“In the hands of lesser musicians, this would simply sound sloppy. In D'Angelo's hands, it’s perfectly imperfect – the precise right amount of wrong”: A music professor breaks down the genius of D'Angelo

D'angelo.

Michael Eugene Archer, known to the world as D’Angelo, passed away on 14 October at the age of 51. He only recorded three albums and a handful of guest vocals, but those recordings possess extraordinary musical depth.

D’Angelo songs have a smooth and inviting surface, but there is always something strange about them, and the closer you look, the stranger they get. In this column, we will examine four of his classic tunes to find out what gives them their uniquely off-kilter funkiness.