Grammy-winner and neo-soul icon D'Angelo earned a reputation for being as troubled as he is brilliant after disappearing from the music scene following his 2000 smash Voodoo. But word has it the reclusive singer is back in the studio working on his third album.
Taking to Twitter, The Roots drummer and producer ?uestlove spilled the beans.
"Most people use midnight as a time to sleep. others are working on their 11 year followup. this of course being hour number one," he tweeted.
D'Angelo's highly anticipated Voodoo follow-up, once tentatively titled James River, has endured a number of set-backs and delays over the years. The "Brown Sugar" singer has been arrested for drug possession and solicitation and at one point survived a serious car crash.
According to ?uestlove, he, bassist Pino Palladino and producer/engineer Russel Elevado were in session working on the new album. Previously, producer Mark Ronson, Prince, Raphael Saadiq, John Mayer and others have been rumored as collaborators, but there's no way of knowing what will make the final cut.
Billboard.com cites a source who claims J Records is planning to release the album in late 2011 or early 2012.

(Photo: Paul Bergen/Getty Images)