Brown Sugar

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.

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.

dear lord am i glad that's over.

He’s got a nice voice but I honestly hate this kind of music

Lol this was wank

The best bit was the wiki. I found this tediously dull

FIVE STARS!!!!! FIVE STARS!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!

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 fucks

8/10 smooth, buttery smooth, smooth, I feel made love to by D'Angelo's pure, primal, non-toxic, sexual, raw smoothness

“Uhhh kissing you, kissing me, squeezing yo butt cheeks, Putin’ my bologna pony in yo minestrone, talking’ ‘bout sex whooo whooo” every song basically

Better than Maxwell's Hang Suite, would get away with it on a first date.

Mellow, lovely sound

Delicious R&B. Chill and rythm.

WHAT A VIBE

This album was fire during my University years. People lost their damned minds when D’Angelo came to town to perform. A re-listen rekindles. This was the start of neo-soul.

An outstanding debut from a singular voice. Muhammad, Saadiq and Powers are a heck of production team. It’s layered into some kind of futuristic version of Sly’s late 70’s sound. It’s also very of its moment and as such transcends space and time. It’s also glorious booty call music.

Ma che noia… musica da salone di bellezza Non mi capacito sia inserito tra i 1001

The Soulquarian era of music in the late 90s and early 2000s is simply the most beautiful thing to me. I’ve never seen such an amazing selection of people come together like that. Beyond the original members that started the collective, you had insane talents like Erykah Badu, Bilal, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Common. These people created some of the greatest R&B and hip-hop albums of all time. D'Angelo happens to be one of those original members. And this man is a mystical figure. I didn’t really get why the episode of Atlanta that was all about the main character trying to meet D'Angelo was so funny until I learned of his reputation. For how good his music is, this man has released a tragically low number of records. Brown Sugar is the first of those three. His output is so consistent, and so even if this is seen as a good album, it’s still probably regarded as the worst of the three. But I still went in excited. Nothing was going to sway me. I was ready to love this. And love it I did. It’s pretty obvious to me that this man has a deeper connection to the soul. Write it into history, because it’s a fucking fact. Reading some of the less than positive reviews of this blew my mind. I couldn’t believe how many people really didn’t enjoy this. Music is subjective obviously, but in my mind, this comes off as an under appreciated classic based on those reviews. Even for a mid 90s album, this clearly defined so much of the neo-soul and R&B movement of that time period. Anybody with knowledge in either of those genres can see that. I guess I can sort of understand why people aren’t interested in this. This is very slowly, and has no desire to speed things up. It’s methodical, and spends more time with subtleties. For how many vocal tracks they have running at the same time, this actually never feels too in your face. The vocals are the focus and the instrumentals, while amazing all around, are not what you should be expecting to be blown away by. I don’t even think this is too overly rooted in “hyper sexuality” as people claim it is. This is one of the most sensual and intimate albums I’ve ever heard, but I’m totally into it. This was so awesome, I put on Voodoo on my way home from work. Unfortunately that album is not on this list, so I won’t ever get the chance to talk about it. Rating: 9/10

This was very enjoyable, smooth as fuck.

Not really my usual type of music, but enjoyable all the same. Particularly the smooth bass lines and production throughout. It's impressive how many instruments D'Angelo played himself on here! On the negative side, I did find it a bit repetitive, and the lyrics are often so to-the-point horny that they are borderline creepy. Title track is great though, as well as a few others. I prefer his later album, Black Messiah, as it has more political lyrics and is a bit more varied and jazzy. This one is mainly just about boning, which is fine too I guess. 7/10

No. 207/1001 Brown Sugar 4/5 Alright 4/5 Jonz in my Bonz 3/5 Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine 4/5 Shit, Damn, Motherfucker 3/5 Smooth 3/5 Cruisin 4/5 When We Get By 3/5 Lady 4/5 Higher 3/5 Average: 3,5 Really cool, soulful album.

Funky, jazz-infused R&B with a strong mid 90’s vibe, so your mileage may vary, if you’re looking for something that doesn’t feel tied down to an era.

1995: Brown Sugar, Lady

Not my music but nice when played in the background

1/2 really not my jam. the music itself is pleasant enough, the singing is a lot of moany noises.

Very not my thing

Dated, but a couple of cracking shagging songs. 3/10

Flunk. Not enough Funk.

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

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 bag. The two albums I had before this were absolute bangers so only fair I get this to even things out.

Schmoov futhermucker. Never been my thang.

I mean, it's not literally the worst thing I've ever heard... but... it's not great. His falsetto sucks and the whole thing felt bland and boring after the first song. That being said, 'Shit, Damn, Motherfucker' is clearly the pinnacle of songwriting and no one should attempt to surpass it. I like how he said the three words over and over and over and over. Quality stuff. This album did help me find religion, though. I didn't think at the beginning that I would be praying for it to be over, but here I am.

Doesn't even scrape a 2. It's really dull musically, and the lyrics are both cliches and throwbacks to the creepy lyrics you'd get in 50s/60s music but without the innocence that gave the oldies a bit of an excuse. Would've got a 2 had I only been half listening to it, but the lyrics drop it down to a 1 as it made it actively unpleasant to listen to.

Is mid-90s neo-soul the hardest genre to listen to now? Beware of any artist who has his/her top off in their photos as a USP. One star for the first track, but boy this is inconsequential.

Is there a sexy word for ‘boring’?

No.

Not my vibe

No more please, make it stoooop

p769. 1995. 1 star. The background music they use in stores selling Gwyneth Paltrow's "This Smells Like My Vagina" candles. Wannabe Marvin Gaye for the 90s, only without the talent or the voice. This was a key influence on Craig David - so! We finally have someone to blame! Can't be doing with high pitched male voices, especially when they are used on such bland material. This is soulless and instantly forgettable.

He's got a good voice but R&B does nothing for me. Lyrically uninteresting. Would not listen again

Not for me at all, dull even by r and b standards.

Did not enjoy

This music makes me very nervous, overproduced, all character removed, like swimming in a pool instead of a sea full of waves.

How come you taste so shit?

imagine my disappointment when i found out this isn't about heroin.

This Neo soul is really not my jam. Couldn't get thru this one and for the record, the Stones did Brown Sugar better.

eu ouvi a primeira musica, tem um som legal mas n é muito meu tipo de musica. prefiro o dos stones

Awful. Repetitive. I had to keep skipping to the next song because the repetition was getting on my nerves.

Urghgghhhhhhhhhhh A mix of cringe and boring. Just not an enjoyable record at all. Would not listen again. Best track: Lady Worst track: Alright, Jonz in my Bonz, Higher, Brown Sugar, Cruising

Rubbish. Boring, whiny RnB, like there's good RnB but this was terrible. Who even is D'Angelo? Literally never heard of him. Too many of the songs were drawn out and way too much of that "woo woo yah yah" crooning that kinda gives me the ick. Best: Brown Sugar Worst: When We Get By

Shocked at how boring and not good this was. I'm amazed this is always so critically acclaimed, other than the first track it put me to sleep.

Saw the cover and thought this is gonna be awful. By half way through the first song that was confirmed. Somehow, it then continued to get worse. It manages to offend and bore me at the same time.

not my thing

Very soulful!!

You gotta love soul/jazz and prince for that one. And I def. do

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.

Love the album

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).

Come ON! Try to top it, what is sexier than this?

D’Angelo one of the best to ever do it

Superb. 90s R&B at its finest. Every track is gorgeous, and I love his rendition of Smokie Robinson's Cruisin. A new favorite.

Muy bueno, chill, para trabajar o ir de viaje. Hasta para una cena en el lounge.

Not always a huge fan of R&B, but damn, this man has soul. Love the album.

Undeniable the greatness of this album. Made us all listen to music differently again. Could be released today and win awards.

Exelente, sensual, neo-soul

Smooth

Brilliant album, start to finish.

Genre defining

sexiest album ever made

chill as hell :)

Hard to be left unsatisfied after hearing this album. It's just exquisite. It SOUNDS like D'Angelo at his most unconscious, his most musically free and unwrought. Just effortlessly making incredible music. But... apparently he spent ages, recording all of the instruments himself?? At 21?? Unreal. I couldn't believe that because it sounds so effortless. It just sounds like, an early incarnation of D'Angelo, with an incredible backing band. Well, it turns out that that's D'Angelo as the backing band. Wow. Still a classic, still an incredibly fun time. 5/5

he actually cannot make bad music

Great album all the way through

Rating: 10/10

Love this album

Fenomenal. Soul é muito foda!!

Smooth grooves. Digging it.

Wow, i knew it would be good, but i didnt expect it to be THIS good! The star of the show here are the basslines, but everything about this record is awesome.

the combination of classic soul influences, hip-hop beats & D's silky, buttery voice is just too immaculate for words. My favourite D'Angelo album & quite possibly my favourite album of the entire 1990s decade!

Amazing.

Obviously amazing

classic

Wow. Another one I’ve never given a second thought to. This really surprised me. Not something I’d have enjoyed as a youth, but damn this is flowy. It’s so jammable. This didn't feel difficult at all.

timeless. Impossible not to start dancing.

I love it.

It’s perfect

i love love LOVE this album omg. i wasn't too sure on d'angelo as i wasn't the biggest fan of voodoo. but mannnn i enjoyed every song on here! the funk aspect, the soul elements, the jazz inspiration. guys it all comes together to create a beautiful, sensual, HORNY album (heavy on the horny, goddamn). i feel like this is my sign to revisit voodoo tbh because i feel like i misjudged this man, he's a talent no doubt about it

fave track: lady final thoughts: d'angelo i <3 u

Bas mi je dobar! Bio je ful lijep dan jucer, kuhala sam rucak i slusala ovo i bas je super sjelo!! Favorit je shit, damn, motherfucker ofc

All the feels

I’m too shy to listen to this!

I want some of your brown boogers (doodoodoo) Another 5.

An all time classic

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.

Find die Musig eifach extrem cool. Vocals mega cool, band au mega cool. Sicher au under de liebevoll hornigste musig vo sinere ziit (nöd nur ide lyrics). Ich los vo ihm eigentlich nur immer s ganze Album und je noch Mood fühl ichs mengmol nöd so oder aber ich wird Background Sänger und es absorbiert mich voll für e stund.