As someone who was a bit of a D’Angelo fan before he voluntarily fell off the radar about a decade ago, I feel sort of ashamed for having no idea that he was attempting a comeback until Questlove tweeted links late last night to the two videos from a concert in Paris below. Last I heard, prior to being busted for soliciting a prostitute in West Village a year or so ago, he’d went off to live on an island somewhere or something.
But yes, he’s back, having kicked off a short European tour over the weekend. According to Questlove — in a December interview I found digging around — D’Angelo was “97% done” with his first new album in 12 years and that it’s “the black version of [The Beach Boys’] Smile.” Below are videos of D’Angelo performing “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” and covering David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” in Paris last night. The solo version of “Untitled” is especially awesome, particularly at around the two and a half minute mark. Enjoy.
Here’s “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”…
And here’s “Space Oddity”…
