D'Angelo is obviously inspired by the progressive soul of the early '70s, but he has also borrowed carefully from the hip-hop of his own generation. Like many of his contemporaries, he has recorded a tribute to marijuana--the album's title--but it's far wittier than most. It takes the form of a conventional love song ("Brown sugar babe, I gets high off your love ... that's why my eyes are a shade blood burgundy") and mimics intoxication in its throbbing bass lines and reverb-heavy organ.
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