Madlib – Sound Ancestors
In release notes accompanying his surprise-released 2014 masterpiece, D’Angelo describes his third album as being “about an idea we can all aspire to. We should all aspire to be a Black Messiah. It’s about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt and in Occupy Wall Street and every place where a community has had enough and decides to make change happen.” A deep, soulful meditation on Blackness, the consequences of state-sanctioned violence, and the unsolved, seemingly unsolvable issues that divide Americans by race, class, and geography, Black Messiah flows with a wobbly, in-and-around-the-pocket groove, one propelled by the masterful rhythm section of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Pino Palladino and contributions from Roy Hargrove, Jesse Johnson, James Gasdon, and others. The funkiest, deepest album — soul, rock, rap, jazz, or otherwise — of the 2010s, the record feels like some weird amalgam of J Dilla and Sly & the Family Stone, one that D’Angelo makes his own through the sheer power of his muse and vision. Lyrically brilliant (“All we wanted was a chance to talk/Instead we only got outlined in chalk,” he sings on “The Charade”), D’Angelo is firing all cylinders here. – Randall
Recommended – Full Listen
Tags: Essential Listening / Funk / Soul
Tracklist:
A1 Ain’t That Easy
A2 1000 Deaths
A3 The Charade
B1 Sugah Daddy
B2 Really Love
C1 Back To the Future (Part I)
C2 Till It’s Done (Tutu)
C3 Prayer
D1 Betray My Heart
D2 The Door
D3 Back To the Future (Part II)
D4 Another Life
Credits:
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – Brent Fischer
Art Direction, Design – Afropunk, Exposure America
Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Ahrell Lumzy, Jermaine Holmes, Kendra Foster
Creative Director [RCA Creative Director] – Erwin Gorostiza
Drums – Chris Dave, James Gadson
Drums, Drum Programming – Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Tony Rambo
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Chris Soper, Justin Garrish, Martin Cooke, Mike Boden, Mike Layos, Nico Essig, Noah Goldstein, Ricky Begin*
Executive-Producer, Management – Alan Leeds, Kevin Liles
Guitar, Steel Guitar, Classical Guitar [Nylon Guitar] – Spanky Alford, Jesse Johnson, Mark Hammond
Guitar, Steel Guitar, Classical Guitar [Nylon Guitar], Sitar – Isaiah Sharkey
Lacquer Cut By – JP
Liner Notes [Foreword] – Nelson George
Lyrics By – Kendra Foster (tracks: A1,A 2, A3, B1, B2, C2, D2, D4), Q-Tip (tracks: A1, B1)
Mastered By – Dave Collins
Mixed By [Additional Mixing], Engineer – Ben Kane
Mixed By, Engineer – Russell Elevado
Music By – James Gadson (tracks: B1), Pino Palladino (tracks: B1), Questlove (tracks: A3, D4)
Photography By – Barron Claiborne
Photography By [Live Photography] – Carine Bijlsma
Producer, Lyrics By, Music By, Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Guitar, Steel Guitar, Classical Guitar [Nylon Guitar], Sitar, Bass, Drum Programming, Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – D’Angelo
Sitar, Bass – Pino Palladino
Strings, Woodwind – Alex Budman, Anatoly Rosinsky, Assa Drori, Bill Reichenbach (2), Chuck Berghoffer, Elizabeth Wilson, Maurice Grants
Trumpet, Cornet, Flugelhorn, Brass, Arranged By [Horn Arrangment] – Roy Hargrove
Vocals [Spoken Word] – Gina
Recorded at M.S.R. Studios, Hydra SF, Henson Studios, The Plant, Sear Sound, Avatar Studios and Quad Studios.
Mixed at M.S.R. Studios and Henson Studios.
“No Digital ‘Plug-ins’ of Any Kind Were Used in This Recording. All of the Recording, Processing, Effects and Mixing Was Done in the Analog Domain Using Tape and Mostly Vintage Equipment for Best Results. Listen at Maximum Volume.”
Management: Kevin Liles, KWL Enterprises, Inc. and Alan Leeds, Shelltoe Entertainment
Business Management: Joshua Klein and Keri Weaver, Monarch Business and Wealth Management, LLC.
Legal Representation: Paul Rothenberg, Samantha Shipp and Lesa Kasambalides, Rothenberg P.C.
Personal Assistant to D’Angelo: Malcolm Fernando Kee
Thanks to Peter Edge, Tom Corson, Jocelyn Cooper, Matthew Morgan, Michelle Ryang, Irene Sourlis, Carolyn Williams, Erwin Gorostiza, Theola Borden, Junko Takada, Annie Meaher, Beth Hawkins, Nat Pastor, Roe Williams, Ashish Chutei, Heathcliff Berru, Scott Mantell, Questlove, Q-Tip, Bill Reeves, Lou Barber, Roxane George, Mark Jenkins, Tina Farris, Cecilia Ramirez, The Vanguard (Past and Present), Little Homey, Dominique Trenier.
Questlove Appears Courtesy of Def Jam Records. Roy Hargrove Appears Courtesy of Groove and High Records.
“Perpetrators Beware Say a Prayer If You Dare for the Believers with a Faith at the Size of a Seed Enough to Be Redeemed Relegated to Savages Bound by the Way of the Deceivers”
