As a late-comer to 2014, picking D’Angelo for an accolade like “Lyricist of the Year” might appear trendy, but with a close examination of Black Messiah it’s hard to make a case against it. He’s complicated like that – an enigma wrapped in a riddle, dunked in invisible ink.
It’s been close to 15 years since he last released a project and in that span we’ve heard rumors swirling about from all angles, everything from depression and social anxiety disorder to alcoholism and suicide. Nobody knew exactly what was going on, and all the while the risk of him fading into obscurity increased with every album delay and late performance.
And then, as if the 15-year absence didn’t happen, he shows up at our doorstep with a box of chocolates, flowers and a book of poetry – just like that, proving once and for all that excellence and clairvoyance works on a totally different clock.
He opens with “Ain’t that Easy,” which on the surface seems like your typical love song. But amidst the Sunday service adulation’s and Prince-like riffing is evidence of something more, an artist who is learning to fall in love with his craft all over again. And that’s what it’s about, rekindling passion to make anew. That no it’s not that easy, that you can’t just throw a bunch of words into a blender and expect the Encyclopedia Britannica, that it’s a process – a difficult climb that demands patience: [LISTEN]
Sonically D’Angelo and the Vanguard explore avenues that eclipse the cookie-cutter minimilaism that so many R&B artists fell victim to this year, within this relm where soul and psychedelia hold hands and R&B and rock play hookey together you’ll find soundscapes that speak where words would do no justice. It’s harmonious and unpretentious all the way through.
Lyrically, D’aneglo is unafraid to take chances. He meets social injustice head on, but what D’angelo does with the dialog is special the same. Instead of ripping headlines and treating injustice as a trending topic he takes a broader look, beyond the good and bad and into the heart of humanity, which is precisely what he does on “‘Til It’s Done:” [LISTEN]
D’angelo also knows how to ease up and have a good time whether he’s talking about making pussies fart on “Sugah Daddy” or addressing his personal issues like he does on “Back to the Future,” saying “if you’re wondering about the shape I’m in/I hope it ain’t my abdomen that you’re referring to.”
There are only 12 songs on the album to speak of, 14 years for 12 song. But on those 12 pages you’ll find universal truths that are timeless. That however long it takes for a lyricist to cultivate what in their mind is perfection should not only be allowed but encouraged from day one.
D’angelo, despite being ridiculed and misunderstood for most of his career, did that and proved that you can fall in love again, but only if you’re willing to go back in time, past all the pain and dark corners and into the shadows where innocence and honesty hide from its enemies. “Back to the Future” indeed: [LISTEN]
http://www.songlyrics.com/news/songlyrics-presents-lyricist-of-the-year-dangelo/
