Welcome back to a “mini series” of album reviews where we take a look on the albums of D’Angelo.

#2: Brown Sugar

By 1995, the Virginia born Michael Archer was already making a mark on the music world even before he recorded his first album. By 1991, he performed twice at legendary theatre the Apollo Theatre in Harlem for its Amateur Night competitions. He won the competition in his second try and used the prize money to buy music equipment to record demos.

Michael Archer, now known as D’Angelo, got the attention of the music of the music business when he wrote the song “U Will Know”. The song was performed by the R&B supergroup Black Men United, which consisted of members that included Usher, Boyz II Men, and Raphael Saadiq. “U Will Know” was prominently featured on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Jason’s Lyric, and is a hit on the Billboard charts.

Now with his own album a year later, Brown Sugar introduced the world the musical genius of D’Angelo. Besides writing and recording the album, D’Angelo produced the album along with Bob Power, the aforementioned Raphael Saadiq, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest.

Taking from his childhood influences of the Gospel Music of his pastor father, and Jazz from his mother, D’Angelo fused those along with the contemporary R&B sounds of the time and his personal influence like Prince and Sly & The Family Stone to create not just this album, but a new kind of music: Neo Soul. A subgenre that takes influence not just R&B, but from other genres like Hip Hop, Rock, and Electronic Music.

A critical and commercial hit, Brown Sugar introduced a new kind of music in a decade where there already many kinds of new musical ideas. And its influence is still felt to this day.

Best Songs: “Brown Sugar”, “Lady”, “Crusinin’”, “Me and Those Dreamin’ Eyes of Mine”