DiggingTheGreats
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Extended: Voodoo: How D'Angelo Created a Masterpiece
🕑 Added 2025-01-24 16:30:01 +0000 UTCIf we played "Desert Island Albums" and I could only pick 10 records to listen to for the rest of my life, D'Angelo's "Voodoo" would absolutely be on the list for me. In fact, even if you made it 5 records, I'd probably still pick it.
Voodoo is 25 years old now, so I had to break down everything that's so incredible about this album and why I love it so much.
NOTE: This is the Extended Edit that is 8 mins longer than the YouTube Version
Here's the link to check out the full Charlie Hunter Interview
Comments
Daniel Hoskins
I know right? I’d never heard about the Little Richard influence on prince before, but of course, that makes perfect sense. Even Aesthetically
Ambree Williams
I'm with you on that. Love the originals and those who add originality to what the masters did. I like all three of your examples actually. And if you really want to go the distance, Prince's main influences were from Jimi Hendrix and Little Richard - but he added enough musicianship and style to make his music his own. Not too many can do that...😉
Daniel Hoskins
I understand Ambree. I actually (controversially) feel meh about Prince! I also have the same reaction to Stevie Ray Vaughan-I’d prefer to just listen to Albert King and Jimi Hendrix. But it’s healthy to reevaluate every once in a while isn’t it?
Vader
Super L take
Eric Holmes
Great video. 10/10. No notes.
Chuck
This record has been on my turn table for 4 months. I’ll listen to everything else, but VOODOO goes right back. Damn thing is part of my decor. Great video.
Brandon Shaw
I appreciate the honesty Ambree! There’s actually a story Questlove and Pino talk about in an interview when they were touring and went to Minneapolis and stopped by prince’s house. He vibed them HARD
Ambree Williams
Okaaaaaaaay....I'm going to be brutally honest here.... I watched the whole video. When you mentioned that Prince was a big influence, I had to laugh because to me, he seems to be his ONLY influence. After 'Brown Sugar', I didn't listen to much D'Angelo because all I heard was him singing like Prince. If I want to hear Prince, I'll put on Prince. So even though I'm not all that big on D'Angelo anymore, I went ahead and watched this hoping you'd change my mind about Voodoo, which I've NEVER HEARD by choice...sooooo..... BShaw, you did a bang-up job as always! But it all sounds the same to me, so it didn't work and I'm still as agnostic to D'Angelo as I've been since Brown Sugar (which I liked at the time) I was into Prince in the late 70s before he blew up mainstream, so when I want to hear that kind of vibe that D'Angelo is imitating, I go to the originator. Others will disagree, but that's fine too. The video was really good, but D'Angelo is just meh to me.
Dylan Smicklas
I'm gonna need that Pino video poste haste. He is at the peak of Mt IfYouKnowYouKnow
Brandon Shaw
🤯🤯🍩
Robert Young
Man you don’t even know how much I love this album. This breakdown is everything.
Gerard Blair
All comes back to Dilla. Like a circle in time (a donut in time?)
Matthew Paprocki
Fantastic again. Black Messiah please
Adrian
Oh boy what a video and what and album. I've just been commissioned to make some "neo soul" hop hop beats this was the perfect inspiration. This is timeless.
Sia Gholami
Forgot to say, great video as always! I always knew about this album, but your early YT video on chicken grease got me to sit down and give it a proper listen. It’s now one of my all time fave albums.
Zjahi
Send it On is special man
Brandon Shaw
That was idea number 1 😂
Brandon Shaw
25 years tomorrow!
Brandon Shaw
😂 I’M SORRY
Brandon Shaw
The absolute worst!
Sia Gholami
When the quantized playa playa beat kicked off I got whatever is the opposite of stank face. That was painful. It sounded like “soul inspired elevator jazz”.
Zjahi
Yessir. My Favorite album of all time!!!! Across all genres and artists, this is number 1!!!!
Justin Lyons
We're just gonna talk about 'how it feels' HA see what u did there
Cicero
Brown Sugar was a shining light welcoming a bunch of folks w/shell necklaces and sandals into a new world we called "Neo-Soul" & as a resident, I was eagerly anticipating, and then disappointed by, our founding father's next project, Voodoo. It contains so very little of the wink-and-nod lyricism of its predecessor. It was hard to understand and far more eclectic than the "Sugar but even more Brown" album I expected. A good friend of mine, a decade later, heaped loads of praise on Voodoo & called it D'Angelo's greatest work. It made me go back and listen to it w/fresh & more mature ears. He was right (obviously) & the more I listen to that album the more I fall into its warm embrace. This video articulated all of the things that "dumber" me missed & you two got right away! I texted my friend & sent him the link to the YT video while also telling him that the director's cut is on Patreon. I hope to see him in these comments soon! Thanks again, for reminding me why I love music so damn much!
Andrew Sanchez
Amazing vid as always bshaw. and now, im gonna go listen to voodoo. and try to forget that aweful quantized version... yuck lol.
Steve Barnett
Thank you, thank you, thank you,
prod_tfm
I KNEW IT WAS GONNA BE VOODOO LETS GOOOOO
Josh Nelson
Oooooh, can’t wait to view this!!!
Steve McNamee
Cool visual but I know part of you was contemplating pulling out the ol grid drawings 😜
Brandon Shaw
Made that visualization to show the bass and drums and keys lining up vs not, and it ended up being one of favorite parts of the video!
Thijs Leufkens
Love the quantized version comparison!
Brandon Shaw
Ginuwine? Ginuwine is Ginuwine!
Steve McNamee
Last summer I formed a one-off band for a house party. We called ourselves "The Oh No Nos." Yes, we did Pony by Ginuwine.
