Play it by Ear

'Amerykah' worth a salute

By: Jordan Kerfeld

Posted: 3/10/08

"New Amerykah," by Erykah Badu, is the future of R&B.

I was convinced I wasn't ready.

Not since Sly & The Family Stone records graced store shelves have we heard such a bombastic statement of the genre's potential, and the contemporary Erykah Badu example is especially ironic, given her career that has basically been thrust into the realm of irrelevance after the hit duet "You Got Me" with the Roots at the turn of the century.

With the brief success of this track, Badu was promptly slated for joining Soul royalty with artists such as Nina Simone. The success of this song was followed by a string of mediocre albums, and consequently, she was quietly dismissed from discussion.

Seemingly out of nowhere, she returns with "New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)," a 60-minute R&B kaleidoscope that features songs within songs and inventive music that seems to be channeling electronic, house and dub step influences among the traditional markers of the genre.

The album is sparkling in its production, but a few areas are questionable. The bass mixing is very disproportionate; speakers rattle and hum with the deep drone, even when the radio is on a low volume. Try to turn up the volume to hear Badu's sensual, understated vocals and your ear drums will exit your head in several pieces.

Though technical complaints are few, something seems amiss in regards to content.

My particular complaint is that it plays like a glorified demo session; many songs feel unrealized and particularly sketchy while some sound completely flawless. The demos feature unnecessarily repeated lines, while true songs sprout and grow, and inspiring my curiosity and questioning if this would be better as an EP and not a filler-heavy album.

I have not seen the comparison made but this piece reminds me of "The Who Sell Out," a concept album of a similar vein. The Who's production played as if you were listening to a pirate radio station, "full" songs blending in with fictional advertisements and radio jingles.

Badu's album plays similarly, but to a weaker effect. Songs fall out mid-stream and completely change direction. The lyrics seem disjointed and unrelated. Several vignettes scattered among the songs do nothing but add to the narrative confusion. While this album is definitely taking a more avant-garde approach to urban music-making, something tells me it won't quite endure like the aforementioned Who collection.

The album must be listened to completely to be appreciated. Downloading the songs one at a time via iTunes would be impractical and wrong in this scenario, as each song provides a piece to the puzzle. While "The Healer" is the stand-out track and worth hearing to get a taste of her work, complete (and repeated) listening was ultimately required for my personal enjoyment to develop.

Despite its faults, Erykah Badu's latest once again affirms she is worth keeping an eye and ear on.

Grade: B

jkerfeld@unews.com