<p>It’s been exactly 10 years since Voodoo, D’Angelo’s sophomore album, hit the top of the US Billboard 200 on the day of its release (25 January 2000). In some ways, Voodoo is the reason Soul Culture exists.</p><p>It opened a conversation. Voodoo’s often ambiguous lyrics – when they can be heard at all – and jam session vibes (rather than disciplined melodies) rendered the album less accessible than D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar debut – but for me [and many others] the verbal incoherency is part of the puzzle, the in-the-moment vibes are incentive to work it out. [For those who like it on a platter, the lyrics are there in the album booklet. Quit moaning already.]</p><p>A decade on, the conversation continues – only last week I found myself arguing with a producer over the album’s timeless merits. For me, that’s what it is. Timeless. Far less tied to a particular era than his debut. More adventurous. More meaningful.</p>
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