Angel, also known as Sweet Angel, is a Jimi Hendrix song that appears on his 1971 posthumous studio album The Cry of Love. Hendrix wrote and self-produced the track for his planned fourth album just months before his death in 1970, and the song is a rock ballad that runs about 4 minutes and 25 seconds. The tune has roots in 1967 London sessions where it was first worked as Little Wing and later demoed as Sweet Angel, with lyrics completed by January 1968 inspired by a dream about Hendrix’s mother Lucille. The master was recorded at Electric Lady Studios on July 23, 1970, with overdubs in August and October, produced by Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, and Eddie Kramer. The Cry of Love was released in March 1971, and Angel was issued as a single in the United Kingdom (A-side) and in the United States as the B-side to Freedom. Critics regard Angel as one of Hendrix’s finest ballads and it has appeared on several compilations, including The Ultimate Experience. Rod Stewart popularized a cover on Never a Dull Moment in 1972, which reached the UK chart top 5.
