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Brown Sugar
D'Angelo
1995
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!Very soulful and chill sounding. Great instrumentals create a true R&B experience. The lyrics weren't my speed, they were overly sexual without the nuance. It was very to the point where as other R&B achieves the same sensuality but in a more poetic way. His voice is great and I think for a debut this one was ok. It's like "getting in the mood music but for high-schoolers"(Which I might have rated higher 20 years ago)
Sure, it's peak 90s R&B but is that really saying much? For what it is, it's good. It's just that what it is isn't much, you know? It's an entire album of shallow sexism wrapped in a thin veneer of so-called romance. Nah. Pass.
This album was definitely a cornerstone for the genre, pulls in a lot of great ideas, and D’Angelo is a competent singer. But man, I just did not enjoy this. He may be a good singer, but he is also a boring one. No excitement, the same energy the whole way through. And the melodies don’t help either. What’s the opposite of an ear worm? They seemed to slide off the folds of my brain and out my ears before the songs even ended. If they ever would end; the songs all go on for two or three minutes doing nothing new or interesting. I see why people like this, but it has so many of my pet peeves baked into it.
8/10 smooth, buttery smooth, smooth, I feel made love to by D'Angelo's pure, primal, non-toxic, sexual, raw smoothness
1/2 really not my jam. the music itself is pleasant enough, the singing is a lot of moany noises.
It's rhythmic, not unnecessarily profane, and kind of works as an ode for his beloved... but there's just way too much cliche going on here. Way too much... not sure if his version of "cruisin" is better than Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow's version...
Not really the kind of music that I choose to listen to but, this is a very nice album. I like his version of Crusin' but it isn't unique enough from the original Smokey Robinson version to make it stand out. It is nice that he is able to bring the song to a new generation of fans. 2/5
My goodness, I love neo-soul. D'Angelo's voice is nothing short of heavenly. That voice combined with groovy, soulful instrumentals makes Brown Sugar an R&B classic. Some standout tracks include Alright, When We Get By, and Brown Sugar.
This album is so silky smooth, from start to finish. I love every single song, there's not one on here that I don't love. I think I've fallen in love with this album. 5/5 stars.
Shout out to all the grown-ass adults who were conceived to this album back in the 90s. This is smooth and seductive! I love the sense that the lyrics are utterly at the service of the music and D'Angelo's vocals, more about evoking a mood. It's a dream.
Great debut album - pretty perfect. I say 9/10 but only because the follow-up, Voodoo (assume it is the list too) is even better (10/10).
I don't really like rnb/soul music but this floated my boat, pretty impressed. and reading wiki the dude is like a musical genius. wrote and played the whole thing himself, produced most as well. crazy that i'd never even heard of it before. 4/5.
Sweet und sommerlich, urban und zeitlos. Klingt für mein ungeschultes Ohr wie ein männliches Pendant zu Erikah Badu. Perlt, hat die richtige Menge Soul und Jazz. Top-Entdeckung hier, Digger, no diggity!
I think I liked a majority of the album (as in I saved almost 3/4ths of the songs.) But there wasn't any songs that really stood out and forced me to listen on repeat like "Girls just Wanna Have Fun", "Blue Suede Shoes" or "Tutti Frutti". I enjoyed listening to it and will revist it though, it's MORE OF A SOFT FOUR than a HARD FOUR LIKE the other two
4.4 - Sophisticated R&B jams, smooth vocals with radiant falsetto, lush instrumentation. A vibe good enough to warrant an immediate repeat listen.
Pretty good album. Brown Sugar was a great track and liked Crusin’ more than I was expecting. A good mellow sound throughout. Shit, Damn, Motherfucker is an A+ name for a song
Good album. It's weird but I somehow couldn't shake the feeling that the lyrics were nonsense. Maybe something about them being so literal made me feel that way. Honestly I have no idea. His cover of Cruisin' is pretty damn good though.
memories of being in my ex's bunk bed age 14! Very smooth, lovely rich sound. Great voice. Some bits were definitely the inspiration for some Flight Of The Conchords songs.
Musically, a really beautiful album, and D'Angelo's vocals are heavenly. Soulful, sexy, great mood music. Some of the lyrics are a bit much for my old lady ears, but that's me. Fave track: "Alright."
I liked this one! Not that complicated lyrically but for what it is, it's beautiful :)
Aww man the band here is so in the pocket it's ridiculous. Love that jazzy keys sound. First time hearing this album, and it just works straight outta the gate. What a talent! Can't wait to listen to his other albums. Bonus points for naming one song "Shit, Damn, Motherfucker". Is that the greatest song title of all time?! Every track here is awesome.
Will need to listen again, still, definitely enjoyed it. D'Angelo sounds very cool and collected, and the instrumentals were great.
Finally a hip-hop album that is less than an hour long. Not really my type of music but the production is good and there is a sophistication to the sound and to the songs especially that I like and that sets it apart. Some really interesting production touches and instrument choices, Is that vibes I hear in Me and those Dreamin' eyes of Mine? Not sure but that jazzy guitar is really cool. Has a classic soul sound that I like but remains modern. On the negative side; the songs tend to be too long. I don't think it's a coincidence that my favorite song also happens to be the shortest one; Smooth, with it's smooth jazzy piano 3.75 stars
So damn good. S-t Damn Motherf-ker and Higher are the highlights. But several more great ones. The bass sound on Lady is dreamy. I dismissed this guy as some basic R&B crooner in the 90s. First, the music is better. Second, he wrote it. Third, he plays not just sings. I'm sorry D'Angelo, I did not give you a chance until now.
This is excellent. Great feeling RNB that strikes the right balance sonically. Jonz In My Bonz is a song that I don't fully get, maybe its just a song about boning. Cruisin' is good but When We Get By is waaaaayy good
I’ve never listened to soul/R&B stuff, but this is what I think of when I think of zoning out. Really nice, smooth like silk. 8/10
// Sugar, you're so fine, and the day is fine, and we'll be fine. When we make it by and we get by with love. //
Whew. Lemme towel off. That was 50 minutes, and then some, of pure, unadulterated R&B/Soul/Gospel (yes, Gospel) seduction (yes, yes, seduction). Oh, and we consummated the relationship… several times. Yeah, this LP carries a Parental Advisory tag for Explicit Content, and for good reason. It’s a grown-up experience, for sure. The kids couldn’t handle this. 'Brown Sugar' needs to be played loudly, headphones are fine, too. If you like Soul music- no, forget that, if you recognize any good music when you hear it, regardless of genre- then you’ll dig this LP. I sure did. How have I not heard of this cat? With the exclusion of the stringed instruments- which, by the way, are used with such subtle restraint that you hardly know you’ve been listening to them, like the aftertaste of an herb used in the sauce, never standing out, but only contributing to the overall flavor- D’Angelo plays virtually every instrument on this debut recording. That’s Prince territory, brother. His bass parts ala Paul McCartney’s, that wonderful wah-wah guitar sound so important to R&B/soul, his tasty little jazz piano solo on ‘Smooth,’ or the pure funk beat on ‘Alright,’ with a bonus gospel sound that blow in and out like the seemingly capricious movement of the Holy Spirit. (By the way his father was a Pentecostal minister.) On ‘Shit, Damn, Motherfucker’ (and more on that in a moment) he pays homage to a Marvin Gaye-like groove. He actually (re)covers Smokey Robinson’s 1979 hit, ‘Cruisin’,’ and makes it his own. Smokey Robinson. He’s not as good a singer as Smokey, but he’s got his own perfectly fine chops, including the lilting falsettos. On ‘Jonz In My Bonz’ he creates this wonderful bubbly, underwatery, and syncopated xylophone (I think) kind of sound that runs throughout the underneath of the song. I’ve never used this term, but here goes: prog funk. D’Angelo just gave it birth. Musically, so subtly smooth. Lyrically, about as subtle as knocking on the door to your blind date with a large, ebony strap-on. D’Angelo has one thing, and one thing only, on his mind: he wants to make sweet, chocolate love to you. ‘Your skin is caramel with the coco eyes,’ he purrs on the title track. How delicious does caramel skin sound? On ‘Me And These Dreamin’ Eyes Of Mine’ he describes her love as ‘the cherry in my chocolate covered dreams.’ Ok, we get it, D. brown skin is sexy. But he overdoes it a bit on ‘When We Get By,’ which begins as a nice date, dinner, movie, etc, but then of course, ends with sex, D’Angelo proposes, ‘We could make love in the shade, sip some chocolate(?) lemonade.’ But I get it. He’s a young, good looking dude, this one. I can’t imagine getting consent has been much of a problem for him. And good thing, too, cause this guy’s so horny the crack of dawn isn’t safe. At the time of this recording, he was 21. So, say no more. But to be fair, and this is noteworthy, the content is presented romantically, albeit erotically. Every song, save one, is about seduction, with the final track, ‘Higher,’ a celebration of good news, complete with the gospel genre being the primary influence here. But the good news of this sexy service is not quite what one typically gets in church. The salvation here is that D is getting some: ‘Just like an angel watching over me (your protect me from my fears). I once was blind but now I see (ever since the day you appeared.)’ This is not a reference to the grace of God in Jesus, either. It’s not that he’s disrespectful at all of gospel music, or church, sincerely referencing prayer and such. But D’Angelo’s just as likely to bend the choir director over the pew and have a go as he is to use it for prayer. I’ll not give it a way, but on the afore mentioned, ‘Shit, Damn, Motherfucker (it’s honestly cracking me up to type that title),’ D catches his girl with another guy in bed, and things end horribly. I won’t give it away, but I found myself actually a bit frightened as the song progressed. I loved this LP, especially the instrumentation which was conceived, written, edited, and performed with style and taste. I would add one last adjective to describe 'Brown Sugar': sophisticated. This is dress up soul. Tuxedo and evening gowns. Just make sure you’ve got some sexy negligee on underneath for later.
Was worried this was gonna sound dated upon revisiting it, but he captured a pretty timeless sound - incorporating various influences from the past fairly seamlessly with a more modern, at times even progressive, touch. The grooves are nice but I like it most when he gets more atmospheric and textured with the the arrangements, like on "Jonz in my Bonz" and "Cruisin'". This was a breath of fresh air compared to the more formulaic R&B of its era.
Smoooooooth A little bit dated, not my usual thing Very slow, slow jams. Songs are done well this just isn't for me. A little bit repetitive/boring. Songs are a bit longer than necessary Feels like some of these songs just don't go anywhere? All very lowkey Great vocals! Faves - Brown Sugar No songs saved or added to playlists Overall - alright music, just not really for me Would I check out their other music - maybe but probably not Rating 3/5
Very nice! Smooth and everything flowed together, the instrumentals were catchy yet subtle and it was a solid late night album
I found the music in this really good and interesting mixed with the vocals but I didn't find the lyrics that great.
Pretty smooth listening. D’Angelo even makes “Shit, Damn, Motherfucker” an easy listening track. Good background music, but I won’t intentionally listen again.
Wish I could give this a 2.5 as it was a better 90s R'nB album than Mariah's but not a whole star better. But a system is a system and every .5 I've rounded up so there we go.
Impressed that he did almost everything on the album and he has fused a few genres in quite a pioneering way, playing a big role in the creation of "neo soul". Quite like the beats and the vibe. It's easy easy listening bordering on being a bit boring. 6/10
I know lots of people who rate this highly but not for me. Brown Sugar the track is a classic but the rest of the album has never stuck. Talented guy though.
R&B is one of those genres I always have a hard time getting into but this album really takes the cake. Lady and Brown Sugar really are 5 star songs. Mood: you're home alone on a Friday night and feeling yourself.
Чтобы почилить вроде норм тема. Мелодичная, не претенциозная. Конечно, зацепить ей особо нечем, но и пустой не кажется. Какие-то мотивы улавливаются, и они довольно приятные. Подбор инструментов и партии для них довольно продуманы. У вокала есть лицо. Неплохое музло, только вот забуду мгновенно и не вспомню, вероятно.
There's no doubt this music is expertly crafted - and influential. It has that enjoyably boring pace that permeates lo-fi these days. A sticky repetitiveness that I got a bit tired of. Listening to it feels a bit like wading neck-high through a thick, sweet syrup while browsing stalls at a garage sale selling quirky memorabilia and also trying to keep up conversation with a distant relative who you like, but who keeps bringing up the same conversation topics. You're also wearing very cool-looking sunglasses. It didn't really /transport/ me or anything. But it sounds great, it feels warm to the ears. I love the jazz influences. Great and versatile voice. 3.
probably good for sex! but people doing this 1001 generator thing dont have sex so HA guess we suck!
Somewhat good soul and R&B. Its almost an hour long, and with it only being 10 tracks its kinda annoying when these songs draw on to be like 6 minutes. There are some really great songs that showcase D'Angelo's talent. He is a really good singer, especially in "Brown Sugar", "Higher", or "Smooth" And yeah, its a very great chill album but it's just very hard to pick up sometimes as how long the songs are. 7/10 As of July 11th 2021 Best Tracks: Brown Sugar, Alright, Jonz In My Bonz, Shit Damn Motherfucker, Smooth Worst Track: Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine (I Guess)
The Songs are pretty similar. From the album you could hear his influences like Prince(not last his falsetto crooning) and Marvin Gaye. (6/10) Favourite Tracks : Lady
Nice! I like it! Easy to listen to and not something I'd normally bring up. 3.5/5 for me.
I mean, this is all very strong. Not always my vibe, but there's something about all of it that I love. 'Shit, Damn, Motherfucker' woke me up for a second, for sure.
I'm pretty indifferent about this album. Nice singing and funky or jazzy at times with splashes of R&B but not really my thing. Nothing really stood out as far as the songs go. 6/10.
Not my cup of tea and a bit boring but objectively not a bad album. But also not really a good one either
Just not very entertaining. Smooth production, respect for that, but the songs just aren’t there. A lot of the run time sounds like falsetto vocal acrobatics rather than singing a song.
Having never actually listened to D’Angelo before I enjoyed this as a first listen, nice easy listening groves and beats. Peak 90s RnB but maybe sounding a bit dated now.
Some fun tracks and some bland ones. Overall I do enjoy the sound, soul/funk is becoming one of my favourite genres on this list
This is cool, groovy, definitely something to have to put on, but I don’t think it’d get a lot of play
Enjoyable 90s r&b album. Pretty interesting that D’Angelo only has three albums. This was a solid 90s r and b that feels like how r and b should be made. Listened to it a few times. The cruisin cover is nice and most the songs are good. 7.6/10
Overall mid 3/5. Brown Sugar was my favorite by far. A bit to slow for me. Good instrumentals.
Completely fine and seemingly representative of the style. Nothing too great and other than the somewhat annoying lyric of jonz in my bonz, everything seems like pleasant background music.
Well, what a boring but enjoyable ride. The sound was solid, but it never moved anywhere interesting. The songs were great by themselves, but consecutively each song is way too long.
I'm not too keen on this many songs containing what sounds like earnest let's-get-it-on-ness. I liked the cover of Cruisin' and the smooth and jazzy When We Get By.
I have heard the name D'Angelo...maybe even a track or two, but I didn't really know this album at all. It was a smooth soulful ride that I enjoyed. The album has that sexy R&B feel with some funk sprinkled in. It sounds like what an album titled "Brown Sugar" should to me.
I've never been a big fan of slow jams, but I do have to recognize D'Angelo's talent here as singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. It's good to hear his neo-soul version of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" as a way to connect his style with more classical soul and show off his work. Overall, I just don't enjoy the slow, repetitive style of most of the album. It does intrigue me, however, to listen to "Shit, Damn, Motherfucker" as its slow, cool style is so contrary to the content. "I got a jonz in my bonz" is one of my favorite lyrics, but I am left really wanting to know more details about exactly what for. In any case, I engaged with this album more than most of its genre.
I liked most of this but hated the vocals. Would never put this on again but this list was all about expanding my taste and I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would so this was a win in my book
This whole album is a vibe. Very soulful. D’Angelo has a great voice. Not sure I’d listen to it all the time but I’m glad I did today.
Listened to on 3/24/22 3.5/5 Favorite song: Crusin, Lady This man is SO talented and has a beautiful voice - the album was very soulful with a hip hop vibe and was pretty good all in all
I remember the title song and still like it, but otherwise this is a pretty unremarkable album for me.
This isn't my genre, and I don't see myself reaching to put it on again, but I can't give it anything lower than a 3.5. I'm rather impressed with his musicianship, especially for a debut album. Arrangements, instrumentation, vocals, and production done largely by himself. I also understand that this really set the tone for 90s R&B and basically created neo-soul. Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of the songs blend together after a while and no one song really stands out to me over any of the others. Nonetheless, I am very glad that I listened to this, as it's the first one that's been generated for me that I was truly unfamiliar with.
Super smooth album. I enjoyed the fusion of jazz and R&B. Where some albums incorporate jazz elements, this one goes a bit further and quotes entire passages featuring walking basslines to draw the connection between earlier and contemporary music forms. The singing was fantastic and it suited the music well. My biggest complaint is the length of the album.
Fine early R&B, I bet it was influential for the genre and fans, but just didn't do much for me.
This definitely isn't my thing. I mean I guess it's okay for what it is, but I still didn't like it.
Cremiger Soul dessen Instrumentierung stellenweise ein wenig an Zero 7 oder Airs „Moon Safari“ erinnert. Der Moment, mit dieses Album wieder hervor zu holen ist jedoch so klischeehaft fuck music, das ich lieber auf Kochabend mit Freunden ausweiche und zum Dessert einen ordentlichen Löffel Brown Sugar in den Espresso Schaufel. Aber Espresso saufe ich nicht wie Wein. Verstreute 2.3
Un dels artistes més sobrevalorats del nou soul. El disc és corrcte, un compendi de temes r&b/ soul sofisticats i fets amb gust, però tots ells genèrics i de ràpid oblit
Was a little underwhelmed by everything but the title track - I enjoyed how the album sounded and really liked the soul influences, but lyrically it felt lacking.
Really boring. Not annoying as such, but I can't imagine this as anything else but background music.
Sounds like a Space Jam OST b-side album, admittedly with more mother fuckers and bitches. Decent album to ball to but nothing more.
тупа один из самых позорных жанров. для вообще загадка, как это могло существовать. вроде как предполагаешь, что раз все песни такие сладкие, то это должен быть прямо попс попсом, но ведь наоборот же — почти нихуя цепляющего нет, только бесконечное нечеловеческое нытьё на ультразвуке. чтобы быть годным эрэнбэ артистом надо иметь личность (и композиторский талант) уровня викнда какого-нибудь, ну или хотя бы марка моррисона. У этого нигры, конечно, раздражающие завывания, но настолько ли они раздражающие, чтобы сделать его суперзвездой? да не очень, в основном скучал и ждал, пока это закончится. хз, для кого такое пишется, 4/10
Whole album passed me by. It’s an acquired taste maybe? Not my thing at all but I’m sure there’s some folk would buzz off it. Two stars for me though. Never likely to ever want to return to it.
Härlig neo-soul. D'Angelo sjunger fint, och låtarna är vackra, men har ändå svårt att helt känna något för det. Shit, Damn, Motherfucker är en rolig låt om hur D'Angelo upptäcker hur hans tjej har sex med hans bästa vän, och skjuter dem båda i röven, för att sedan fråga sig själv: "Why the both of you's bleeding so much?" Bästa låt: Smooth. Lite mer jazzig.
Het is waarschijnlijk niet eens slecht, maar ik kan er gewoon niets mee. En het lijkt ook allemaal zo op elkaar!
D'Angelo - D'it is d'us zo'n album waarbij ik na d'rie nummers al meer d'an genoeg gehoord heb. D'ie aalglad'de met veel honing overgoten muziek, d'aar heb ik echt niet veel mee. D'us: niet meer d'an 2 sterren voor D'Angelo.
I’ve never quite grasped where best to listen to Nu Soul. It’s not for the club, it’s not for the car, it’s not for house parties, it’s not for dancing in your room. It might be background music - study music? A whole gig’s worth seems like a chore… It goes without saying he’s got a great voice. But I can’t stand the organ wail and the artificial finger clicks that have to be on every track. It’s just not a style of music I’m ever in the mood to reach for.
Sadly, this is really boring. I'd never heard anything besides the infamous video of his and I gotta say...meh
This album is very smooth and well-produced, but not really my bag. I didn’t connect much with with the themes of the songs. The music was well done but I got bored well before a song ended and found myself waiting for the next one. Not long into the next song the feeling repeated. The talent on this album is really high, and I wouldn’t mind hearing this played somewhere in the background I guess. It isn’t something that connected with me really at all and I have any desire to put on again.
Ironically Spotify played a Curtis Mayfield track after this album, which was a great track. It wasnt a D'Angelo track though
Now I understand why I keep seeing women on YouTube losing their shit over Johnny Mathis, Tom Jones and the Righteous Bros...This is what’s been passing for “romance” all this time. No wonder Buble is getting the bag...the bar’s been set so low. Thought it was overrated then, still think it’s overrated now.
Nothing. This is literally nothing. 90s godawful chill out R&B. The worst kind of music every imagined?
Lyrics generic and every song sounds the same. All the backup vocals and Adlibs are boring and it gets old real quick. Meh.
Po bialym albumie dla rownowagi musialo wylosowac czarny album, niestety nie rap czy jazz, funk, blues, soul, ale najbardziej popowy z czarnych gatunkow muzycznych, to jest r&b, nie pamietam kiedy tak ostatnio walczylem zeby skonczyc odsluch, tak potezna dawka ultra skoncentrowanego meskiego r&b to przepis na to jak zlamac czlowieka, tak sobie wyobrazam zamysl pana D'Angelo, ktorego nie kojarze, ale skad mialbym znac r&b od ktoremu brazowe cukry robia sie lepkie, tak jak tytul wskazuje, no i gatunek bedzie spiewanie do brownowej widowni, zenskiej czesci glownie, nie odczulbym roznicy gdybym zapetlil drugi kawalek i przesluchal go 10 razy, a przesluchal cala plyte, od poczatku do konca jest nawijane tym r&bowym wokalem, ktory w rapie jest utozsamiany z homoseksualnymi ciagotami go uzywajacych, a powszechnie stanowi jakos kiepskiego brzmienia, jedynym elementem ratujacym album jest jego strona instrumentalna i beaty jakie pan Angelo wykroil i wymasterowal, bo slychac, ze jest to rok 95 i rownie dobrze moglby ktos na tym cos rapowac, zamiast zmarnowac material na love songi, ktore prawie calkowicie wypelniaja krazek, wyjatkiem jest otwierajacy brown sugar, ktory ma byc metafora dla marihuaninenu, mocno wysuszonego skoro taki kolorek nabrany, moze w innych trakach takze sa zakamuflowane tresci podprogowe, ale takich progow lowo songowych nie chce sie przekraczac wiecej niz raz, na plejke funkowa leci tytulowy kawalek
I have probably only heard one or two complete songs from D'Angelo. I don't follow the kinds of entertainment that might include this music. My impression of D'Angelo is that he's more than content to be D'Angelo, but I don't like "I'm so cool" as a theme in any genre of music. Some of the music on thsi album is... okay..., but why would I ever want to listen to the content? I don't want to listen to a guy sing about how much he wants to get physical with the ladies. Bleh.
This was exactly the kind of nothing R&B bilge that used to get me really animated in the 90s. Not now though, I’m chill. 😎
not my thing