Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) [review]

1fastdog.

Posted to Music on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 09:54:57 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

R & B songstress drops an album full of funky, freakadelic weirdness that reaches for parts unknown.

Released in February, Badu's latest is chock full of bewildering, yet wonderful moments of all-out funk, psychedelia-laced R & B, bits and pieces of the Neo-Soul sound that she's known for, and a throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks attitude that some listeners may find oddly disconcerting.
Aside from the lead single Honey, which is closer in tone to her past efforts, the rest of the album is a journey through an amalgamation of styles that don't necessarily connect upon first swing. There's narration and spoken dialog (including some helium-infused vocals) peppering some of the tracks, album opener Amerykhan Promise in particular. There's also fuzzy R & B samples and an overall retro sound present that hearkens back to an earlier era of R & B. This album is the first in a supposed series and while it never claims itself to be a concept album, there's plenty of evidence that it is indeed an album that presents an overarching narrative. Badu had a handful of producers involved in the making of this album and it's a testament to the underlying vision of Badu herself, that this album doesn't fall apart under the weight of its ambition and intentions. This is one those albums that music critics tend to love and that casual fans tend to hate, mostly because it defies the expectations of both groups. The question in the midst of all this experimentalism - which includes some strange lyrical musings from Miss Badu - is whether the album holds up to repeated listening. And yeah, it does.
Tracklist, final thoughts, and a video to follow:

 1. Amerykahn Promise
 2. The Healer
 3. Me
 4. My People
 5. Soldier
 6. The Cell
 7. Twinkle
 8. Master Teacher
 9. That Hump
 10. Telephone
 11. Honey

This album is a classic grower. The first time I gave it a spin it left me a little cold as some of the experiments seem to intrude on the music rather than enhance it. Repeated spins made more and more sense and revealed a much more cohesive experience than my cursory first playing of the album. That said, there are still some annoyances don't get better with time. The last minute and fifteen seconds of Me consists of Badu ruining an otherwise silky slice of R & B with some off key caterwauling. Likewise, Twinkle has some goofy vocal exercises and narratives that hijack the end of what's otherwise a pretty cool track. Why? I've no idea, but they're crying out for an edit. My People is an exercise in repetitive lyrics and phrasing that never goes anywhere new no matter how many times you hear it. Some of the narratives and voice-overs are also a bit more than the average listener is probably willing to bargain for, though they do seem to be indebted to Badu's concept of the album as a whole.
The rest of the album - which is very pretty-sounding despite the bevy of boundaries it explores - slowly sinks its teeth into you with hooks that are ever so soft; indeed they're almost non-existent on first listen, but all the better to snare you with later. In the end we're left with an album that succeeds very well if you've got a bit of patience to let it sway you. This is an adventuresome album that although it doesn't always hit a home-run, it sure isn't afraid to swing for the fences. 7 out of 10 and recommended for anyone looking for a little something different and unexpected.