D'Angelo (Virgin)
Album of the week
By virtue of his fluttering falsetto and the raft of seductive, impassioned songs that filled his 1995 debut album, Brown Sugar, neo-soul man Michael D'Angelo Archer was hailed as the second coming of Motown legend Marvin Gaye. Avoiding the studio gimmicks and macho posing of his contemporaries, the 26-year-old Richmond, Va., native forged a vibe that embraced jazz, blues and West African rhythms. On this five-years-in-the-making follow-up he again channels the sounds and styles of his forebears, from the obvious (Curtis Mayfield) to the subtle (Jimi Hendrix). On such songs as Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Making Love" and "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," he obsesses over love and its vagaries. The only jarring note is a gruff collaboration with rappers Redman and Method Man ("Left & Right").
Bottom Line: Mining the golden age of R&B
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