The Greatest Music
Black Messiah
by D'Angelo, The Vanguard
The 719th greatest album of all time
Black Messiah, released in 2014 by D'Angelo and the Vanguard, blends neo soul and classic soul with dense funk, psychedelic textures, and live-band arrangements. The music emphasizes raw analog grooves, interlocking rhythms, layered vocals, and socially conscious lyrics delivered with a loose, improvisational feel and prominent guitar, keyboard, and horn textures. Arriving after a long hiatus, the album is characterized by its gritty sonic palette, cohesive band interplay, and a deliberate updating of 1970s soul aesthetics for contemporary R&B.
Appears On These Lists
500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 2023 edition
Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2023 update) is the latest edition of the magazi...
The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s
Rolling Stone’s ‘The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s’ (Dec. 3, 2019) is a ranked, staff-curated look...
Rolling Stone: The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far
In January 2025, Rolling Stone published “The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far,” a ...