The root of modern R&B

In the song "Love Me" Mr. 50 Cent rapped that D'Angelo "went butt-ass for his record to sell." While it is true that the once active R&B star used his marble carved abs as a powerful weapon to attract the attention of the MTV generation, this musical rarity will always be more than just a poster boy for the masses. \nVoodoo was the follow up release to the breakout 1995 album Brown Sugar. As far as successful sophomore releases go, Voodoo is as good as it comes. Released during a time when R&B was making a huge comeback thanks to artists like Maxwell, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and others, Voodoo came as a crowing achievement for D'Angelo and still remains one of the finest albums of the last ten years. \nWhat makes this album such a successful record is how it treads the water of different musical styles and influences. The 13 tracks resonate with '70s Al Green/Marvin Gayeesque balladic R&B, heavy bass infused funk and just a touch of modern hip-hop stylings to give it that extra unique feel. The songs are sexy, with tracks like the cover of Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Making Love," or the album's single, "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," a cut which is oozing with sexual innuendos. But Voodoo is much more than simply an album to get your freak on to since D'Angelo also chooses to sing about what's close to his heart.\nPersonal songs like the album's beautiful closer "Africa" or the Latin flavored "Spanish Joint" are more mature lyrically than most pop songs today and his use of real musicians and instrumentation, rather than heavily polished beats makes Voodoo that much more effective.\nD'Angelo hasn't released an album since Voodoo and is starting to look like he has gone the way of fellow artist Lauryn Hill who after her 2000 opus The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill found the lord and faded away from the spotlight. Voodoo is the kind of perfect album that only comes around once and a while. It is brilliantly arranged, the lyrics are solid and D'Angelo has the kind of smooth, mellow voice that is in the same vein as a young Marvin Gaye in his heyday.