American neo-soul singer-songwriter D’Angelo, real name Michael Eugene Archer, will release his third studio album later this year, according to his manager.
Kevin Liles of KWL Management has told Billboard that D’Angelo’s long-awaited follow up to 1995’s Brown Sugar and 2000’s Voodoo will see a release by the end of 2014, followed by an international tour. Liles has revealed that the album is currently in the mixing and mastering stage.
“There’ll be an album this year: there’s 14 records so far, we might have a couple of bonus records, but all the recording is basically done and we’re mixing and mastering now. Definitely, [D’Angelo will] be back,” Liles said.
When asked about how the record is sounding, Liles admitted that the album has been heavily influenced by rock music, but remains true to D’Angelo’s passion for funk and soul.
“To limit it to soul is not the case, because there is a rock influence,” Liles said. “But at the same time, it’s very melodic and there’s an influence of all the things he loves: there’s James Brown, there’s Prince, and everything people grew up loving D’Angelo for, from Brown Sugar to Voodoo.”
Liles described D’Angelo’s next album as being without sonic limits, citing the immense amount of time the singer-songwriter has spent working on his new material. “It’s a mixture and an evolution of where he is right now,” Liles said.
“And you have to think that when you have the opportunity to work 10 years on an album, that album’s truly gonna be what you want it to be. Is it limited to the kind of sound that he did with the earlier records? No, it’s not.”
Liles also told Billboard that D’Angelo will likely begin an international tour between October 2014 and early 2015, aside from a James Brown tribute gig in August at The Hollywood Bowl and some other one-off performances.
According to Billboard, D’Angelo’s third studio album was anticipated to be released as early as 2007. In March 2013, Liles told Billboard that the album was going through “mastering and mixing within the next two weeks”.
D’Angelo began touring for the first time in 10 years in 2011, backed by four new songs – Ain’t That Easy, The Charade, In Another Life and Sugah Daddy (below). Earlier this year, producer Russell Elevado, who worked on D’Angelo’s Voodoo album, posted three short studio clips (below) online, previewing the new material.
D’Angelo will play Soulfest New Zealand 2014 this October.
Watch: D’Angelo performing new song Sugah Daddy in 2012
Watch: D’Angelo Session Clip 1
Watch: D’Angelo Session Clip 2
Watch: D’Angelo Session Clip 3
