Photos by Drew Gurian/Red Bull Content Pool
Let's get this out of the way: No, D'Angelo did not announce a release date for his mystically delayed third album at his Red Bull Music Academy interview last night at the Brooklyn Museum. (Though, intriguingly, while walking into the room, I did overhear someone very close to the recordings mention that the album could come out as early as this August—obviously, such information must be accompanied with several thousand grains of salt… but still!) There were some hints about the record: in-control interviewer Nelson George got D to say that the album will be more guitar/funk-rock focused than anything he's done before (as evidenced by thenewsongs he's been playing on tour since returning to the stage in 2012). Further stoking the hype was ?uestlove, who came out of the audience and took the stage twice to giddily relay some classic D stories, ending the lecture by saying that the dark and heady Voodoo "sounds normal compared to… Unmentionable Third Record." When pressed on his new musical direction and how fans may react, D did say, "If it's confusing at first, that's a good sign." But really, the lack of news scoops didn't matter at all. The 90-minute chat was transfixing—and, even better, completely joyful—as it gave everyone a warm window into the man behind D'Angelo, Michael Eugene Archer.
Though he's built-up an impressively enigmatic rep through the years, D'Angelo seemed largely at ease during the lecture, lounging on a couch in ripped jeans, a t-shirt, scarf, and heavy-duty leather jacket. (A little Vornado fan was set up near his feet, ostensibly to help him from getting too hot under the lights and all those clothes.) Another thing: He's funny! Whether he was telling stories about his early rap group (incredibly called IDU—Intelligent, Deadly but Unique), or being scared of getting booed off the stage at the Apollo's famed Amateur Night—where he sang Johnny Gill's "Rub You the Right Way"—he looked upon his own history with a proud fondness and easy smile. Apparently, I wasn't the only one surprised by D's sharp storytelling: "I've known dude for 20 years and never knew he was THIS funny," wrote ?uestlove on his Instagram during the lecture. It all suggested the singer is in a good place at the moment, which—considering his reportedly temperamental nature—is a big relief. Watching him wax philosophical about his music and the music of his heroes, I couldn't help but think, "This guy seems so together, what's all the drama about?" But, of course, this lecture was only a glimpse.
The casual format of these Red Bull Music Academy interviews seemed to make D'Angelo comfortable, too, and its quirks led to revealing little peeks into his personality. For example, for some reason, all of these sit-downs have the participants using hand-held mics rather than tiny, near-invisible clip-ons and, honestly, its kind of hard to look cool while just talking into a microphone you're holding in your hand. But D'Angelo did it—he loosely held the mic in his right hand far enough away from his face to make you forget about it but close enough to make his raspy voice come through loud and clear. He almost made it look like a cigarette. And one of the night's best applause moments came when he lit up a smoke inside the pristine auditorium as Voodoo's "Playa Playa" flowed through the speakers—a small, unconscious rebellion. It also didn't seem like a coincidence for him to start smoking at that very moment; while he gamely mouthed along when George cued up D's cover of Eddie Kendricks' "Girl You Need a Change of Mind", he looked somewhat more anxious when a couple of Voodoo tracks were played, as if they were reminders of a ghost he's still trying to outrun.
My favorite quote from the evening occurred when George asked him about his uniquely sheltered in-studio set-up. When he records his vocals, D'Angelo requires solitude and apparently steps inside a self-described black "tee-pee" as he tries to get away from not only the outside world but even the studio itself. Explaining the technique, he said: "I'm trying to go deep in the onion." You could argue that he's spent many of the last 14 years since Voodoo's release too deep inside that onion, but there is a sweet spot somewhere between total isolation and the roiling uncertainty of humanity. During this lecture, at least, he found that place.
FYI: According to a representative from the Red Bull Music Academy, video from the lecture is scheduled to be posted online later today or tomorrow.