In a Beyoncé-style surprise release, “Black Messiah,” the third studio album and the first in nearly 15 years from the enigmatic soul singer D’Angelo, is available now on iTunes.
The writer Nelson George made the announcement mere hours earlier, at an intimate industry listening party for the record, hosted by Red Bull Music Academy and Afropunk, at the Dream Hotel in Manhattan. “It’s been a really, pretty closely guarded secret as these things go,” said Mr. George of the finished album, which is credited to D’Angelo and his band, The Vanguard. The singer did not make an appearance.
Ahmir Questlove Thompson, the drummer for the Roots, who played on “Black Messiah” and served as D.J. at the event, called the record “the ‘Apocalypse Now’ of black music.”
“It’s a passion project, and it’s everything,” he said. “I really don’t want to give a hyperbolic, grandiose statement, but it’s everything.”
In his own statement of purpose, provided along with lyrics for the 12 songs, D’Angelo said, “‘Black Messiah’ is a hell of a name for an album. It can be easily misunderstood. Many will think it’s about religion. Some will jump to the conclusion that I’m calling myself a Black Messiah.”
In fact, he said, “It’s about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt and in Occupy Wall Street and in every place where a community has had enough and decided to make change happen.”
News of the long-awaited album bubbled up online on Friday, in the form of a 15-second trailer, along with cryptic ads posted around New York City. The promotional posters featured a timely line from the song “The Charade”: “All we wanted was a chance to talk/ ’Stead we only got outlined in chalk.”
D’Angelo, in his statement, said, “Not every song on this album is politically charged (though many are), but calling this album ‘Black Messiah’ creates a landscape where those songs can live to the fullest.”
Mr. George, before debuting the record, added, “The man is speaking to the times we live in.”
The full track list:
1. “Ain’t That Easy”
2. “1000 Deaths”
3. “The Charade”
4. “Sugah Daddy”
5. “Really
Love”
6. “Back in the Future (Part I)”
7. “Till It’s Done (Tutu)”
8. “Prayer”
9. “Betray My Heart”
10. “The Door”
11. “Back in the Future (Part II)”
12. “Another Life”