PRINTListen Up: Erykah Badu
February 21, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Like solar eclipses and Radiohead tours, Erykah Badu albums are few and far between. So you can imagine how excited her fan base is about her upcoming album, New Amerykah. It has been five years since the Grammy Award-winning soulstress stepped down from her place on top of the R&B hierarchy, and now a new generation of music consumers gets to discover what it is that makes Badu so good.
She emerged on the music scene in 1997 with her well-received debut album, Baduizm. Since then, she has released three additional albums. She was a trailblazer in the neo-soul movement of the late ’90s, which continues today with artists such as Alicia Keys and Jill Scott.
Badu sings of love, self-empowerment and spirituality. She symbolizes feminism and black pride. Her smooth, seductive sound intoxicates with notes reminiscent of Lauryn Hill crossed with Miles Davis. Badu’s sultry, soulful demeanor is backed with heavy, booty-bumping rhythms and jazzy riffs.
New Amerykah’s first single, “Honey,” shows progression in her ever-changing, rhythm-heavy style. It is a little poppy and super easy to dance to, which departs from her previous too-slow-to-groove numbers. What hasn’t changed is Badu’s uniquely identifiable style.
