Brown Sugar

Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.74) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's."
Rolling Stone (9/7/95, pp.71-72) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...makes the nasty rhythms bubbling underneath his multilayered love songs seem old and new as the same time....a reminder of where R&B has been and, if the genre is to resurrect its creative relevance like a phoenix rising from the ashes, where it needs to go..."
Spin (10/95, p.116) - 8 (out of 10) - "...he applies the lesson of sampling --savoring essence while still messing with meaning--in the service of soul's integrationist spirit....the true inheritor of...'70s soul men...for a...substantial reason: he's proven himself...adept in the mysteries of the groove."
Entertainment Weekly (6/30-7/7/95, p.100) - "Love--both sugary sweet and delightfully nasty--is what D'Angelo's debut serves up....Husky bedroom oohs and ahhs segue effortlessly into airy, retro-styled ballads, suggesting late nights and dimmed lights." - Rating: A
Vibe (8/95, p.125) - "...determined to give pre-hip hop forms like blues, soul, gospel, and jazz a mid-'90s vibe....inhabits his songs from odd angles, without non-stop Vandross-style aural showmanship....Most of this important debut is a joy to listen to..."
NME (7/22/95, p.50) - 9 (out of 10) - "...D'Angelo's downbeat world blurs the borders..., kicking over the traces of the genre game and shrugging, demanding that you...just absorb the sultry atmosphere he sets up with his little-more-than-nothing beats and Russian doll vocals....a major, major record..."
Village Voice (2/20/96) - Ranked #21 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.