5 Ways Voodoo Broke D'Angelo Out of Conventional R&B

Abandoned standard song structures Where Brown Sugar used conventional verse-chorus forms, Voodoo built songs around loose, groove-based funk.

Prioritized pocket over hooks D’Angelo had already proven he could write hits. On Voodoo, he chose to follow the rhythmic pocket instead.

Emphasized live-band feel The album sounds like a jam session, with instruments bleeding into each other and tempos that breathe naturally.

Shifted from polished to raw production Voodoo favors warm, analog imperfections over the clean, digital sheen of typical R&B.

Let grooves dictate song length Tracks stretch out as long as the feel demands, rather than fitting radio-friendly time constraints.