A dip into the Second Disc Archives shows us one of our earliest Reissue Theory posts was a look at D'Angelo's 1995 debut Brown Sugar. A lot has changed since that post was written--not only here at The Second Disc, but with D'Angelo's career. At the tail end of 2015, the man born Michael Archer ended a 15-year silence with the release of Black Messiah, an emotionally charged old-school soul album that earned a rapturous response from critics. And with D'Angelo back in the spotlight, UMe has announced some fantastic news in a 20th anniversary deluxe edition of that breakthrough debut next month.

Once a rising star at The Apollo Theater in Harlem, D'Angelo first gained major attention with "U Will Know," a song he wrote for the R&B supergroup Black Men United, as featured on the soundtrack to Jason's Lyric in 1994. His self-assembled blend of neo-soul and gospel recalled Prince, Smokey Robinson (the album features a cover of "Cruisin'"), Sly and The Family Stone and A Tribe Called Quest (whose Ali Shaheed Muhammad cowrote the title track); "Brown Sugar," "Cruisin'" and "Lady" were all Top 10 R&B hits, with "Lady" crossing over to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The 2CD deluxe edition of Brown Sugar features 21 bonus tracks--all remixes, instrumentals and a capella tracks taken from various 12" and CD singles from both American and British markets. Nelson George pens a new essay in the new liner notes, part of a 20-page booklet with rare photos and lyrics, all housed in a deluxe digipak. This set is in fact the second reissue from the Brown Sugar era, the first being an expanded edition of the Japan-only album Live At The Jazz Cafe in 2014.

Brown Sugar: Deluxe Edition (Virgin/UMe B0026319-02, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD))

Disc 1: Original album (released as EMI E2-32629, 1995) and bonus tracks

1. Brown Sugar
2. Alright
3. Jonz In My Bonz
4. Me and Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine
5. Sh*t, Damn, Motherf*cker
6. Smooth
7. Cruisin'
8. When We Get By
9. Lady
10. Higher
11. Brown Sugar (A Capella) (from 12" single - Virgin Y-58360, 1995)
12. Me and Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine (A Capella) (from 12" promo single - EMI SPRO-11626, 1996)
13. Brown Sugar (Instrumental) (from 12" single - Virgin Y-58360, 1995)
14. Lady (Instrumental w/ Chorus) (from 12" single - EMI Y-58532, 1996)
15. Brown Sugar (Alternate Version) (from 12" single - Virgin Y-58360, 1995)

Disc 2: Remixes

1. Brown Sugar (King Tech Remix feat. Kool G. Rap) (from 12" promo single - EMI DO-1, 1995)
2. Me and Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine (Def Squad Remix feat. Redman) (from 12" single - EMI Y-58592, 1996)
3. Cruisin' (Cut the Sax Remix) (from 12" single - EMI Y-58518, 1995)
4. Lady (Just Tha Beat Remix feat. AZ) (from U.K. CD single - Cooltempo CDCOOLS 323, 1996)
5. Brown Sugar (Soul Inside 808 Mix) (from U.K. 12" single - Cooltempo 12COOL 307, 1995)
6. Me and Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine (Two Way Street Mix) (from 12" single - EMI Y-58592, 1996)
7. Cruisin' (Dallas Austin Remix) (from 12" single - EMI Y-58518, 1995)
8. Lady (2B3 Shake Dat Ass Mix) (from U.K. CD single - Cooltempo CDCOOL 323, 1996)
9. Brown Sugar (Incognito Molasses Remix) (from "She's Always In My Hair" U.K. 12" promo single - Cooltempo 12COOLDJ 336, 1997)
10. Me and Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine (Dreamy Remix) (from 12" single - EMI Y-58592, 1996)
11. Cruisin' (WET Remix) (from 12" single - EMI Y-58518, 1995)
12. Brown Sugar (Dollar Bag Mix) (from U.K. 12" single - Cooltempo 12COOL 307, 1995)
13. Cruisin' (God Made Me Funky Remix) (from 12" promo single - EMI SPRO-10449, 1995)
14. Brown Sugar (CJ Mackintosh Remix Edit) (from Nu Classic Soul - Cooltempo CTLP 57 (U.K.), 1997)
15. Lady (CJ Mackintosh Radio Edit) (from U.K. CD single - Cooltempo CDCOOLS 323, 1996)
16. Cruisin' (Who's Foolin' Who Mix) (from 12" promo single - EMI SPRO-10449, 1995)