Hear Pre-Voodoo D'Angelo & The Soultronics Full Rehearsal For 1998 Essence Festival Performance
As we ready our hearts and general composure for D'Angelo's Roots Picnic debut in NYC this fall, here's a throwback so good we couldn't wait for Thursday to drop it. Thanks to our very own board member, OKP Kil, D & The Soultronics' full rehearsal for the 1998 Essence Music Festival has been unearthed, offering a rare, pristine and insanely funky glimpse into the r&b star's pre-Voodoo ism. Here you'll find the whole "most electrifying show of the 21st century" crew (Questlove, Spanky, Pino Palladino, Anthony Hamilton, an awfully young Bilal, and more) lined up and nailing the Brown Sugar hits and a pair of covers, with the "Send It On" being the lone selection from what would be D's critically and publicly adored sophomore album. The level of intimacy here is also practically unheard of, with little ad-libs filling out each cut.
If you've been hoarding live D'Angelo recordings for the last 20 years, this is probably already sitting pretty at the top of your collection, but just in case this slipped through the cracks, here's the unearthed audio from The Soultronics' 1998 Essence Music Festival takeover for the righteously low price of free ninety-nine. For a chance to see your boy rock right here in good 'ol NYC, grab your tickets for the city's inaugural Roots Picnic installation today before they're all gone.
