D'Angelo Back At Work on Long-Awaited New Album

Reclusive R&B star D'Angelo is apparently back at work on his decade-plus-in-the-making third album. A studio session took place in New York late last night with two longtime D'Angelo collaborators, Roots drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and bassist Pino Palladino, as well as producer/engineer Russell Elevado, according to posts from Questlove on Twitter.

"Most people use midnight as a time to sleep. others are working on their 11 year followup. this of course being hour number one," wrote the drummer.

The album, which was at one point provisionally titled "James River," is being eyed for release before the end of the year through J Records, according to a source, but could move to early 2012 depending on when it is finally turned in. It will be D'Angelo's long-awaited follow-up to the 2000 album "Voodoo," which won the 2001 Grammy for best R&B album and has sold 1.7 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Questlove and Palladino later backed D'Angelo on an acclaimed tour in support of the album.

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