D’Angelo, who died Tuesday at the age of just 51, was indisputably a musical genius, but he didn’t leave much behind: Just three studio albums and an under-the-radar live set over the course of two decades, and a handful of remixes and loose tracks, so a “10 greatest songs” (out of maybe 35 original compositions) seems kind of pointless — just cue up any of a dozen “greatest hits” playlists and click.
But his discography is deep enough to hold some hidden gems, most of them covers or live tracks or both, notably remixes; and we’ll throw in some rarities like his live sets with Questlove — which were mostly soul covers from the ‘60s and ‘70s — and the “Soul Blends” cassette, which was the first whiff we got of “Voodoo” back in the fall of 1999 and was remixed by a then-little-known New York DJ named Mark Ronson.
But scroll down as we go deep into the crates and uncover for some vintage deep cuts from one of the leading lights of R&B.
“I Found My Smile Again” (1995)
An outtake from “Brown Sugar” and a rare unreleased D’Angelo original, this song — which premiered on the soundtrack of the 1996 blockbuster “Space Jam” film — only saw the light of day because, according to Questlove, the film’s producers blanched at the song they originally submitted: an early version of “Playa Playa,” which was finally released on “Voodoo” nearly four years later (which gives a sense of how long “Voodoo” was in the oven). The song fits in perfectly with “Brown Sugar” and would slot nicely between sides one and two.
“Can’t Hide Love” (live 1995)
“Live at the Jazz Cafe” was such a low-key release that many people don’t know it existed before it was re-released in 2014, to capitalize on the excitement around “Black Messiah.” The album was originally an EP, then re-released in Japan with a bonus cut, and finally the full set, nearly 20 years after it was recorded. But this set, captured live shortly after the release of D’Angelo’s debut, captures him in full flight as a 21-year-old, with his paramour at the time, the late Angie Stone, delivering stellar backing vocals. The album includes three covers — his take on Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin’,” also featured on “Brown Sugar”; the Ohio Players’ “Heaven Must Be Like This,” only on the Japanese version; and finally this faithful but stunning take on Earth Wind & Fire’s classic “Can’t Hide Love.”
“Heaven Must Be Like This” (live 1995)
Another “Jazz Café” track, this Ohio Players over was originally relegated to the Japanese version of the EP and is curiously not available on the otherwise-full version of the album or Spotify, suggesting that D’Angelo himself was unhappy with the track. It’s hard to understand why he would be: It’s a beautifully sung version, featuring raindrop-like electric piano, a full horn section and some gorgeous backing vocals from Stone.
“Me and Those Dreaming Eyes of Mine” Def Squad remix / DJ Premier remix (1996)
The one full collaboration between D’Angelo and the great DJ Premier, “Devil’s Pie” (originally released on the “Best Man” soundtrack two years before it appeared on “Voodoo”) was enough to have fans thirsting in vain for more. But lurking deep in the crates on vintage EMI Records 12” singles are some remixes from D’s first album, including ten different mixes of one of his all-time great love songs, “Me and Those Dreaming Eyes of Mine” (guess they had bigger budgets back then). It’s an embarrassment of riches, but the two winners are the DJ Premier remix and the even more innovative “Def Squad Remix,” featuring Erick Sermon and Redman.
“Your Precious Love” with Erykah Badu (1996)
This cover of the Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell duet, featured on the “High School High” soundtrack, was recorded well before these two stellar singers became neo-soul icons. It sticks closely to the original arrangement, but the two deliver the song — a classic from the Ashford and Simpson catalog — with the reverence it deserves.
“Girl You Need a Change of Mind” (1996)
Another cover, this one by original Temptations member Eddie Kendricks, from his second solo album. This is the classic-soul D’Angelo that fans jonesed for, complete with string stabs at the end and stellar falsetto. It’s of a piece with “Brown Sugar” but already anticipating the hard funk of “Voodoo” — from Spike Lee’s 1996 film “Get on the Bus” about a group of Black men traveling cross-country to participate in the Million Man March.
“She’s Always in My Hair” (1997)
It’s a bit surprising that D’Angelo didn’t record more Prince covers, given the vast influence and his reverence for the man, and it figures that when he did, he’d dig deep into the crates. This psychedelicized track — the 1985 B-side of “Raspberry Beret,” fact fans — is one of the best of Prince’s many non-LP tracks, and was often performed live during D’Angelo’s “Brothers in Arms” jams with Questlove.
“Everybody Loves the Sunshine” (1999)
The great jazz musician Roy Ayers should be renowned far beyond jazz circles, yet this is probably his most well-known song. Released as the B-side of the European CD single of “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” the song is perhaps deservedly obscure (and apologies for including it in an article with the word “classic” in the headline — hopefully we make up for it with the bonus cut below), as D’Angelo and Questlove are just jamming tentatively on the track. However, it’s the Brothers in Arms covering Roy Ayers.
“Glass Mountain Trust” with Mark Ronson (2010)
This bizarre track from Ronson’s oddly obscure third solo album “Record Collection” may be the deepest cut here: The album doesn’t come up in Ronson’s Spotify discography (it’s credited to “Mark Ronson and the Business Intl”) and is one of the strangest songs in both of their catalogs. Led by blaring ‘80s synthesizers and a pounding beat, the song features a distorted lead vocal from D’Angelo, who accompanies himself on multitracked backing vocals with the occasional soul shriek thrown in for good measure.
Questlove and D’Angelo SuperJam (live at Bonnaroo Festival, 2012)
The “Brothers in Arms” played several public jams on classic R&B covers during this era, at least two of which (witnessed by this writer) were a bit disorganized and shambolic. However, for this set at Bonnaroo, they delivered the goods: With a directive not to play any D’Angelo or Roots songs, they were accompanied by a stellar hybrid band featuring stellar bassist Pino Palladino, members of the Roots, D’Angelo’s Vanguard and even longtime Prince saxophonist Eric Leeds, and tore up covers of songs by the Funkadelic, the Ohio Players, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, Prince (of course), the Time and even Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. Highlights are featured in this multi-part mini-documentary about the set.
BONUS:
“Nothing Even Matters” with Lauryn Hill (1998)
It’s absurd to call a song from one of the top-selling albums in history a “deep cut,” yet this soulful duet is tucked away as track 12 on “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and is often overlooked. The two harmonize beautifully, freestyling over the song’s last couple of minutes, underpinned by D’Angelo’s unmistakable electric piano embellishments.
variety.com
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