D'Angelo

D'Angelo's 1995 neo-soul classic. You'll hear the influence of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Prince on this album, but the songs are utterly D'Angelo's own. "Lady" and "Brown Sugar" were the hits, but the album's filled with sultry, smooth-sailing jams. He's an excellent songwriter, though you can hear hints of the aesthetic that would bog down "Voodoo" (2000).

D'Angelo is cut from a heavier cloth than the majority of his New Jack brethren: He's a
singer/songwriter with a mellifluous, sturdy voice that can coo and growl with equal
conviction. He's no trailblazer – Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Prince have all
walked down the same musical paths where D'Angelo meanders. Yet he manages to build
on the examples of the masters. No matter how delicate or dusty sounding a trac... More >

OK, OK, but Marvin did write songs ("Brown Sugar," "Sh*t, Damn, Motherf*cker") (Grade - **)