New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (CD)

• Category:  Music  »  R&B  »  Contemporary R&B
• Format: CD
• Release Date: February 26, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Motown Records
• UPC: 602517621879
• WAPI (Tower ID): 111816224
• Average Customer Review:    (1 customer review)
• Tower.com Sales Rank: #796 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #65 in R&B (See Top 100 R&B Bestsellers)
• #7 in Contemporary R&B (See Top 100 Contemporary R&B Bestsellers)

•  [Erykah Badu - Official Site this link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Erykah Badu - Myspacethis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Erykah Badu - Wikipedia Entry this link opens a new window] 
  

Rolling Stone (p.59) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Badu kicks off the first disc by indulging her arty side: 4TH WORLD WAR is mostly dark, minor-key melodies, eerie chants and atmospheric electro beats..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.58) - "She is both earth mama and mystic, a Billie Holiday jazz-rasp queen with a tangy Southern drawl..." -- Grade: A-
Uncut (p.87) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[S]he's far bolder, singing in a strange, little girl's voice over a solitary Chet Baker-style trumpet or chanting mantra-like over a bubbling African rhythm."
The Wire (p.70) - "['Honey'] drips with the kind of sultry retro-funk that proves NEW AMERYKAH to have been well worth any amount of waiting."
Vibe (p.75) - "[T]he album is challenging, fabulously out there....It's drenched in a '70s acid-rock aura/ afro-sheen vibe -- a spacious, heady brew of trippy guitars, keyboards, and steady beats."

Personnel: Erykah Badu (vocals).

Erykah Badu's 1997 debut album BADUIZM presented a confident young R&B star in the manner of Toni Braxton or Mary J. Blige, and also connected her with underground hip-hop through her use of the Roots as her backing band on much of the record. Since then, Badu has kept to an erratic release schedule: NEW AMERYKAH PART ONE (4TH WORLD WAR) is only her third full-length release. (Badu refers to 2003's funk-oriented experiment WORLDWIDE UNDERGROUND as an EP, despite its nearly 50-minute length.) Similarly, her records have grown both more personal and more outward-focused.

NEW AMERYKAH PART ONE (4TH WORLD WAR) is even more experimental and musically diverse than WORLDWIDE UNDERGROUND, with Badu and her collaborators keeping the loose, jam-oriented, soul-jazz style of the EP and adding cutting-edge hip-hop beats. Lyrically, the album is as politically themed and downbeat as the title and subtitle suggest, with songs nodding to the Nation of Islam, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, drug abuse and the failures of government, with only the affirmative "The Healer," "Telephone" (a touching tribute to the late producer J Dilla), and the sweet-natured first single, "Honey," providing respites from the darkness.

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah

Universal Motown’s multi-platinum selling, Grammy award winning singer/songwriter/actress Erykah Badu returns on the scene with her new album “New Amerykah (4th World War)” featuring the debut single (with accompanying ingenious video) “Honey” produced by 9th Wonder. Badu goes abroad and sets sail through various musical expeditions on this brave outing. She enlists the man of many monikers - virtuoso producer Madlib - on the album’s standout “The Healer” as she opens the joint with an angelic-dusted hymn that flows eerily over mid tempo chimes, non quantized bits and subtle head nod claps. She professes that “It’s bigger than religion - Hip-Hop…..This one is for Dilla - Hip-Hop” as she gives a dedication shout out to the late, great James Yancey aka J Dilla, a longtime collaborator and producer of Badu. “New Amerykah” touches on socialpolitical issues as she comments on the absorbed grooves on “My People” also produced by Madlib. “Soldier” is a choral enthused song that rides persuasively over minimal compositions. Badu hand over production duties to Sa-Ra, otherwise known for their spacey grooves, stray a bit from their signature and opt to lend Amerykah its off colors. Georgia Anne Muldrow makes a guest appearance on “Master Teacher” that gives shine to the much overlooked artist as she draws on past influences, complimenting the track lovely. The Roots’ drummer, ?uestlove takes a musical spot on “Telephone” rounding off New Amerykah. Overall, the tone of the record finds Badu delving in a mostly gloomy, atmospheric blend of beats in full salute of her artistic indulgence.

Favorite Songs – ”The Healer”,”Honey”,”Soldier”

- SC, Right Around The Corner 10/04/08