Prayers have been answered. D’Angelo is back! Kicking off the first of his European dates in Stockholm, he has returned with such rigor, it’s as though he never left. Voice strong, looking buff; we cannot wait for the new album (whenever that may be). What has been so skillful in this lead up, is there being no pre-publicity or hype, just simply dates booked and tickets hitting box office. While there’s no talk of when this show will hit the US, it is certain D’Angelo will be gracing your town, very soon.

Check out videos below and catch a dose of some funk genius. It is my hope the original plan to collaborate with Prince (and a few others) actually happens—as THAT would be incredible!!!

From the sound of this, it was created during the infamous James River sessions, which was slated to be D’Angelo‘s third album. We know how that panned out…into nothingness. So here we have a smoking leak — a remake of Soundgarden‘s 1994 hit, “Black Hole Sun.” We can call D’Angelo the master of the remix as his remixes bring something else to the original, whether it’s delicacy or hardness; it’s always special.  My favourite D’Angelo remake is Prince‘s “She’s Always in My Hair.” On “Black Hole Sun,” he has tapped into his inner Prince again, a la Camille era (“If I Was Your Girlfriend,” “Scarlet Pussy,” “U Got the Look“), where Prince would speed up his voice, then pace it to the tune’s tempo. This groove feels oh… so… good…!! And the vocals are unique to D’Angelo.

As said in the Muphoric Sounds Year End Wrap Up, D’Angelo is scheduled to do shows in Europe this month and next; so it’s just a matter of time before he hits the US with what we want. It’s coming!!!

D’Angelo ” Black Hole Sun ” (Demo) by FUNK?U

Rudoo is a séance, willing D’Angelo to give the people what they want. And our job is to play it regularly for D’Angelo to feel our collective spiritual energy while we play it, and he walk his arse to the studio! It has been 11 years since the release of his sophomore album, Voodoo, and was a stark contrast in approach to his debut release Brown Sugar. To compare the two albums, Brown Sugar was a composition of great individual songs, while Voodoo was a vibe, a feeling, a way of life that D’Angelo was delivering. I say the same thing about Erykah Badu‘s Mamas Gun — pouring of the soul into a project. How can we not miss D’Angelo?!

Daru Jones, clearly is feeling what we all feel, and has reinterpreted Voodoo, by giving it heavier basslines and percussive beats, making it funkier than ever before. In some places while listening to it, the thought of J Dilla nodding in approval at Rudoo enters my brain. Daru Jones turns something that is a soulful vibe and brushes it with cadences of hip hop. I’m digging this. Check out a couple of tracks below, and as a courtesy from Rusic Records, you can get a free download of Rudoo at this LINK.

Left & Right (Future-Funk ’11)

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One Mo’ Yea Beat

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Hearing this made my night, especially after the disappointing tail-end of Taylor Swift’s snag of the “Album of the Year” Grammy Award. In my 2009 year-end wrap up of music, I listed some of the most anticipated albums to come in 2010, one of which included the comeback of D’Angelo. Below is the un-mastered leak of “1000 Deaths” which is a mass of funk, dirt, and psychedelic awesomeness! Even with the rough vocals, it’s a winner! Collaborators for the album include Prince, ?uestlove, and Raphael Saadiq. No details on the masters behind the production of “1000 Deaths,” but it smells like Prince with the dirty bass and guitar riffs. Check it out below and let me know what you think!

“1000 Deaths” (Download)

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