NEW DOUBLE LP
New sealed copy. 2024 reissue.
Brown Sugar is the debut studio album by D’Angelo, released in 1995 through EMI. Recorded in New York and Sacramento, the album was written, arranged, performed, and largely produced by D’Angelo, who handled much of the instrumentation himself. Its production combines live drums, bass, guitar, organ, and electric piano with drum machines and other contemporary studio equipment.
Drawing from gospel, funk, quiet storm, hip hop, and 1970s soul, the album is built around loose rhythms, layered vocals, and understated arrangements. “Brown Sugar” incorporates hip hop production through Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s co-production, while “Lady” and D’Angelo’s cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin’” emphasize the album’s melodic side. Elsewhere, “Shit, Damn, Motherfucker” addresses betrayal with unusually direct language, and “Higher” closes the record by bringing spiritual and romantic themes together through organ and overdubbed vocals.
Brown Sugar reached number four on Billboard’s R&B albums chart and number 22 on the Billboard 200, earning platinum certification in the United States. Its success gave wider commercial visibility to the developing neo soul movement and established D’Angelo as one of its central early figures.
TRACKLIST:
A1 Brown Sugar
A2 Alright
A3 Jonz In My Bonz
B1 Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine
B2 Shit, Damn, Motherfucker
B3 Smooth
C1 Cruisin'
C2 When We Get By
D1 Lady
D2 Higher
