D’Angelo and the Vanguard – Black Messiah

While Christians have been waiting for the return of their messiah for centuries fans of R&B music only had to wait fourteen years for theirs to come back. D’Angelo along with the help of his band Vanguard have made the wait worth it as the album is almost an hour’s worth of heavenly avant garde soul/R&B music. Absence has definitely made my heart grow fonder about this guy’s music. He is back on the scene showing us that most R&B/soul/hip hop music today is subpar and how great urban music can be. Plus he demonstrates plenty of variety in the process. “The Charade” was made to get you on the dance floor, “Another Life” is to help you woo your love and “Really Love” sounds like it came from a film score. Do yourself a favour and listen to the album through headphones and you’ll get to hear all the skill of the band and the little touches. Listening you don’t want it to end but unfortunately it does and here’s to hoping it won’t be another fourteen year wait. He’s back and in a major way.