"Send It On" is a song by American R&B recording artist D'Angelo. It was released by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

on March 25, 2000, as a

radio single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...

in promotion of D'Angelo's second studio album '' Voodoo'' (2000). He wrote the song, with his brother Luther Archer and R&B singer

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s ...

, in 1998 at a recording studio in Virginia after the birth of his son. It was produced by D'Angelo at

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten we ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. As ''Voodoo''s fourth single, "Send It On" peaked at number 33 on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart.Billboard Music Charts - Send It On
Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-08-09. The music video for the song featured footage from the album's supporting tour, " The Voodoo Tour".Rosen, Craig
D'Angelo's 'Voodoo' Still Casting a Spell

Yahoo! Music Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds o ...

. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.

Background

Following the birth of his son, D'Angelo composed ''Voodoo''s first song, "Send It On", in 1998 at a recording studio in Virginia, which started the album's recording. PR.
Press Release: ''Voodoo''
.

Virgin Music Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldw ...

: January 2000. Archived fro
the original
on 2008-12-20. The song was produced by D'Angelo at

. Official credits for "Send It On" were attributed to R&B singer

and D'Angelo's brother Luther Archer.Track listing and credits as per liner notes for ''Voodoo'' album

Music and lyrics

The song is about honesty and faith in love, and features classic soul arrangements with trumpeter Roy Hargrove playing flugel horn. It features an interpolation of

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. ...

's "Sea of Tranquility" (1969).Columnist.
Singles Reviews: 'Send It On'
. ''Billboard''. 28. June 3, 2000. Archived fro
the original
on 2008-08-09. The song also has an arrangement of live guitar, bass and kick-drum, while D'Angelo's falsetto vocals contain spiritual highs and soulful lows.

Mark Anthony Neal Mark Anthony Neal is an American author and academic. He is the Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African and African-American Studies at Duke University, where he won the 2010 Robert B. Cox Award for Teaching. Neal has writ ...

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

wrote that the song "evokes the late '70s sounds of

Angela Bofill Angela Tomasa Bofill (born May 2, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter of Cuban- Puerto Rican origins. A New York native, Bofill began her professional career in the mid-1970s. Bofill is most known for singles such as, "This Time I'll Be Sweet ...

I Try "I Try" is a song co-written and performed by American musician Macy Gray. The song was released on September 27, 1999, as the second single from her debut album, ''On How Life Is'' (1999). It is Gray's most successful single to date, peaking at ...

')."Neal, Mark Anthony
Review: ''Voodoo''

. Retrieved on 2009-04-03. Another critic described the song's horn-driven sound as reminiscent of the work of Sam Cooke.Van Dorston, A.S
Review: ''Voodoo''
. Fast 'n' Bulbous. Retrieved on 2009-04-03. On D'Angelo's vocal style on "Send It On", a '' Billboard'' magazine reviewer stated "In this musical setting, he sounds less like

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

(as he did on '

Untitled Untitled or (Untitled) may refer to: Artworks * '' Untitled (2004)'', by Banksy * ''Untitled'' (1982 painting), by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat * ''Untitled'' (Devil), a 1982 painting by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat * ''Untitled ...

') and more like he's developing his own unique style-which bears the undeniable influence of Prince, Al Green, and

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

''s Matt Diehl called the song a "stately soul ballad like they just don't make anymore".Diehl, Matt
Review: ''Voodoo''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-04-03.

Track listing

;CD Maxi single #"Send It On" (Radio Edit) – 4:39 #"Send It On" (Album Version) – 5:56 #"Send It On" (Call Out Hook) – 0:12

Personnel

Credits adapted from album booklet liner notes. * Produced by D'Angelo * All vocals performed by D'Angelo * Vocal and musical arrangements by D'Angelo * Guitar: C. Edward Alford * Bass:

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...

* Drums: Ahmir Thompson * Flugel horn and Trumpet: Roy Hargrove * All other instruments: D'Angelo

Chart performance

Notes

References

External links

Music video
at

{{D'Angelo 2000 singles D'Angelo songs 1998 songs Songs written by Angie Stone Songs written by D'Angelo Virgin Records singles EMI Records singles Soul ballads 1990s ballads