D'Angelo (Michael Eugene Archer, born 1974 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American singer and producer and a defining voice of neo-soul. Voodoo (2000), cut with Questlove and the Soulquarians at Electric Lady, remains one of the most influential soul records of the past three decades — Brown Sugar (1995) and Black Messiah (2014) complete the run. Shop D'Angelo vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Michael Eugene Archer was born in Richmond, Virginia on February 11, 1974. He signed with EMI as a teenager and released his debut Brown Sugar in 1995, which became a defining neo-soul document. The follow-up Voodoo (2000), produced largely with Questlove and recorded with the Soulquarians collective at Electric Lady Studios, is widely regarded as one of the most influential R&B and soul albums of the past three decades. After a 14-year recording hiatus, he returned with Black Messiah (2014) credited as D'Angelo and the Vanguard, winning the Grammy for Best R&B Album.
D'Angelo's sound combines neo-soul, R&B, funk, soul, gospel, and contemporary R&B with deep references to Prince, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and Sly Stone. His arrangements feature live instrumentation, his own keyboard work, and rhythm sections drawing on hip hop production sensibility.
Original Virgin and EMI pressings of Brown Sugar and Voodoo are widely collected. Multiple anniversary reissues including 20th anniversary editions of Voodoo have been released.
Listeners new to D'Angelo typically start with Voodoo (2000) or Brown Sugar (1995).
