Customer Reviews

Live at Jazz Cafe

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

London's Jazz Cafe will rarely (if ever) experience the vibe of D'Angelo's one off show on September 14th 1995 again.

The intimate, sold-out venue was bursting at the walls in expectation of the new kid on the block. Widely hailed as the "Saviour of Soul", his debut album that year "Brown Sugar" had received massive critical acclaim now the stage was set for the live performance. He lived up to the hype...

With a superb, proficient band the organic, soulful pomp of his idols was captured with ease. Also check for one Angie Stone on backing vox.

The only non-album track performed here is Earth Wind & Fire's classic "Can't Hide Love" which he does full justice, not unlike the familiar cover version of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'".

The other three singles ("Dreamin Eyes", "Brown Sugar" and "Lady") are all featured here and the show is magical. The only downside being it's incomplete and rather short. Anyone who heard the full radio broadcast from which the tracks are culled knows this is only around half the show.

Why couldn't more CD space be used on the actual concert? Why is a worthy yet unrelated live version of "Heaven Must Be Like This" (Down In The Delta OST) included instead? The answers remain a mystery.

Never mind, cast those issues aside for a minute and buy this CD. When the music's this good, we can forget minor quibbles over tracklistings and indulge in what we've been given.

I just got this CD as a present and damn if it didn't have me logging on to Amazon.com doing a search for D'Angelo and crossing my fingers hoping that there would be a new release listed for him.
I've seen "D" live more recently for the Voodoo album and he's EXCELLENT. I'm even more in awe by this live session because he was somewhat new to the scene. In my opinion the true talent of an artist is how well he or she performs live, having made that statement he's is truly talented much like Prince is so awesome live, so is Babyface, so is Me'shell NdegeOcello; get the picture. But I digress... buy this CD and I guarantee you it will stay in heavy rotation and you'll be logging onto Amazon.com hoping like I did.

This is CD is absolutely worth the import price tag. Do not hesitate, after all, you only live once. D'Angelo is ahead of his time, and talented beyond words. His back-up singers here (and this was recorded back in 1995) are Angie Stone and Karen Bernod, both established artists in their own right today. I can't say enough about this CD, having listened to it non-stop for a week.

Just buy it! It will tide you over until his next release.

I'm a longtime fan of D'Angelo, an' I gotta say that I'm appalled that this is no longer widely available in the States. But let me tell you this, even though this is a costly purchase, if you a die-hard fan of this man then this is a must-have. I may have never even known about it, if I hadn't been going through a record store one day and stumbled across it. This show was recorded at the Jazz Cafe in London on September 14, 1995, back when he was a hungry 21-year-old just starting out, and slowly building his reputation as an astounding talent.

Here on this all-too brief, but exhilerating set, he lays it on thick with jazzy jams and bootylicious funky R&B, proving himself to be one of the most underrated live performers out there. He brings the house down with excellent versions of Earth, Wind & Fire's 'Can't Hide Love', Smokey Robinson's 'Crusin' and The Ohio Players' 'Heaven Must Be Like This', and coaxes out extended sultry vamps from his band on the show-stopping 'Lady' and an epic 10-minute-plus version of 'Brown Sugar' on which he borrows from the classic James Brown toolbag of techniques - teasing the audience with false endings, slowly building on the subtle organ playing and drumming, gradually fading out each instrument, before bringing it back for one final sha-bang of funky soulful musical jabs. I could listen to the "I want some of your brown sugar - Oohooh" refrain forever.

The only minor criticism I have about this disc is that his set, while excellent, is too brief, and leaves you hungry for more. But, that's neither here nor there, because this is still a great showcase of one of the best soul singers this side'a Marvin's grave. Nursing his smoky organ and using his sultry voice to glide over each number, D'Angelo projects the casual charisma of a self-assured producer; his performance has the loose-limbed, intuitive vibe of an after-hours Prince show, and his sticky-sweet soul power is pure black magic. The sad thing is that I had the chance to see him perform live at the House of Blues last year an' PASSED on it! Alright, it's official; I will never make ignorant an' stupid decisions regarding concerts ever again.

Note: The Japanese import version is the only one that contains 'Heaven Must Be Like This', and his stellar performance on that one song makes it well-worth the extra money.

Once again, D'Angelo has given us what we have been waiting for. This live version of his fantastic Brown Sugar album was a refreshing and remarkable gift for avid fans like myself. For musicians who appreciate REAL instruments and live music, also like myself, then this is the epitome of both. D'Angelo even throws caution to the wind to cover the Earth, Wind and Fire hit, "You Can't Hide Love" and does the piece justice in my opinion. This is a great CD to have in your collection, in fact, I couldn't wait for the U.S. release so I had is shipped from Japan. It was definitely worth it!!!!!

If you are a D'Angelo fan like myself, this CD is a must-buy. Listening to D'Angelo is something more than just passing time. His songs and lyrics are timeless. Although the CD is somewhat short for its price-tag, it is worth every penny. I've never seen D'Angelo live, so this CD gave me a chance to find out if it's just the studio that makes him sound so good. Well, it's not. His raw talent shines through in every song. His soulful lyrics and soothing voice make the songs come alive. Unlike many "R&B" artists, D'Angelo exudes real emotions. You can feel it.

the "brown sugar man" has definitely dropped a funky with this cd. for those appreciating the atmosphere of an artist working with a band, this cd is a must have. the only reason i can't give it 5-stars is because have to alway skip "sh*t, d*mn, mf" so my kids won't hear it.

Never heard anything like this here! The spirit pumps through your veins...your pulse is beating to the rhythm of the groove. And the dynamics of the whole band give you goose-pimples over and over again... more feeling and groove in music is not imaginable at this time...Listen to the drummer...he knows what D' Angelo wants him to say! The same with bass, keys and guitars...not to forget the backing vocals. Only if all tune in into the same spirit it can work out the way he had it worked out! I chose the title as above...and now I can' t stop writing words after words about this great recording...but now I stop. PEACE and I mean it PEACE to ya all.

This CD would have rated five stars if it contained more songs. I've seen D'Angelo perform live three times, including one of his first few live performances. He's only gotten better with time. This CD is good but does not include some of the great songs that D'Angelo sings in concert. I had the opportunity to meet D'Angelo in Washington DC at his first concert there, and he is nice as he is talented. If you have not seen D'Angelo live, this is a taste of what you missed!

ok, this cd is when d'angelo was first starting out, and it represents d'angelo in a smooth more laid-back frame of mind. d'angelo has an outstanding chemistry with his band and his audience, plus we a chance to here karen bernod and angie stone as his back-up singers

why only 4 stars? by the time d'angelo toured his music from his voodoo tour, his live performance had changed..instead of laid-back songs, his music shows signs of his homage to prince, james brown, and parliament...which resulted in his meteoric performance at london's brixton acadamy....

anyway, this is definitely something to be added to the d'angelo collection, if you're keeping one