James River (album)
Encyclopedia
James River is the working title of R&B
and neo soul
musician D'Angelo
's third studio album, although the album remains Untitled. The album is widely considered one of the most anticipated in popular music
, due to the critical acclaim of previous album Voodoo, and D'Angelo's lengthy 'sabbatical' period that has followed. The album has been plagued by delays in recording and release, owing mainly to D'Angelo
's personal and legal troubles.
, and after the tour concluded he disappeared from the public eye.
Work for the album started in either 2001 or 2002, with D'Angelo recording alone. In the years that followed, D'Angelo's personal problems worsened, descending to drug and alcohol addiction.
In January 2005 he was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine
. Various mugshots began circulating around the time, showing the singer looking overweight and unhealthy, in stark contrast to the muscular D'Angelo seen in promotion for Voodoo. In September 2005, a week after being sentenced on the drug charges, he was involved in a car accident, and was rumoured to be critically injured. However, a week after the crash a statement was issued by D'Angelo's attorney stating that he was fine and that
No more was revealed on the new album until 2007, when Questlove leaked an unfinished track to Australian radio. Entitled 'Really Love', the track is an acoustic flavoured jam with a laid back swing feel. The leak apparently soured relations between the two.
In 2009, D'Angelo's new manager
Lindsay Guion, revealed plans for a new album, including collaboration
s with artists including Prince
, Kanye West
, Busta Rhymes
, and John Mayer
, and a summer tour.
As with the previous year, no tour or album materialized.
In early February 2010, a 'new' track called '1000 deaths' appeared on the internet, but was swiftly removed due to a copyright
claim by Michael Archer, D'Angelo's real name. The song seemed unfinished, and it is unclear how recent the material actually is, as the same song was mentioned in the same interview (see above) with Russell Elevado
, in 2007.
Around the same time, an article began to circulate on the internet
, which seemed to be an apparent review of 'James River', with detailed descriptions of individual songs, track listing, and segments of lyrics. This caused much discussion regarding the authenticity of the article, or whether it was an elaborate hoax.
In January 2011, Russell Elevado
updated the status of the album development on his website and stated that "Pino Palladino
and James Gadson
have joined D'Angelo [...] in New York City to finish cutting tracks for the upcoming album (yes, "THE" upcoming album!). We are officially making our way to finishing this record! I don't need to tell everyone that this will be an amazing album. D'Angelo fans will be extremely happy to know, the wait will be over soon and it will surely be a future classic"
Russell Elevado
has recently updated the status of the album again on his own website. "Since my last post i have continued sessions with D'Angelo. we've just finished up 5 months of recording. D has been doing vocals and guitars and we've had Pino Palladino back in for some more bass tracks. Also ?uestlove came in to jam with D and Pino. they've finally reunited after 7 or 8 years (lost track how long really). we're taking a few months break while i take care of some other projects that have been on the back burner."
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
musician D'Angelo
D'Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
's third studio album, although the album remains Untitled. The album is widely considered one of the most anticipated in popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, due to the critical acclaim of previous album Voodoo, and D'Angelo's lengthy 'sabbatical' period that has followed. The album has been plagued by delays in recording and release, owing mainly to D'Angelo
D'Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
's personal and legal troubles.
Background
Towards the end of the Voodoo tour in 2000, D'Angelo's issues towards performing worsened. He became more conscious of and uncomfortable with his status as something of a sex symbolSex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
, and after the tour concluded he disappeared from the public eye.
Work for the album started in either 2001 or 2002, with D'Angelo recording alone. In the years that followed, D'Angelo's personal problems worsened, descending to drug and alcohol addiction.
In January 2005 he was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. Various mugshots began circulating around the time, showing the singer looking overweight and unhealthy, in stark contrast to the muscular D'Angelo seen in promotion for Voodoo. In September 2005, a week after being sentenced on the drug charges, he was involved in a car accident, and was rumoured to be critically injured. However, a week after the crash a statement was issued by D'Angelo's attorney stating that he was fine and that
No more was revealed on the new album until 2007, when Questlove leaked an unfinished track to Australian radio. Entitled 'Really Love', the track is an acoustic flavoured jam with a laid back swing feel. The leak apparently soured relations between the two.
In 2009, D'Angelo's new manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
Lindsay Guion, revealed plans for a new album, including collaboration
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
s with artists including Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, and John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, and a summer tour.
As with the previous year, no tour or album materialized.
In early February 2010, a 'new' track called '1000 deaths' appeared on the internet, but was swiftly removed due to a copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
claim by Michael Archer, D'Angelo's real name. The song seemed unfinished, and it is unclear how recent the material actually is, as the same song was mentioned in the same interview (see above) with Russell Elevado
Russell Elevado
Russell Elevado , is a recording engineer and record producer based in New York City. Elevado's achievement for recording and mixing contemporary R&B recording artist D'Angelo's critically acclaimedVoodoo album, gained him a Grammy award in 2000...
, in 2007.
Around the same time, an article began to circulate on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, which seemed to be an apparent review of 'James River', with detailed descriptions of individual songs, track listing, and segments of lyrics. This caused much discussion regarding the authenticity of the article, or whether it was an elaborate hoax.
In January 2011, Russell Elevado
Russell Elevado
Russell Elevado , is a recording engineer and record producer based in New York City. Elevado's achievement for recording and mixing contemporary R&B recording artist D'Angelo's critically acclaimedVoodoo album, gained him a Grammy award in 2000...
updated the status of the album development on his website and stated that "Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
and James Gadson
James Gadson
James Gadson is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B music....
have joined D'Angelo [...] in New York City to finish cutting tracks for the upcoming album (yes, "THE" upcoming album!). We are officially making our way to finishing this record! I don't need to tell everyone that this will be an amazing album. D'Angelo fans will be extremely happy to know, the wait will be over soon and it will surely be a future classic"
Russell Elevado
Russell Elevado
Russell Elevado , is a recording engineer and record producer based in New York City. Elevado's achievement for recording and mixing contemporary R&B recording artist D'Angelo's critically acclaimedVoodoo album, gained him a Grammy award in 2000...
has recently updated the status of the album again on his own website. "Since my last post i have continued sessions with D'Angelo. we've just finished up 5 months of recording. D has been doing vocals and guitars and we've had Pino Palladino back in for some more bass tracks. Also ?uestlove came in to jam with D and Pino. they've finally reunited after 7 or 8 years (lost track how long really). we're taking a few months break while i take care of some other projects that have been on the back burner."