Today, Jan. 25, marks the 15th anniversary of D'Angelo's classic sophomore album, Voodoo, which combined R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop in such an expeirmental and masterful way that it came to be seen at the crowning achievement of neo-soul, a movement which also included artists such as Lauryn Hill, The Roots and Erykah Badu. In celebration of this incredible album, here are its 13 songs ranked, from weakest to best.
13. Left & Right
One of the defining characteristics of Voodoo (and D'Angelo's music in general) is the way in which D'Angelo layers his vocals, making his presence on the album more abstract, subtle and even otherworldly. This is why it's so jarring to hear Method Man and Redman aggressively spitting rhymes over "Left & Right." If you ignore the blatant misogyny in the lyrics (it's hip-hop, what else is new), the verses themselves are fine, but they would have fit better on one of their solo albums instead.
12. Greatdayindamornin'/Booty
Every song on Voodoo is immaculately constructed, so there's really nothing wrong with "Greatdayindamornin'/Booty." However, its placement on the album, track 11 of 13, results in it slipping by relatively unnoticed, as there's not much here that we haven't already heard in the previous 10 songs. On it's own though, it's representative of what makes the album so unique: a soulful, gritty, loose, and intensely organic R&B/funk/soul hybrid.
11. Chicken Grease
The closest D'Angelo comes to rapping on Voodoo is the incredibly minimalist "Chicken Grease," which is built like a hip-hop track, consisting of basically 5-10 seconds of drums, bass and sparse organ looped over and over again. It's a groovy track, but a little too slight to make any more of an impression.
10. Spanish Joint
What makes the neo-soul scene so exciting is the way in which it treats R&B, soul and funk less like pop music and more like jazz, and "Spanish Joint" is one of the more jazz-inflected tracks on Voodoo, bringing to mind Miles Davis's Sketches from Spain album (of course) in particular, if guitarist John McLaughlin had been a member of Davis's band at that point.
9. Send It On
"Send It On" was reportedly the first song that D'Angelo wrote for Voodoo, a loving tribute to his newborn son. Out of all the songs on the album, this one is perhaps the least experimental and least hip-hop influenced/funk-influenced, instead owing more debt to '70s slow jams from artists such as Marvin Gaye and Al Green.
8. Africa
While "Send It On" is Voodoo's least experimental track, album closer, "Africa," is its most experimental, a subtle mood piece characterized by some very un-R&B elements such as Beatles-esque backwards guitar and sparkling chimes. Roots drummer (and the song's co-writer) Questlove named it as his favorite song on the album and it is a truly stunning way to close out such a staggering masterpiece.
7. The Root
Though guitar isn't exactly the focal point of Voodoo, "The Root" kicks off the album's second half with its best guitar playing, courtesy of Charlie Hunter and his unusual eight-string bass/electric guitar hybrid. It's nothing too flashy or in your face (other than the bits of backwards guitar), but guitar aficionados will love it.
6. One Mo'gin
On an album full of restrained, subdued songs, "One "Mo'gin" is perhaps the most restrained, with a snail's pace tempo and some of the album's most relaxed instrumentation. However, the chord progression and melody give off the vibe of late '60s/early '70s soul pop such as The Jackson 5 and if the song had been played at twice the speed with a brighter, spunkier arrangement, it could have easily been a pop hit.
5. Untitled (How Does It Feel)
The music video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," which features just a single shot of a most likely naked D'Angelo, proved itself to be so controversial and subsequently legendary that it has overshadowed the song itself, which is a shame, because the song is one of the greatest R&B singles of all time, a brilliant homage to Prince's classic slow jams from his '80s peak. Even at seven minutes, it's the album's most accessible and traditional song by far.
4. Feel Like Makin' Love
Rumor has it that "Feel Like Makin' Love" was intended to be a duet between D'Angelo and Lauryn Hill and though that would have been mind-blowingly tremendous if it were to have come to pass, the final version is still spectacular. It's a seductive and understated piece of music with one of the album's best hooks and vocal performances.
3. Playa Playa
Being the album's opening track, "Playa Playa" has a responsibility to introduce the atmosphere of Voodoo and it does one hell of a job. Right out of the gate, the listener can't help but notice the song's incredibly loose groove with all of instruments falling in various places around the beat but never quite on the beat, and though this may come off as sloppy to some, it actually re-introduces the irresistible human element that's missing from so much mainstream music.
2. The Line
Voodoo was produced almost entirely by D'Angelo himself and it stands as one of the most masterfully produced albums of the 21st century. "The Line" is an asbolutely outstanding example of D'Angelo's production genius. Though the groove between the bass and drums on this track is impenetrable, there's a nearly unnoticeable high-pitched drone in the background of certain sections that gives the song a subtle, almost trip-hop-inspired atmosphere, which is a completely brilliant choice.
1. Devil's Pie
If Voodoo was nothing more than the first 20 seconds of "Devil's Pie" looped over and over again for 80 minutes, I would still think the album was a stone-cold classic. The crackling DJ Premier-produced beat is the reason I love hip-hop, but when filled in with that bone-rumbling bassline, ghostly vocals and alien guitar squeals, the song completely transcends hip-hop, soul, funk and R&B to simply become D'Angelo, an amalgam of all of the greatest elements African-American music.
What are your favorite songs from Voodoo? What did I get wrong? Let me know down in the comments section below!
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