D'Angelo's Bares All In "Untitled" [Pop Culture Moment #8]

Words by M.C.

Could it be? Is it true? After so long, is this really be happening? We’ve all heard the rumors, but it looks like the Neo God D’Angelo is on his way back for the soul survivors.

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Since setting the scene on fire with his ’95 debut, the bubbling Brown Sugar earned the man born Michael Archer comparisons to soul greats like Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson and opened the door for artists like Erykah Badu, Maxwell, Music Soulchild, Bilal and others on its way to double platinum.

The five-year gap that followed wasn’t easy to take, but the faithful were rewarded when 2000’s Voodoo proved worth the wait. With the unclothed visuals for “Untitled” (How Does It Feel) raising temperatures along with his profile, Prince’s second coming seemed to have the world in his oiled-up abs.

The pseudo skinemax vid found itself parodied by every brother willing to take his shirt off, but nothing could detract from its impact on fans.

However, what followed was a media blackout during a series of substance abuse reports, arrests and false starts that convinced critics that the once rising star was now a fallen one. With the gap on its 12th year, his 3rd album, James River, seemed to be pulling a Detox. And that “Untitled” body appeared to have gone into witness protection.

But on January 26, 2012 D’Angelo took the stage in Stockholm to kick off his European tour. Several pounds lighter and showing off his guns, D’Angelo was casting spells again. With insiders like Q-Tip and Questlove confirming the completion of the album, it looks the soul on ice is ready for a spring thaw.