Some Voodoo magic

D'Angelo can't explain how his innovative CD came together

Ask Michael 'D'Angelo' Archer how Spanish Joint, the irresistible, funkalicious, horn-laden jam on Voodoo, his long-awaited sophomore CD, came about, and he's at a loss for words.

 In fact, ask the wunderkind how he assembled any of the joints on this killer disc -- out Tuesday -- and he'll tell you they "just came to me."

 "(The Roots" drummer) Ahmir ('?uestlove' Thompson), (guitarist) Charlie (Hunter) and I were just jamming in the studio and we brought Spanish Joint together," D'Angelo said from L.A. "And, basically, that's how this album came about."

 Modest man that he is, the Virginia-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist will defer praise for cutting one of the most daring R&B discs in years to the musicians who lent him a hand.

 "I worked with some incredibly gifted people -- (bassist) Pino Palladino, ?uestlove, (trumpeter) Roy Hargrove, Raphael Siddiq, Charlie ... You couldn't ask to work with better musicians," he raves. "You get in a room with those guys and, you know, the sky's the limit, man."

 Hunter, who plays lead and bass simultaneously on his eight-street ax, sounds as wicked as ever on Spanish Joint.

 Like D'Angelo, he can't explain how the jam materialized.

 "I went to the studio and D'Angelo said, 'Here's this tune,' and he taught it to me and we just ran it down live," Hunter explains from his New York pad. "I didn't overdub anything -- it's just me doing my thing with him and Ahmir. Those guys kill!"

 Adds Hunter: "D'Angelo understands music, he understands the deeper, more real aspects of what music is about."

 Collaborating with like-minded musicians wasn't the only highlight of the recording process for D'Angelo.

 He recorded Voodoo at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan.

 "It was beautiful, man," he sighs. "It was a wonderful experience. There's a vibe and an energy there."

 And, like his songs, the chance to record at the famed studio just happened.

 "We were supposed to record at some other place for a few weeks, but something came up and we ended up at Electric Lady," says D'Angelo, who became a dad for the second time last October. "It was amazing because before I came to New York, I was listening to Jimi Hendrix and going in this (musical) direction."

 If recording at Electric Lady wasn't thrilling enough, D'Angelo used amps, microphones and the recording board Hendrix used. He also utilized Stevie Wonder's Fender Rhodes keyboards and organ that happened to be sitting around.

 'I felt blessed'

 "I felt blessed to record there, and all the musicians felt that Jimi's spirit and force were in the house and were assisting us," he says. "I've begun to see his genius and exactly what he was doing. I knew he was the father of psychedelic rock and the greatest guitarist who ever lived, but I didn't know he was a pioneer of the funk.

 "A lot of people don't look at Jimi in that respect," he adds. "He really started a lot of what funk is all about ... it came from Jimi Hendrix."

 It'll be interesting to see how R&B fans weaned on processed dreck will greet the innovation on this splendid disc.

 "(Contemporary R&B)'s a joke, and the funny thing about it is that the people making this s--- are dead serious about the stuff they're making," he says, laughing. "It's sad -- they've turned black music into a club thing."

D'Angelo Wins Critical Acclaim With First Release

  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- In an R&B world filled with sampled music, sexual cliches and copycat artists, D'Angelo has been hailed as something of a godsend.
  The 21-year-old has won critical acclaim with the release of his debut album, "Brown Sugar," which has sold more than 500,000 copies since its release earlier this year. He's also up for three Grammys, including best rhythm and blues singer.
  But D'Angelo was the talk of the music industry even before the disc's release. As the co-writer of last year's hit "U Will Know," recorded by a choir more than 40 of today's hottest male R&B artists, the Richmond, Va. native was first pushed into the spotlight as an up-and-coming songwriter and producer.
  "It's a buzz; I don't know (why). It's hard to say. I think what it is that I'm doing is a little different so I guess people are ready for that change," he said.
  But like most in the music business, Michael D'Angelo Archer's rise to the top has been no overnight success story. He began playing the piano at the tender age of 3, and by the time he was 4, he was playing piano at a church where his father was pastor.
  "I did that a lot when I was growing up: playing in church, directing choirs, and things like that," he said. "I had my own band, with my cousins, and my friends, and we toured all over the city."
  Before he reached 18, he went to New York City, where he and his band performed -- and won -- three times at the famed Apollo Theater's amateur showcase.
  It was during that time when he wrote "U Will Know," a soulful ballad about a young man's hopes and dreams that later was tapped by the producers of the movie "Jason's Lyric" for its soundtrack.
  D'Angelo had planned to put it on his own debut album for EMI, but by the time he began recording it, the mood had changed.
  "I wrote the song with my brother when I was 17 ... so by the time it came for me to record it on 'Brown Sugar,' I kind of outgrew the song vocally," he said.
  It also didn't fit with the mood of the album; a sexually charged, sensual collection of tunes in which the song would have been out of place.
  The tune was recorded by dozens of today's hottest male singing acts, including Boyz II Men, R. Kelly, Gerald Levert and others. The success of "U Will Know" helped to create an enthusiasm for the later release of his album, which is more mature, but just as soulful.
  Described by some critics as a welcome throwback to the 1970s, D'Angelo's music has a sound that stands out among most of his contemporaries. Instead of relying on machines for his music, D'Angelo's use of real instruments has been a refreshing break.
  He either wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, with the exception of "Cruisin'." He also played most of the instruments and produced the disc. With it's jazzy tone and funky themes, it has appeal to both older and younger generations.
  He knows its a sound that many have been waiting for.
  "I think for the most part, especially in the past couple of years, the R&B as a whole as far as artistically speaking, it was diminishing in its art form," he said. "It was becoming more of a business thing, a black pop music thing, and I ain't tryin' to do no pop music, really."
  D'Angelo's distinctive sound has caught the ear of many other artists who have been clamoring to work with him. But for now, he has decided to make himself his top project.
  "I've had to turn a lot of people down; not out of disrespect for them, but for out of respect for them. I have to be like, 'No, I can't do it right now.'
  "Musically, I just want to take what I do to the next level," he said. "I want to go as far as I can take it, you know?"