his honeyed falsetto, emotive phrasing, and simmering analog arrangements--it's in his soul, his willingness to offer it up for the sake of the music. Voodoo is R&B at its most intoxicating. But this album is important not just because of its ambitious musicality, but also because of its commercial success. D'Angelo has become a pop star without pandering to the three-minute pop song convention, thereby ennobling mainstream music. He reignites the spark in soul. --Lizz Mendez BerryFrom Rolling Stone:
"I'm like that old bucket of Crisco that's sitting on top of the stove," raps D'Angelo over the understated funk of "Chicken Grease," "Simmer to a sizzle like the days of old." This soul child's stew is a slow-cooking, back-burner album, full of shimmering, deconstructed grooves and breathy, nigh-indecipherable lyrics. You could have recounted Florida's election ballots yourself in the time it took to absorb Voodoo: The album has unforgettable highlights - D'Angelo teams up with DJ Premier to decry materialism on the chunky-but-smooth "Devil's Pie," honors Prince on the scintillating "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" and gets blunted with Method Man and Redman on the subtly bumping "Left and Right" - but it's more like one long jam session. Atop the wavelike swelling of "The Line," he admits, "I know everybody watchin' me/The pressure is on." Pressure-cooking never seemed so easy.
From USAToday newspaper: VOODOO best album and best R&B album:
D'Angelo, Voodoo. Rife with delirious vocals and intoxicating rhythms, Voodoo secures D'Angelo's stature as the most exciting R&B artist since Prince.
AND D'Angelo, Voodoo. No other R&B artist seems to have as acute an understanding of where he comes from, and no one seems as willing to take risks exploring -- with an edgy, funk-drenched collection that obliterates commercial formulas -- where he should be heading.From Los Angeles Times:
This follow-up to 1995's "Brown Sugar" doesn't have the immediate accessibility of that dazzling debut, and you wish this singer-songwriter concentrated more on hooks than leisurely grooves in the new album. But over time, "Voodoo" proves to be an even more complex and satisfying work. It moves from the social commentary of the blues-driven "Devil's Pie" to the kind of sensual R&B exploration that recalls the greatness of Al Green and Marvin Gaye. The new king of soul.From Sonicnet.com:
This is the album on which our hero becomes Soul Brother #1. The ladies cooed over the 26-year-old suave cat's butt-naked come-hitherness in the video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)". Those of us who spent more time listening to the record discovered a talent that embodies the sprit of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and other modern black music gods. His songs burst with ambition and pure musicianship, if not catchy melodies and pop friendliness. And D'Angelo has the sense to invite musicians as gifted as jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter to the party.---Christopher O'ConnorFrom Richmond(VA)Times-Dispatch:D'Angelo, "Voodoo" (Virgin) - Richmond's other claim to musical relevance (sorry, Dave Matthews) funked his way through impromptu jams as slick as the chicken grease he sings about. And let's not forget his sexy, well-proportioned video for "(Untitled) How Does It Feel?" It probably feels great, D. But it sounds even better.
From RollingStone.com:
Rolling Stone Rock & Roll Year 2000 In Review
D'Angelo: Abs-olutely, Say Ladies
After making fans wait five long years for his follow-up to Brown Sugar, D'Angelo apparently felt that he should bring a little something extra for the ladies in the house. Hence, the video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," in which the soul singer appeared in nothing more than cornrows, tats and a gold cross. In the year of the "Thong Song," it was certainly refreshing to see a dude willing to back his own thang up. (Note to members of Papa Roach: Do not consider this a request.) Sure, some guys playa-hated the D, his weird abs and quotes like, "That's just my natural build. Right before the video I did, like, one little session in the gym." But as Voodoo (which debuted at Number One) was perhaps the greatest bedroom disc since Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On -- its songs could be measured in hip thrusts per minute -- he remained in the good graces of both sexes.
From Reuters via Yahoo.com:
Wednesday January 31 2:39 AM ET
Veterans, Newcomers Lead Soul Train Contenders
R&B stars D'Angelo and R. Kelly and critically acclaimed newcomers Jill Scott and Carl Thomas each picked up three nominations at the 15th annual Soul Train Music Awards, leading the contenders at a key showcase for black American music, organizers said on Tuesday.
The Soul Train Music Awards, a spin-off from the popular ''Soul Train'' weekly TV series, will be taped on Feb. 28 at the Shrine Auditorium. The two-hour event will air in syndication on March 3. Performers will be announced closer to the event.
D'Angelo, R. Kelly and Thomas will compete against each other for R&B/soul single (male) and R&B/soul album (male). Scott was nominated for the corresponding female prizes. Both Thomas and Scott will vie for R&B/soul or rap new artist.
D'Angelo has also been nominated for best music video.
The Soul Train awards are determined by radio station program directors, retail personnel and active recording artists.
From New York Daily News Online, NEWS & VIEWS*Daily Dish w/ RUSH & MOLLOY
Thursday, February 08,2001
--He may have split up with Winona Ryder, but Beck is still flirting with the movie business. The rocker, whose major acting credit till now was doing a voice-over in "The Rugrats Movie," will have a cameo in "Southlander," directed by his friend Steve Hanft. Back from his AOL-sponsored Rock in Rio concert, Beck and producer Timbaland have also cut a hip-hop cover of David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" for "Moulin Rouge," starring Nicole Kidman. The prolific composer, who records in his L.A. home, "has a ton of other new songs," a friend tells us. "He's debating whether to put them out now or record some more." Due to go on sale on the Internet is a collection of his favorite B-sides. Meanwhile, watch for Beck to do a duet with D'Angelo during the Grammys.
The Beck & D'Angelo Interview, originally featured in THE FADER
D'Angelo's ``Voodoo'' won best R&B album and his song ``Untitled (How Does It Feel)'' won best male R&B vocal performance.
The next album
featuring D'Angelo.
Information from the Red Hot
Organization and Amazon.com:
Red Hot + Indigo, a tribute to the legacy of Duke Ellington, is the 13th album in the Red Hot AIDS benefit series. On March 13, 2001, Amazon.com will offer a special edition of the
album for a limited time. This project follows suit with Red Hot + Blue, Red Hot + Rio
and Red Hot + Rhapsody by featuring modern acts reinterpreting the work of one
of the 20th century's greatest songwriters.
Medeski Martin & Wood --
Acht O'Clock Rock
Black Star + Ron Carter + John Patton --
Money Jungle
Mary J. Blige --
Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me
Melky Sedeck --
Mood Indigo
Les Nubians --
Come Sunday
Art Baron + Medeski Martin & Wood --
Creole Love Call
Propellerheads + Martha Wainwright --
Star Crossed Lovers
The Roots + D'Angelo --
Caravan
Kenny Burrell + Medeski Martin & Wood --
C Jam Blues
Don Byron + Dean Bowman --
Bli Blip
Medeski Martin & Wood --
Mount Harissa
Amel Larrieux + Clark Terry --
Sophisticated Lady
Kenny Burrell --
In A Sentimental Mood
Terry Callier -- Satin Doll
Medeski Martin & Wood + Steve Bernstein --
Haunted Nights
Medeski Martin & Wood + Friends --
Blue Pepper Dub
Tortoise --
Didjeridoo
From Rolling Stone Daily, Wednesday February 28, 2001:
From RollingStone Daily News, Friday March 2, 2001: D another Red Hot
Selection:
From The Red Hot Organization website:
A REVIEW OF
D'ANGELO'S contribution to the RED HOT & INDIGO album:
Remember that Live Album???
From NYPost, columinst Mitchell Fink
Thursday, November 8,2001
Soundtrack to the indie film “Maze”
‘The way to get to a famous musician is through his mother. That’s how
Rob Morrow elisted Beck to sing on the soundtrack for Morrow’s independent
film “Maze,” a love story starring Laura Linney, Craig Sheffer and Morrow
that opens tomorrow. Morrow plays an artist with Tourette’s syndrome.
The former “Northern Exposure” star also wrote, produced and directed
the film, which took six years to reach the screen. Morrow says that one
of the more rewarding aspects was getting musicians such as Beck,
Sting, Taj Mahal and D’Angelo to contribute to the soundtrack. When
he first approached the artists, they did not respond, he said. “But we didn’t
take no for an answer,” he added. Morrow and Sting share the same doctor,
and someone working on the film knew Beck’s mother, Bibbe Hansen.
“The mom told Beck he had to look at it and then everything fell into place.
Eventually, all [the musicians] looked at the movie and said, ‘We like what
it has to say, you can have the song.’ And they gave it to us for basically
nothing,” Morrow said. “The music is the miracle. It’s one of the biggest
lessons I’ve ever learned.”
#18. Where is D'Angelo?
Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! and Lucy Pearl will drop his solo debut, Instant Vintage, on May 28. D'Angelo guests on the album's first single, "Be Here," and will also appear in the video, which Saadiq will direct. ...
SINGER NABBED ON DRIVING RAP
By LARRY CELONA and TODD VENEZIA, NYPOST.com
April 24, 2002 --
Smooth soul singer D'Angelo - whose first big hit was called "Cruisin' " - burnished his freewheeling image yesterday after getting busted for reckless driving in Manhattan.
The R&B sensation, whose full name is Michael D'Angelo Archer, was stopped by cops at about 6:30 p.m. as he headed south in his BMW sports utility vehicle on the FDR Drive near 71st Street.
In addition to the reckless-driving charges, the 28-year-old was charged with driving while his Virginia driver's license was suspended.
D'Angelo, the son of a Virginia preacher, got his start singing on Amateur Night at The Apollo in Harlem.
With two soul albums under his belt,he was recently described by the BBC as "the consummate soul man for the new millennium."
R&B stars D'ANGELO, MACY GRAY, KELIS and RES, and hip-hop artists including DEAD PREZ, TALIB KWELI and BILAL have recorded tracks for "Red Hot + Riot!," a tribute to the late Afrobeat legend, FELA KUTI, which is due October 16th. World beat contributors to the album include singer-guitarist BAABA MAAL and singer CHEIKH LO, both from Senegal. "Red Hot + Riot," like previous Red Hot tributes to COLE PORTER and GEORGE GERSHWIN, will raise money for AIDS research and education. Kuti died of complications from AIDS in 1997.
"These women, they came out with these great albums. We need to catch up," he said.
Perhaps its no surprise that the male neosoul artist with the sexiest, most street-wise image -- D'Angelo -- is also probably the most successful. His most celebrated video featured him almost nude; he's also collaborated with top rappers and has appeal from the suburbs to the street.
Yet D'Angelo's last disc, the Grammy-winning "Voodoo" in 2000, wasn't a huge commercial success. It sold just over 1 million copies and yielded only one major hit single.
"That's the sad part," Wilbekin said. "The neosoul artist -- we should be singing their praises ... because they are doing something very positive. But unfortunately in our society, we kind of give more attention to the bad guys and the sexy artists.'"
Album features work by Sade, Les Nubians, Macy Gray and many, many others.
Net profits from the sale of the album will support RED HOT’S AIDS
awareness activities and other AIDS prevention and relief efforts in Africa and around the world.
The Red Hot organization, which has been using music to raise money and awareness to help fight AIDS for over 10 years, has put together a new album designed specifically to target the AIDS problem in Africa.
Red Hot + RIOT, which is due out October 15, is a tribute to late Afrobeat musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, who passed away in 1997 after suffering from AIDS-related complications. Kuti, the father of musician Femi Kuti, is credited with pioneering the Afrobeat sound by combining jazz and funk with traditional African rhythms. Kuti was also active in the Nigerian political scene and was often persecuted and imprisoned during his life for expressing his views.
Red Hot + RIOT features 19 songs, all written or inspired by Fela Kuti and a wide selection of world music artists, as well as hip-hop and R&B stars, have signed on to participate.
FROM NOW.COM:FELA’S AFROBEAT RIOT
OVERDUE TRIBUTE DISC REWORKS NIGERIAN LEGEND’S GROOVE
BY MATT GALLOWAY article orginially published October 10,2002
EVEN WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE dreadful history behind tribute albums, the folks behind the Red Hot organization had real concerns about launching a tribute to Nigerian Afro-funk don Fela Kuti. As his dozens of imitators have found out, duplicating Fela's stuttering Afrobeat thump is harder than it looks.That makes a record with not one, but 20 solid Kuti covers worth celebrating.
Two years in the making, with proceeds going to fight AIDS in Africa, Red Hot + Riot is a compelling tribute to the Nigerian legend who died of an AIDS-related illness more than five years ago. The track listing reads like a who's who of black music; D'Angelo, Blackalicious, Talib Kweli, MeShell Ndegeocello, the Roots, Cheikh Lo and Baaba Maal work through Fela classics like Zombie, Shakara and No Agreement.
It took motivation from a true Fela fan to complete the project.
"It's all fairly simple," Red Hot + Riot producer Paul Heck explains from New York. "We're all Fela fans, Fela died of AIDS, and addressing AIDS in Africa has been something we've been trying to do for years now. For a long time there was this one block in my mind -- "You can't do a Fela record!' The guy who turned it around was Ahmir Thompson, from the Roots.
"He was at a session for another Red Hot project when all the Fela reissues were coming out. Ahmir was standing in the studio opening one of the box sets and suddenly said, "You guys should do a Fela record and call it, uh, Red Hot + Riot.' Bing. Bang."
Easier said than done. Once the ball finally started rolling, the project very nearly spiralled into the abyss.
Early last year, bootlegs of a churning cover of Water No Get Enemy, featuring Femi Kuti, D'Angelo, the Roots, Macy Gray and Roy Hargrove, began leaking out, suggesting the complete album was just around the corner. Then silence.
"That was the first track that was recorded and finished, in part because D'Angelo and Ahmir had been playing it on D's tour," Heck explains. "That set the record in motion even though we didn't even have a record deal. It was done in three days, and then the rest took three years.”[NOTE: The track was recorded at New York’s Electric Lady Studios.]
"A lot of the record was done here in the Red Hot studio, so we had some role in guiding the tracks, but we really left the people on their own. From our perspective, the only way you can really pay tribute to someone is to do it in your own style, and that's what happened."
The real success of Red Hot + Riot is how it recontextualizes Fela's instantly recognizable music. Most of the artists involved keep the integrity of the tracks but also blow them wide open. That ranges from D'Angelo and crew's faithful cover and Blackalicious's blinding use of a Fela sample in their beats, to Bugz in the Attic turning Zombie into a broken-beat smash, Common reworking lyrics from Sorrow, Tears And Blood into his new rhyme, and Toronto producer Doc essentially writing a "new" Fela tune with singer Kelis.
"One of the most misunderstood tracks is the Kelis cut," an exasperated Heck says. "I asked Doc to cover Coffin For Head Of State, but after a long time he was really unable to do a cover, so he ended up writing his own version of a Fela song. Basically, it's a song Fela could have written, but already people are saying that it doesn't belong.
"I want kids who listen to hiphop and dance music to get exposed to their first Fela through this. The great thing would be if people went and checked out the original records because of this. Shit, man, I still listen to Sorrow, Tears And Blood every day."
Singer D'Angelo Reaches Civil Settlement
Mar 13,2003 1:31 PM EST
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Grammy-winning R&B singer D'Angelo has reached a civil settlement with a woman who said he spit on her.
D'Angelo, who was charged under the name Michael Eugene Archer, was to have been tried Wednesday on misdemeanor assault and obstruction of justice charges. He reached a settlement Tuesday with a woman who said he cursed at her and spit on her during a Nov. 18 traffic confrontation. Settlement terms were not disclosed.
When a policeman tried to serve warrants at D'Angelo's home, he tried to shut the door on the officer, who then forced his way in and subdued the singer with pepper spray.
D'Angelo was fined $500 on the obstruction of justice charge after pleading no contest.
Prosecutors and D'Angelo's attorney, Ned M. Mikula, agreed that the singer didn't have to be in court Tuesday when the criminal charge was handled.
D'Angelo, 29, won Grammys in 2000 for best R&B album for "Voodoo" and for best male R&B vocal performance for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)." He grew up in the Richmond area, the son of a minister.
Roy Hargrove is a GRAMMY-award winning recording artist whose first disc as a jazz leader was released in 1990. Considered by many to be one of the premiere trumpet players on the music scene today, has long had a fascination for, and love of, R&B, Funk, and classic Soul music. Hard Groove is the realization of a musical dream come true. The RH Factor is the identity that composer/arranger Hargrove has coined for the musical collective he's assembled for Hard Groove. Like a 21st Century Quincy Jones, the trumpeter has brought together a diverse array of musicians from his recent collaborative efforts to create an organic musical street party at the corner of hip-hop and bop, encompassing many of his musical passions-the slow-grinding soul of Funkadelic's "I'll Stay" with a sultry vocal by D'Angelo;Common's free-styled rap intro on the aptly titled "Common Free Style"; both Q-Tip and Erykah Badu bringing their distinctive hip-hop and R&B sounds to the party-like funk of "Poetry".
On the vocal side, Hard Groove also contains stellar performances by D'Angelo background vocalists Anthony Hamilton ("Kwah" / "Home") and Shelby Johnson ("How I Know"); a fine turn by Stephanie McKay ("Forget Regret"); and former Motown recording artist Renee Neufville ("Juicy").
Hard Groove speaks of yesterday, sounds like today, and looks like the future! Roy himself says it best in his liner notes: This recording is something I've wanted to do for quite some time. The music is a representation of what can happen when people looking in the same direction get together, with dedication, focus, and positive spiritual energy.
IN STORES MAY 20th. Come back here for music, video and more!
From DOWN BEAT, June 2003:
"...Another serendipitous moment happened during the session with D'Angelo. Hargrove originally brought him in to sing a Michael Henderson song, but D'Angelo wasn't quite feeling it. Unfazed, Hargrove allowed creativity to blossom in the studio. "At that point, we were going to do whatever D'Angelo wanted," Hargrove said. "So I left the room. Then I noticed them start to play. Bernard [Wright] was playing Sly Stone's version of 'Que Sera Sera,' with D'Angelo singing. Then, I said, 'Ahhh!, we have movement. Let's cut that.' But there was apprehension, so I left the room again. And then D'Angelo, out of nowhere, just started talking about this song by Funkadelic. I said, 'Let's cut it.'"
"Roy's a straight-up P-Funk head, just like me," said D'Angelo, who offers vocals on "I'll Stay" on Hard Groove. "The song's obscure, but he knew the joint and the obscurity is what made it attractive to do." Sure enough, the brooding, seven-minute plus opus is Hard Groove's most emotionally gripping cut, as D'Angelo brings all the blunted angst of the lyrics to dramatic, soulful realization....”
New Orleans may have been hosting the ninth annual Essence Festival during the July 4 weekend, but the place to be July 3 was Los Angeles' House of Blues.
Joining Raphael Saadiq during the second of three performances for the recording of his live album were Tony! Toni! Tone! (TTT) alums D'Wayne Wiggins and Timothy Christian, D'Angelo, Joi, Skyy, DJ Quik, Ledisi, Goapele, Devin the Dude and New Birth's Leslie Wilson.
TTT's five-song mini-reunion got the joint jumping, with the capacity crowd singing along to such gems as "It Never Rains" and "Whatever You Want." Another crowd pleaser was D'Angelo's raucous rendition of his single with Saadiq, "Be Here."
Saadiq's live set is slated for an October release on his Pookie Entertainment label (Rhythm & Blues, Billboard, July 5).
From BILLBOARD, AUGUST 16, 2003:
Raphael Saadiq's Pookie Entertainment has secured distribution through the Navarre Corp. His first project under the agreement will be the live album "Raphael Saadiq: All Hits at the House of Blues."
Due Oct. 14, the album was recorded at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. Among the July 3 show's highlights was a Tony! Toni! Tone! reunion, as well as performances by Joi and D'Angelo.
From Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service: Coming this month: Lots of holiday releases and more
by Jonathan Takiff on October 20, 2003
Soul II Soul: Raphael Saadiq celebrates "All Hits at the House of Blues" (Pookie Entertainment), a tasty double-CD set of his "gospeldelic" R&B. Lending voices are Joi and D'Angelo, rapper Devin the Dude and DJ Quick. Plus, there's a lengthy reunion set by Saadiq's old group Tony! Toni! Tone! B+
From Rolling Stone Daily News
October 27, 2003
MUSIQ has recorded a version of the ROLLING
STONES' "Miss You" for his third album, "Soulstar," due December
2nd. The R&B star, along with D'ANGELO and RAPHAEL SAADIQ, is
writing material for a new EARTH WIND AND FIRE record due next year
. . .
From Billboard:Industry outlook still positive by Rashaun Hall & Gail Mitchell
Jan 10, 2004
‘….Also pointing a finger at the West Coast for musical inspiration is Virgin Records executive VP Lionel Ridenou. "We will see West Coast hip-hop reignite in popularity," he predicts. "You'll also see good reggae music continuing to grow in exposure with real soul and R&B surging and pushing its way into the mainstream."
With projects coming from established artists Janet Jackson and D'Angelo as well as such newcomers as Jin and J-l, Ridenour is targeting more innovative ways to expose music to consumers.
"Digital music will allow us to get the music out there faster and help us take advantage of more promotional opportunities outside basic radio and video," he says.
So what does this digital revolution ultimately mean for retail?….’
This month's lesson: an open letter to D'Angelo. (Music Lessons with John Mayer)(Letter to the Editor)
Esquire, Dec 2004 v142 i6 p68(1)
DEAR D'ANGELO,
My name is John Mayer. You might know me from that "Your Body Is a Wonderland" song or perhaps our mutual friend, Roots drummer ?uestLove, mentioned me to you. I'm writing to ask you to put out a follow-up to one of the few records to change my life forever, Voodoo.
When Voodoo came out in 2000. I stood in line at Tower Records in Atlanta at midnight to get it. Turns out, it set the gold standard for modern "neo" soul music. It's 2004, and I'm no less excited by it today than I was when I played it full blast in my mother's Plymouth Voyager on the wag to my bullshit job. I drive a nicer car now, but I still listen to Voodoo and wonder what my albums would sound like if I took a bite off gout style and what R&B would be like if you came back.
In contrast to the present age of gunmetal-gray hip-hop, with perfectly aligned beats and blips, Voodoo throbs. It's skin in the place of plastic. ?uestlove's drums serve as an atomic clock, white Pino Palladino's bass playing taunts the drums by showing the bar line just how rate it can wake up and still arrive to work on time. I'm not even going to detail your impeccable vocal layering. You know what you did.
Yes, Voodoo isn't raced with perfect pop hooks, but then again it's so devoid of them that I never assumed you were worried about appeasing radio anyway. Its beauty is simplicity, a Japanese rock garden of hip-hop and R&B, and it's because of the negative space that I can stilt listen to it. There's nothing frivolous to get stuck in your head, so there's nothing to want out.
R&B star charged with drunk driving, drug possession
Neo-soul star D'Angelo was arrested Sunday and charged with drunken driving, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance (believed to be cocaine) after police pulled him over in a suburb of his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. The thirty-year-old singer, born Michael Eugene Archer, is due to appear in court next Tuesday.
D'Angelo won a pair of Grammys in 2000, garnering the nod for Best R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Album, for his critically acclaimed album Voodoo. Sunday's arrest is his second since the release of that album.
D'Angelo was previously detained by police in November of 2002 and charged with resisting arrest, along with four other misdemeanor counts -- aggressive driving, assault, curse and abuse and disorderly conduct -- after an altercation with a woman at a Virginia gas station.
The singer's five-year absence from recording has drawn notice, most recently from fellow star and fan John Mayer.
"I'm writing to ask you to put out a follow-up to one of the few records to change my life forever, Voodoo," said Mayer in an open letter to D'Angelo printed in Esquire. "When Voodoo came out in 2000, I stood in line at Tower Records in Atlanta at midnight to get it . . . I'm no less excited by it today than I was when I played it full blast in my mother's Plymouth Voyager on the way to my bullshit job."
COLIN DEVENISH
(Posted Jan 12, 2005)
D'Angelo to smoke a different kind of J
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
By: EURweb.com
J-Records artists Alicia Keys and Maroon5 may soon get D’Angelo as a labelmate. Sources tell Billboard.com that the mellow crooner, who disappeared amidst a purple haze in 2002 after releasing his second album for Virgin, has already made the move to J, however, the Sony BMG-owned label has yet to confirm anything.
Imagine the cross-promotional, collabo possibilities if the deal is indeed golden. D’Angelo has been tip-toeing back onto the music scene with guest appearances here and there – including a spot on the remix of Common’s “Go” and on the Sly and the Family Stone tribute album “Different Strokes by Different Folks," due Sept. 27 via Epic/Legacy.
D'Angelo's last studio album, "Voodoo," debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.7 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The sophomore disc housed the single "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," which hit No. 25 on the Hot 100. His 1996 debut, "Brown Sugar," has also sold 1.7 million copies.
In April, D'Angelo, (real name Michael Archer), pled guilty in a Virginia District Court to charges of marijuana possession and driving under the influence of alcohol, and received a combined 100-day suspended jail sentence. The charges stemmed from a January incident in which the singer was pulled over in a Richmond suburb.
AP News at Yahoo! News: D'Angelo Ready to Record After SUV Crash
Tuesday September 27, 2005
R&B crooner D'Angelo, who won over America with his '90s soul ballads only to fade after bouts with the law and drugs, said he's ready to record after a car crash left him hospitalized for several days.
"I banged up my ribs but other than that I'm fine," he told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday from his suburban home. Out of the hospital for two days, the singer said he's eager to get back to the studio.
D'Angelo, 31, born Michael Eugene Archer, was in a 2003 Hummer on Sept. 19 when it crossed the roadway and struck a fence. He was ejected from the sport utility vehicle, State Police Sgt. Kevin Barrick said Monday. Archer wasn't wearing a seat restraint, Barrick said.
Barrick said Archer was initially listed in critical condition.
Archer and his lawyer/business adviser, L. Londell McMillan, said the injuries weren't serious. They said he was banged up and bruised but apparently had no broken bones.
"He has no cast on his body," McMillan said in a phone interview from his New York office. "He's walking around and he's certainly talking."
In an earlier statement, McMillan said, "He is anxious to finish the recording of his soul masterpiece that the world has patiently awaited."
Lynne Sellers also was injured in the wreck, authorities said. D'Angelo said she was at the wheel of the SUV. As for other aspects of the accident, he said, "To tell you the truth, I don't really remember anything."
The accident occurred in Powhatan County, a bedroom community west of the city. Archer lives in Midlothian, just outside Richmond.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, Barrick said.
Known for hits such as "Brown Sugar" and a cover of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'," Archer rode a wave of popularity that culminated with a Grammy in 2001 for best male R&B vocal performance for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" from the album "Voodoo," which won a Grammy for best R&B album.
In April, the singer was fined $250 and given a 90-day suspended jail term on a driving under the influence of alcohol conviction. His driver's license was suspended for one year.
On a marijuana charge, Archer was fined $50 and given a 10-day suspended jail term. His driver's license was suspended for an additional six months.
Earlier this month, he received a suspended prison sentence after being convicted of cocaine possession. Archer had faced three years in prison.
D'Angelo recuperates at home from crash injuries
Grammy winner is 'doing fine' after wreck, his attorney says
BY MARK HOLMBERG
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
D'Angelo may have had an angel looking out for him.
"He's very fortunate and blessed for not having suffered a more serious condition," said L. Londell McMillan, the lawyer for the double Grammy-winning R&B artist and Richmond native who was thrown from his family Hummer when it crashed in Powhatan County Sept. 19.
D'Angelo (legal name Michael E. Archer) suffered bruised ribs and some contusions, McMillan said yesterday afternoon. "He doesn't remember the accident. He's home now, recuperating and doing fine."
The 7:45 p.m. crash occurred on eastbound state Route 711 near state Route 288 on Sept. 19, according to a state police report. The Hummer is registered to D'Angelo's brother in New York, police said.
Police say it remains unclear whether D'Angelo, who wasn't wearing a seat belt, or his friend, Lynne Sellers, was driving the 2003 Hummer when it ran off the road, hit a fence and overturned.
D'Angelo, 31, was taken by Med-Flight helicopter to VCU Medical Center. Sellers was taken there by ambulance.
D'Angelo was released from VCU Medical Center Friday, a hospital source confirmed yesterday. McMillan said he believes Sellers was released within a day or two of the crash.
D'Angelo's condition was not as serious as some media outlets have reported, McMillan said. Even as late as yesterday, there were reports that the singer remained in critical condition.
"I think there may have been some overreaction in the local community," he said.
Ned Mikula, D'Angelo's local criminal attorney, confirmed last night that his client is at home in Midlothian "and doing very well."
D'Angelo, whose license is currently revoked, police said, has had problems behind the wheel, court records show. A speeding arrest in Chesterfield County earlier this year led to convictions for DUI and drug possession.
Now that he's home again, McMillan said, D'Angelo is "anxious to start working on his new album. He's champing at the bit, driving me crazy to get in the studio."
McMillan noted that the last performer he represented who got into a nasty crash - Kanye West - came back from the brink with "an extraordinary album."
"I expect no less from D'Angelo," McMillan added. "I'll be anxious to see what he comes up with."
D'Angelo's two Grammys came in 2001 for his "Voodoo" album and the song, "Untitled [How Does It Feel]." He has since earned two other Grammy nominations for performances with other artists.
You've said D'Angelo was sexually objectified because of the video for "Untitled (How Does it Feel)". Do you think that pushed him into —
Seclusion? Absolutely. We were very naïve. We thought "Okay, when we release this record, the audience is gonna know what these dissonant chords are, and they're gonna know this Curtis Mayfield reference." Voodoo was one giant inside joke that only me and D'Angelo and a few others knew about. It was frustrating as shit to present this three-hour show and watch people have absolutely zero reaction until he has to take off his shirt and sing "Untitled (How Does It Feel)." At shows there would be eight women deep: four on one side, four on the other side. They knew we only had two or three security guards. One's gonna run across the stage, and those three security guards will be on her. When she's doing that — it was like a football play — the others are gonna attack him. They don't care if they knock over this $3,000 keyboard, or if they put their marks in his back. The challenge became not how to give a kickass show, but "How can we get to 'Untitled' before they start makin' me bleed?"Young, Black & Fabulous blog
Monday April 16, 2007
HALLELUJAH!!!!! A new Track!!!
From HHNLive.com
The track is titled REALLY LOVE. Smooth, slow,
melodic and just basically a musical blessing. ENJOY!!!
From Style Weekly:
D’Angelo Nabbed, Faces More Charges in Powhatan Court
by Craig Belcher
It’s been seven years since R&B singer and Richmond native D’Angelo, aka Michael Eugene Archer, has released an album. The extended hiatus has left fans wondering what happened to the artist who won two Grammys, thrilled audiences worldwide with his rippled physique and led soul music back to its roots.
They aren’t the only ones who’ve been looking for D’Angelo.
Chesterfield County police arrested Archer at the county courthouse in February on charges stemming from a 2005 car accident in Powhatan County. The singer was in court for failing to appear for an earlier child-support petition, which was dismissed.
Archer now faces charges of driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence and reckless driving. He’s scheduled to appear in court Aug. 10.
The accident occurred on Route 711 near Route 288 two weeks after Archer was given a suspended sentence in Chesterfield Circuit Court for cocaine possession, driving under the influence and marijuana possession.
D’Angelo was ejected from his Hummer after it went off the road, struck a fence and overturned. He suffered contusions and bruised ribs, while the other person in the vehicle, Lynn Sellers, sustained minor injuries. A state police investigation concluded that D’Angelo, whose driver’s license was suspended at the time of the accident, was driving the vehicle.
“Mr. Archer was out of the state when the warrant was obtained, so the trooper notified the attorney,” says Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police. “The responsibility was on Mr. Archer to turn himself in.”
With his recording career on hold, the only notable appearances the singer has made in recent years have been in the courtroom. So where has D’Angelo been since his last known docket date of Sept. 12, 2005?
“He seems to be doing very well,” says his attorney, Ned Mikula. “I know that he’s working on his music.”
While he hasn’t completed an album of his own, D’Angelo did appear on Snoop Dogg’s “Blue Carpet Treatment” last year, singing the chorus to the Dr. Dre.-produced “Imagine.” A new song featuring D’Angelo’s vocals, “Really Love,” was leaked to an Australian radio station in April.
Mikula says the singer hopes to have new music ready for a fall release. Once tentatively titled “James River,” it would be his first album since the highly acclaimed recording “Voodoo” was released in 2000.
But the singer’s comeback could be cut short if he’s convicted of charges relating to the accident. He may also be forced to serve the three-year suspended jail sentence he received in 2005, stemming from a traffic stop in Chesterfield County.
Singersroom News
08/10/07
R&B singer D’Angelo (born Michael Eugene Archer), who was arrested in 2005 for driving with a suspended license and driving under the influence in his home state of Virginia, was fined and received suspended jail sentence Friday (Aug. 10) after pleading guilty.
Judge Paul Cella fined the Grammy award-winning crooner $1,000, with $500 suspended, sentenced him to nine days in jail, all suspended, and revoked his license for 90 days on the suspended license charge.
Judge Cella also fined him $1,500, with $750 suspended, sentenced him to six months in jail, also suspended, and suspended his license for 12 months on the DUI charge.
A reckless driving charge was dropped.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Richard Cox said the county's case was weakened when the star witness in the case was a no show.
D'Angelo was critically injured in Powhatan County, Virginia when the SUV he was riding in hit a fence, ejecting him from the vehicle. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
In August of 2006, D'Angelo was confirmed to have exited a rehabiltation stint on the island of Antigua and begun collaborations with Common and Q-Tip. He also entered discussions with Jermaine Dupri on how to market what appears to be a forthcoming LP, though the official news of a release has not been made public yet. Although music for his own album has yet to materialize, D'Angelo was recently featured on the song "Imagine", by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, which was released on November 21, 2006.
On April 17, 2007 a new song called "Really Love" was leaked on Triple J Radio in Australia by ?uestlove.
