Reliably unreliable soul singer D’Angelo has cancelled his headlining performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest next weekend and will be replaced by Lauryn Hill.
The 41-year-old Michael Eugene Archer, whose erratic discipline has resulted in just three albums in the last 20 years – including last winter’s critically lauded Black Messiah, forgoes his Sunday, Nov. 8, slot with his band the Vanguard due to unspecified illness, according to Fun Fun Fun Fest organizers. Late last month, The New York Times quoted D’Angelo’s doctor as advising the singer/guitarist take two weeks off from strenuous activity. D’Angelo has since canceled several dates, including a taping for local PBS show Austin City Limits on November 7.
Tuesday, ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona told the Chronicle he’d been notified about the cancellation the previous week and that the cause may have been some type of throat infection.
Anticipation was high for D’Angelo’s first two public appearances in Austin since Black Messiah was released without warning last December. His only local performance this year was a short, invite-only rooftop set during South By Southwest.
Lauryn Hill, who appeared locally at Emo’s last December, slots in as a practical replacement in terms of popularity. The 40-year-old New Jersey native boasts a hip-hop hall of fame-worthy set of hits from her Nineties efforts including Fugees’ mega-album The Score and her 1998 Grammy-magnet solo effort, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. This year, Hill contributed six songs to the Nina Simone tribute album Nina Revisited.
This article appears in October 23 • 2015.