Erykah Badu’s new project New AmErykah: Part Two – Return Of The Ankh continues from where she left off with New AmErykah: Part One – 4th World War in 2008.
She’s kept the same style but enhanced her musicality, a feat many musicians fail at. From the very beginning of the album with the song 20 Feet Tall, you are subliminally thrust into a unique, vibrant musical journey. From the strong presence of keys strung so eloquently by James Poyser to the acoustics, also by Poyser from the original track produced by 9th Wonder. And then the album lead single, Window Seat, in which the video caused a lot of controversy. The way the bass line joins is so smooth and immaculately timed.
Although Erykah Badu samples and borrows from different songs, she still fuses her own creativity resulting in an almost new, but definitely fresh sound. This is evident in songs like Agitation, sampling Just As I Thought as performed by David Sancious; radio-friendly Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY), containing elements of long-time collaborator Roy Ayers-written You Can’t Turn Me Away; another jam that fits very well in the radio format called Fall In Love (Your Funeral), with a sample of Eddie Hendricks’ Intimate Friends; as well as gone Baby, Don’t Be Long, a Wings’ song written by Paul McCartney. What’s interesting about the latter is that the world got involved when contributor ?uestlove assisted Basu search for Paul McCartney on social network Twitter when she was looking to clear the sample.
My ultimate favourite is the last song, a three-part musical experience that contains three movements, as she calls them on the sleeve. Especially the first movement where she sings about recovering from a love she can’t get over. Her vocals are top-notch as she flexes her vocal muscles over an eclectic mix of smooth sounds.
On the production ropes Erykah Badu is joined by the best in the hip hop world, including Madlib, Jay Dilla, Karriem Riggins and James Poyser. The poignant and prolific musician needs to be commended for staying true to her roots, yet progressing her sound from project to project to fit with current music atmosphere. It takes a true artist to accomplish such.
[...] with organic instruments playing a huge role in the fecundity of the sounds. We reviewed this album HERE. It takes number 15 on our [...]