D'Angelo – Voodoo

I recently purchased this record and I'm concerned about the authenticity. Is there anybody here who could please reassure me? Is the album cover supposed tp be matte finish and very thin?

Overall, it just feels very cheaply made. I'm disappointed.

Oh yes, I vividly remember the hype surrounding this young man, especially in the (hip hop) radio shows I heard back then. Holy shit, that was almost thirty years ago! To be honest, I could never do much with his high, (for my ears) pitchy voice and his style, I never heard more than two or three tracks, though, but of course I cherished the features and easter eggs, especially here on this one, which caught my attention again. A bit of a Mary J. Blige thing for me, whose first album was dripping with hip hop flavour and guests, especially the remix version. Yo, Premier delivered, enjoy the likes of Fat Joe, Raekwon, Redman, Method Man, Q-Tip with special contribution & lots and lots of live and session vibes. I guess I was let down by the change of style, which just wasn´t for me. Well, after the first side, everything slows down and switches completely into its vein, you meet pure and for the most part super groovy neo-soul. Sultry, rich, smoothly arranged & black as night. Yes, and today I can gladly really appreciate that.

How does this pressing compare to the original Europe and US pressings? Seeing if it's worth dishing out more for an OG.

Broke the bank for this, couldn't resist the marbled tan. NO REGRETS. To my ears, sound is just as good as my original press. Maybe a little more separation and bass on this.

flawless pressing, beautiful gatefold and liner notes. love this music mane

picking up multi-instrumental knowledge and talanted neo-soul musicians (questlove, roy hargrove, pino palladino, ahmir thompson, dj premier, dilla etc.) and ditching commercial rnb production was truly one of the boldest creative decisions by an artist to date. as his liner notes state, he could have just continued his past practices after his successful mid 90's debut but was on a mission to revolutionize and prove how organic music could sound to a new generation of listeners.

This work is comprised of lush, live studio-session music that is both minimal and full in every aspect, allowing raw emotion and soul to be spoken through ways of talented musical and artistic expression. It is a one-of-one ability of his to actualize lyrical, vocal, and rhythmic music in a way that is both effortless and overwhelmingly intentional. One can tell he is a product of his influences (al green, prince, stevie, etc.) by keeping their past energy and elements alive to create his own true individual sound unheard of. immersing yourself with great works indeed produces wonders. no doubt he will in turn keep the influential flame alive for artists down the line.
he unfortunately stopped making music after this for many reasons, but tbh its solid enough to last a few more decades with no followup (apart from black messiah but wtv). the music video for "How Does it Feel"' became an MTV classic for the visuals, causing every single other track to often get overlooked. but they really all are equal in greatness, intent and execution.
This album is in turn elegant, elemental and an absolute classic. it breaks barriers and notions to what a genre and listener demographics even are. Every single person on earth will find at least thirty seconds of this album enjoyable, i do promise. one of mankind’s greatest blessings in music (chill). if you’re gonna spend life’s precious time listening to music this album definitely deserves priority. track after track, vibe after vibe, transcendent, soul soothing, head knocking stuff. a breath of fresh air conveyed through sound waves. immerse yo self. this shit ill. love & Unity

This is one of my favorite albums of all time and this pressing really does it justice! Defenitly the best way to enjoy Voodoo. Incredibly silent and dynamic.
Pressing: 5/5
Packaging: 3/5 (Records in poly lined sleeves but the insert is in black and white and lacks in image quality, plus no gatefold☹️. The cover is in nice quality)

Edit: This is the best sounding record in my collection

Time magazine said it was the number one album of the year.....pitchfork rarely gives a perfect score of 10 , but they did for this!!!! i agree, you have to have patience to realize the greatness of the record.....yes, my copy, the sound is a bit muddy or buried as said in comments below....not sure if i want to pay all over again....but i know i will.....want the best copy possible. D'angelo made a masterwork ! :)

I have a sealed copy of this, but it didn't come with an OBI strip. When I opened it, all the matrix and runout identifiers matched (as does everything else) so it's definitely the right copy. Did anyone else not have the OBI?

Love this album and the mastering is great, but there is an unfortunately amount of background static, which I notice more on headphones vs speakers.

Side B and C have slight noise like a kettle?

I have 2 copies of Voodoo, both copies have noise like boiling water in kettle or someone whistling in the distance.