10 classic songs including Prince covers

D’Angelo, who died on Tuesday at age 51, was an undisputed musical genius, but he didn’t leave much behind: just three studio albums and an under-the-radar live gig over the course of two decades, and a handful of remixes and loose tracks, so the “10 greatest hits” (out of 35 original tracks) seem somewhat meaningless — just count any Dozens of “greatest hits” playlists and click.

But his discography is deep enough to contain some hidden gems, most of which are covers, live tracks, or both, especially remixes. And we’ll feature some rare items like his live sets with Questlove — which were mostly soul covers from the ’60s and ’70s — and the “Soul Blends” cassette, which was the first whiff we got of “Voodoo” in the fall of 1999 and was remixed by a then-unknown New York DJ named Mark Ronson.

But scroll down as we delve into the boxes and unearth some deep old cuts from one of R&B’s most prominent stars.

“I Found My Smile Again” (1995)

An excerpt from “Brown Sugar” and a rare original song from D’Angelo — which premiered on the soundtrack to the 1996 hit “Space Jam” — only saw the light of day because, according to Questlove, the film’s producers froze on the song they originally submitted: an early version of “Playa Playa,” which It was finally released on “Voodoo” after nearly four years (which gives an idea of how long “Voodoo” was in the oven). The song fits perfectly with “Brown Sugar” and would fit nicely between sides one and two.

“Love Can’t Hide” (Live 1995)

“Live at the Jazz Cafe” was such a minor release that many people didn’t even know it existed before it was reissued in 2014, capitalizing on the excitement surrounding “Black Messiah.” The album was originally an EP, then re-released in Japan with an additional cut, and finally the complete collection, nearly 20 years after it was recorded. But this collection, taken immediately shortly after the release of D’Angelo’s debut, depicts him in full flight as a 21-year-old, with his lover at the time, the late Angie Stone, providing excellent vocals. The album includes three covers – a take on Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin’,” which also appeared on “Brown Sugar”; “Heaven Must Be Like This” by the Ohio Players, only in the Japanese version; And finally this honest but stunning take on Earth Wind & Fire’s classic song “Can’t Hide Love.”

“The Sky Should Be Like This” (Live 1995)

Another track, “Jazz Café”, was originally ported to the Japanese version of the EP and is strangely not available on the full version of the album or Spotify, suggesting that D’Angelo himself was not happy with the track. It’s hard to understand why: it’s a beautifully sung version, featuring a raindrop-like electric piano, a full horn section and some great backing vocals from Stone.

“Me and Those Dreamy Eyes in My Eyes” Def Squad Remix / DJ Premier Remix (1996)

The only full-length collaboration between D’Angelo and the great DJ Premier, “Devil’s Pie” (originally released on the “Best Man” soundtrack two years before it appeared on “Voodoo”) was enough to leave fans hungry for more. But lurking deep in the bins on vintage 12-inch singles from EMI Records are some edits from D’s first album, including ten A different mix of one of the great love songs of all time, “Me and Those Dreamy Eyes of Mine” (I think their budgets were bigger at the time). It’s an embarrassment of riches, but the winners are the DJ Premier Remix and the more innovative “Def Squad Remix,” featuring Erick Sermon and Redman.

“Your Precious Love” with Erykah Badu (1996)

This cover of the Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell duet, which appeared on the “High School High” soundtrack, was recorded before these two stellar singers became icons of neo-soul. It adheres closely to the original arrangement, but the two present the song — a classic from the Ashford and Simpson catalog — with the reverence it deserves.

“A Girl Needs a Change of Mind” (1996)

Another cover, this one by original Temptations member Eddie Kendricks, from his second solo album. This is the classic D’Angelo spirit that fans have come to love, with string stabs at the end and an excellent falsetto. It’s a track that contains “Brown Sugar” but already anticipates the hard-hitting funk of “Voodoo” — from the 1996 Spike Lee film “Get on the Bus,” about a group of black men who travel across the country for the Million Man March.

“It’s Always in My Hair” (1997)

It’s a bit surprising that D’Angelo didn’t record more Prince covers, given his widespread influence and reverence for the man, and it’s thought that when he did, he was digging deep into the crates. This psychedelic track — the B-side of 1985’s “Raspberry Beret,” fans of the fact — is one of the best of Prince’s many non-LP tracks, and is often performed live during D’Angelo’s “Brothers in Arms” jams with Questlove.

“Everybody Loves Sunshine” (1999)

The great jazz musician Roy Ayers is supposed to be famous outside of jazz circles, but this is perhaps his most famous song. Released as the B-side of the European CD single “Untitled (How It Feels)”, the song is perhaps deservedly obscure (and apologies for including it in an article with the word “classic” in the main title – hopefully we’ll make up for it with the bonus cut below), as D’Angelo and Questlove temporarily jam out on the track. However, the Brothers in Arms cover Roy Ayers’ story.

“The Glass Mountain Box” with Mark Ronson (2010)

This strange track from Ronson’s obscure third solo album “Record Collection” may be the deepest cut here: the album doesn’t appear on Ronson’s Spotify discography (credited to “Mark Ronson and the Business Intl”) and is one of the strangest songs in both of their catalogues. Led by raucous ’80s synths and a crushing beat, the song features a distorted lead vocal from D’Angelo, who accompanies himself on multi-tracked backing vocals with the occasional soul scream thrown in for good measure.

Questlove and D’Angelo SuperJam (Live at Bonnaroo Festival, 2012)

The Brothers in Arms played many generic covers of classic R&B music during this era, at least two of which (as witnessed by this writer) were a bit disorganized and chaotic. However, for this set at Bonnaroo, they delivered the goods: With the directive not to play any D’Angelo or Roots songs, they were accompanied by an excellent hybrid band that included excellent guitarist Pino Palladino, members of the Roots, D’Angelo’s Vanguard, and even longtime Prince saxophonist Eric Leeds, They ripped through covers of Funkadelic, Ohio Players, and Jimi songs. Hendrix, Sly, The Family Stone, Prince (of course), Time, and even Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. Highlights of the events are presented in this multi-part mini-documentary about the group.

Bonus:

“Nothing Matters” with Lauryn Hill (1998)

It’s silly to call a song from one of the best-selling albums in history a “deep cut,” but this soulful duet is present on track No. 12 on “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and is often overlooked. The two harmonize beautifully, moving freely during the song’s final minutes, backed by D’Angelo’s crisp electric piano flourishes.