D’Angelo: 10 Classic Deep Cuts, From Prince Covers to Duets With Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill

The passing of D'Angelo at 51 leaves a profound void in the music world. While his official studio output was famously sparse—just three albums, a live set, and a scattering of remixes over two decades—his legacy is not defined by volume. With a total of roughly 35 original compositions, a standard "greatest hits" list feels redundant. However, for those willing to dig, his discography is rich with overlooked treasures. This exploration focuses on those hidden gems: rare covers, live recordings, and remixes that showcase the depth of his artistry.

Among the rarities is the 1995 outtake "I Found My Smile Again," a rare, unreleased D'Angelo original that premiered on the "Space Jam" soundtrack. Its release was accidental; according to Questlove, the film's producers rejected the initial submission, an early version of "Playa Playa" that wouldn't surface until the "Voodoo" album years later. This timeline highlights the extensive, perfectionist gestation of "Voodoo," an album that would later be hailed as a neo-soul masterpiece. The song itself fits the warm, soulful aesthetic of his debut, "Brown Sugar."

The live recordings from this era are particularly illuminating. The low-key 1995 EP "Live at the Jazz Cafe," which saw various reissues culminating in a full release nearly two decades later, captures a 21-year-old D'Angelo in his raw, early prime. Backed by his then-partner, the late Angie Stone, on stellar vocals, the set includes stunning covers. His faithful yet powerful rendition of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Can't Hide Love" is a standout. Another "Jazz Café" track, a cover of the Ohio Players' "Heaven Must Be Like This," was curiously relegated to the Japanese version of the EP and remains absent from major streaming platforms, suggesting the artist's own dissatisfaction with it, which is hard to comprehend given its beautiful vocals and lush instrumentation.

D'Angelo's collaborative spirit also yielded unique works. His cover of the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duet "Your Precious Love" with Erykah Badu was recorded before either became a neo-soul icon. Another deep cut, his cover of Eddie Kendricks' "Girl You Need a Change of Mind," originally featured in Spike Lee's film "Get on the Bus," perfectly bridges the soul of "Brown Sugar" and the harder funk to come on "Voodoo." His forays into remixes were equally ambitious, particularly for the song "Me and Those Dreaming Eyes of Mine." Among the ten different mixes created, the innovative Def Squad Remix and the one full collaboration with the legendary DJ Premier on the "Devil's Pie" 12" are crate-digger favorites.

Later years produced even more eclectic material. His 2010 collaboration with Mark Ronson, "Glass Mountain Trust," is a bizarre, synth-driven anomaly in both of their catalogs. The track appears on Ronson's oddly obscure third album, "Record Collection"—an album credited to "Mark Ronson and the Business Intl." and often missing from his main discography. The song features a distorted lead vocal from D'Angelo, a stark contrast to his usual smooth delivery. The collaborative spirit culminated in events like the 2012 Bonnaroo SuperJam with Questlove. With a directive to avoid their own hits, they assembled a hybrid supergroup—featuring legendary bassist Pino Palladino and even longtime Prince saxophonist Eric Leeds—to tear through inspired covers of Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone, and even Led Zeppelin. And while not obscure, his duet with Lauryn Hill, "Nothing Even Matters," tucked away on her monumental "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" album, remains a soulful masterpiece that is often overshadowed by the album's bigger hits.