This long-awaited record (coming 14 years after Voodoo) courses with pent-up percussive energy. Sexy snare drums on “Ain’t That Easy,” “The Charade” and “Prayer” nod to the LinnDrum of mid-’80s Prince records—funk is its own reward on this killer comeback album. D croons about war (“1000 Deaths”), social justice (“The Charade”), the ecosystem (“Till It’s Done [Tutu]”), spirituality (“Prayer”), and love (everywhere else) like nothing short of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. With Black Messiah, D’Angelo tosses commerciality to the wind and still wins on every level.