20 years of "Voodoo"

My favorite album in the whole wide world turned 20 today.

But it didn’t grow on me, like it did for so many others who weren’t ready for its complexity. Many D’Angelo fans wanted a bump n’ grind, or a slow burn for the bedroom. Voodoo, however, was a supernova; an explosion of creative and musical risk-taking that to this day continues to envelop new and old listeners alike. 

I was dissolved from the moment I pressed play on the stereo, put on a journey D’Angelo and his collaborators invited me to pursue. But you had to be open to the road not taken, a path unpaved. 

Voodoo was not the smooth, polished shininess of Brown Sugar. It was messy. Dirty. But also gorgeous and sensual. D’Angelo created an album akin to a pineapple: hard to handle on the outside--sweet, tender and nourishing on the inside. And I continue to savor every bite of it.

I contributed additional thoughts to an article written by Justin Sayles of The Ringer as part of his own reflection of Voodoo’s two decades of sorcery. I look forward to being under its spell for years to come.

Happy 20th anniversary, Voodoo. You’ve hexed me for life.

My “33 1/3” book about Voodoo drops March 5. You can pre-order it here.

Yes. I still have the original CD that I bought in February 2000.