Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Блин, какое же тут всё мягкое... прям до жути. Причём, вроде всё такое миленькое, а тексты иногда фигачат похлеще хип-хопчика. Поржал со строчки про PhD в Booty))) Никому не нужны учёные, эхххх... В целом, не могу сказать, что как-то скучно сделаны аранжировки; наоборот, очень качественно и плотно. Но в целом такая музыка, в таком настроении, чутка сковывает возможности музыкантов удариться в какие-то виртуозности. Но и не надо этого здесь, да. Крепкая 4 для крепкого соул-альбома (или нео-соула, я разницу не понял честно говоря)
Good shit. A double album with a funky first half embodying the likes of Sly, with smooth transitions and a consistent sound. Second half is made up of more discrete songs in a tamer, jazzier side with synths and production effects that sometimes remind me of Stevie Wonder. Some forgettable tracks, but most of it was pleasant with plenty of standout tracks.
Es un muy buen álbum, incluso actualmente se siente fresco. Si lo volvería a escuchar, la letra es maravillosa y el ritmo uff, que buen beat.
Not usually my genre of music - but have to say I liked it a lot!
I love the sound on this album. It really represents pop in a unique way.
I'm new to Erykah Badu and this album too but, so far, I love all that she do.
Oooooh, this was *fantastic.* a slow burn all the way through. Long, jammed out tracks and sly melodic hooks that get stuck in your head, amazing sense of space, I was so invested all the way through. Felt like a truly artsy record. I thoroughly enjoyed. 4/5
8/10. Great album, some really pretty songs on there. Slow at times, but never frustrating to listen to.
I really enjoyed Green Eyes and the overall sound was nice but just missing something. 8/10
an extremely cool album. sounds pretty timeless too
This album is fantastic. I listened to Baduizm recently and was happy that this album popped up. I greatly enjoyed it, it was a fun listen. I'm a sucker for soul and funk; Badu weaved in hip-hop seamlessly.
This was just the most groovy, pleasurable, easy to listen to R&B record, and I enjoyed it way more than expected given it wasn't my genre of choice. The instrumentation was the clear highlight, especially the skill and sound of the drums all over the record, so give some flowers to Questlove and Iglehart, and to all the producers too. Badu's vocals took a bit of time to get used to thanks to an interesting timbre she has, which I'm not the biggest fan of, but she does sound quite soulful throughout the entire record.
This is a solid album. The drums and bass in Didn't Cha Know is sooooo good. It reminds me of a song by Logic that is a guilty pleasure. My Life has some cool strings in it. The lyrics in ...& On is really great songwriting, the bridge mixes the sound up quite a bit.
I quite enjoyed this - an interesting mix of styles and so on and it's something I could listen to again. I might not, but it's not out of the question.
Smooth
I enjoyed this a lot. R&B, soul, hiphop. Queen of neo-soul. D’Angelo vibe.
This is a good record although it's not my favorite Erykah Badu ever (that would be her Live album which I place above Baduizm even). A mid-level Badu is still solid. I suspect the algorithm will serve up at least one more of her records before I'm done with this project.
I really like this Erykah Badu album a lot, it's probably because it's her most soul/jazz forward album. I wish more of her catalog was like this.
Confession time: I’m a huge Erykah Badu fan. Excellent work!
Great
sade with a twist
j'ai vibé sous les rayons du soleil méridien
I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Fresh sounding soul that foreshadows much of the R&B scene in the 2000's and the 2010's.
dost chill
Absolutely gorgeous, smooth vocals, wonderful production. I loved it!
3.5
I had never heard this album before today, and it's crazy how good it is and how I missed it! Great album, with good themes and excellent tracks. Not quite GOAT material, but outstanding work nonetheless. 4/5
I feel like there's a lot of advantages for an album when it starts with a great track - "Penitentiary Philosophy" fits the bill here. Perfect example of the kind of funky soul with a touch of rock that I love. Great album and all due respect to the vocals, the music is the big selling point - great mix of instrumentation (n.b. the vibraphone on track 5 "Cleva") and it sounds fantastic. A quick read shows that much of this album was recorded with older mics and on tape as opposed to digital - not that one way is better than another but i have to think it contributed to the throwback sound/feel. Moving from soul to funk ("Kiss Me On My Neck" with an obvious P-Funk vocal homage) and everywhere in-between, this is a keeper - if any critiques it's a little long; i'd have like it cut down to maybe 10/11 tracks instead. 7/10 4 stars.
smooth ahh. after listening the whole way through I think didn't cha know is still the best track but lovely smooth album. perhaps too long??
Solid album but a bit long
Brilliant! Will definitely be playing this again and again. Great album.
Groovy, but blends together at times
A very intimate soul/jazz/funk experience that I pretty much thoroughly enjoyed. Some songs weren't my favorite like times a wastin or in love with you, but the writing is always good and emotionally intelligent. The singing, production and mixing are all excellent and every song flows into the next, sometimes I didn't even notice a song was over unless I checked. There isn't much to say about this album that it doesn't say for itself. It's just really good. Score: 85. Album art: 70
A very intimate, cool album all about Erykah. The sound is smooth and groovy that brings a great vibe. Her voice is soothing and you can hear word sung clearly. The lyrics are interesting and reveal a lot about her thoughts, but can get too quirky and repetitious. The album is long, but cohesive, as each song passes right into the next. As soon as I grew a bit tired, some beat changed and kept my attention.
Ace.
Not mind blowing, but I liked this
:)) Det dejligt og godt
Sublime
Wasn’t sure what to expect Very good Album
Noice
Great souly music with smooth hip hop grooves
Took me two listens to really dig into it. I’ve loved Brady’s voice for decades, but never listened to this album in its entirety. Enjoyed the listen!
Really cool and vibe-y, sweet and bitter. Lauryn Hill may have a bigger voice, but EB gets a lot out of hers. The arrangements and production and playing are all excellent throughout, lending a high gloss of shine and polish to the bittersweet content.
I'm not usually a fan of funky hip hop soul jazz, but her voice is so easy to love and the music was very nice to listen to. Can't really remember specific songs and I didn't listen too closely to the lyrics, so I'm probably not the most "qualified" to review this album. I didn't have much expectations before, so I was pleasantly surprised I liked, I liked it a lot! Recommended, but not essential.
I do love the serendipity of moments like this. I just read Dilla Time by Dan Charnas, which gave a lot of background on the making of this album and the influence of J Dilla on the musicians and producers involved (Dilla produced or played bass on multiple tracks). It doesn't change my enjoyment of the music all that much, but it's neat to have gotten a peak behind the scenes before listening to the album I don't go in for a lot of soul, but I enjoyed this album. The music is stellar, and Badu's voice is beautiful and supple. It's consistently good all the way through 4/5
Lovely at points a touch long but a good find
Bästa erykah!!
Neo-soul is a genre that would emerge in the 1990's. It would be a combination of the classic styles of soul with the modern production of contemporary r&b or the rhythm of hip hop. While many artists can be cited at the dawn of the genre, two women would be clear champions of neo-soul: Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. Mama's Gun is Badu's second album and a beautiful one at that. Songs are silky smooth, tight, and simply fantastic. While the opening track is an explosive, exciting burst of music to get things moving, the album quickly mellows out and finds it's pocket. This eventually peaks at the beautiful Orange Moon, which offers us a quiet reflection on a jazzy backdrop. This crescendos into the wonderful Green Eyes, a closer that knows how to put an album to bed. The whole thing is a treat, even if it is overly long. Absolutely worth the listen.
Þessi tónlist... þessi kona...
Good! Not really my taste but good.
R&B peaked in the 2000s, and here's a great example of why. Her soul and swagger oozes out of every song, it's sexy and also funky as hell. And her voice complements the music really well, being sweet but with a lot of oomph. I'm using a lot of adjectives here but the bottom line is that this record is a real vibe. Standout tracks are Didn't Cha Know, Kiss Me on My Neck, Orange Moon, and In Love With You. Too bad I got so interested in Erykah Badu that I looked her up on Wikipedia, and found out that she "sees something good in Hitler," "loves Bill Cosby," and prays for R. Kelly. Big oof!
Very cool
Extremelly relaxing and climatic. Highlights: Orange Moon, In Love With You
Penitentiary Philosophy: 3/5, seems ok Didn't Cha Know?: 4/5, cool My Life: 4/5, enjoyable ...& On: 4.5/5, me likey Cleva: 4.5/5, nice Hey Sugah: Interlude/5 Booty: 4/5, cool Kiss Me on My Neck (Hesi): 3.5/5, not as nice as the other songs A.D. 2000 : 4/5, chill Orange Moon: 3/5, too long In Love with You: 5/5, like the feature Bag Lady: 3.5/5, liked the other songs more Time's a Wastin': 4/5, cool Green Eyes: 3/5, yeah way too long Overall: 3.85/5, Album was a little bit too long and sometimes kind of monotonous but I have to say that I definitely enjoyed this one.
Very good
Funky, some voice effects, nice vocals/range, sometimes coffee shop or atmospheric rhythms. Liked the slow pace but was a long album and did drag a little at the end 3.5 & On, Cleva, Kiss me, Orange Moon
Great Neo-Soul album, pretty much as good as it gets in this genre. Just short of D'Angelo's greatness. Erykah's voice matches perfectly with the bassy atmospheric vibe of the album. I would say this album is a bit too long for my taste, but it didn't feel like it was full of fillers. Great music paired with immaculate vibes. 8,5/10
Erykah has such a voice, but literally and figuratively. So creative, such a great vocalist, and a great vibe all around.
Good neo-soul album with intelligent lyrics.
Super stylish R&B album.
There are a handful of five star songs and a couple of two or three star numbers. The production balances a lush full band with Badu’s vocal performances to make a great sounding headphone record.
отличный рнб коктейль, относительно долгий, но в нем есть все что должно быть в рнб того времени. лучшие треки: ...&on , in love with you, orange moon
Notes - Second album - Neo soul with some funk elements - She’s an artist that I’ve heard a bunch about but never actually listened to - Suffered from second album syndrome, with a lot of critics saying her debut was a better example of her talents as a singer and writer - the best part of this album is when the band settles into a groove and erykah kind of plays around on top of it - when the songs get too showy it takes away from the honesty and talent that she brings imo Fav - Didn’t cha know - great groove and melodies least fav - penitentiary philosophy - way too showy and over the top compared to the rest of the album 4/5 - some aspects are a little dated but the songwriting and performances make up for it
Great, shame she’s a cunt
Прослушано! Хороший альбом, мелодичный и не навязчивый, можно переслушать.
Really really good, but ran a bit long
This album is best heard with a good set of speakers and a glass of wine or good craft beer. Deep beats and chill.
It's nice to hear an album every so often that really impresses and blows your mind. Great voice, the backing music really punches too. I had heard of Badu before, but had not listened to any of her stuff before. My loss. This really kicks. "Booty" is really great with the stop / starts. "A.D. 2000" was really powerful. Probably the weakest song was "In Love With You" and that was just because Stephen Marley I felt as not of equal vocal capability. Definitely an album I am going to come back to. I give it four stars right now, but I imagine it will become five the more I listen to it.
I know who Badu is but I really don't know any of her music. Great sound on this album. I'm not sure I can single out too many tracks that really grabbed me, but as a whole they really fit nicely together. The album really flowed, and her vocals and the soft beats carried from one song to the next. Easy listening.
Superbe production. Ça groove à l'os. Son album le plus important. C'est un peu long comme album, mais c'est un essentiel à connaître.
81/100: What a beautiful album seeping with emotion. I did not expect to like this as much as I did. I also can't believe it came out in 2000, but now that I think about it, the sound of this album is so timeless, I'd be hard-pressed to make any reasonable guess as to when it was released. This album is suitable to so many listening environments. While some albums are ideal for driving and others are perfect for doing homework or having a good cry, this album somehow seems to thrive in all of those environments. It's simultaneously easy and difficult listening. I've found this dichotomy, or perhaps universal nature, to be present in every soul album I've listened to as a part of this project, and my love for this genre is beginning to grow rapidly largely in part of that. I love that an album can make me sad and comforted at the same time. I love how many seemingly conflicting emotions seem to be simultaneously present.
Neo soul. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Pretty good, about what I expected. I quite like the 2000s neo-soul Soulquarian sound, and this fits into the genre well. Way too long, and the second half loses the fun upbeat sound of the start, but the jazzier vibes aren't bad. For me, this is an album for a summer bbq that goes on from the mid afternoon into a cool relaxed evening, something to play before going out. 09/11/22
Favourite Songs: Booty Least Favourite Songs: Kiss Me On My Neck Enjoyed this a lot.
This was a bit challenging to rate for me. There were moments where I was in rapture, thinking how much I loved it. There were also times where it got draggy or repetitive and I got antsy. I think if I were able to curate my own favorite 40 minutes of this album, that it would be just right. But of course that's about me and not about how I feel it should have been done! I love this very modern take on classic soul sounds.
I know I heard one song from this album (“…& On”) from a mix CD someone made for me a long time ago, but I hadn’t listened to much more from Erykah Badu. This album was really a nice listen, with a lot of it just flowing smoothly from one track to the next. Love the jazzy sound and I enjoyed grooving along to it. Favorite Tracks: Didn’t You Know, …& On, Cleva and A.D. 2000.
10/21/22 Listened to this throughout the day. Smooth, cool. Loved 3 songs.
I had already listened to this album, but it was fun to revisit, especially right after the Kelela album. Erykah Badu is a master of emoting through her voice, and so much of the album is just magic. My favorite tracks are Didn't Cha Know, Cleva, Orange Moon, and In Love With You.
It's great mood music. Love Badu's voice and lyrics, though strangely enough, it doesn't feel as transcendent an album as I've been led to believe. Weirdly enough, I feel like the album would be a little more palatable for me if it was more hip-hop-adjacent, would've broke through the monotony. The back half of the album is a lot more dynamic, though.
Mama's Gun gets better with age. Lumped into a group with other neo-soul releases 20 years ago, this is much more. The soul touches are still front and center. Jazz greats Roy Ayers and Roy Hargrove are side-by-side with Questlove. The tremendous challenges faced by black people (especially women) resonate throughout in a similar way to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. The last track, Green Eyes, is a soul suite for the ages.
Good funk and soul with a feminist twist. I especially liked the first track — Penitentiary Philosophy.
Real good
Smooth, like a hot comb on nappy-ass hair
I love Bag Lady and Didn't Cha Know 2/3 of the singles that were released from this album, but I had not listened to the whole album until now. This was a solid album with in my opinion stand out tracks like Orange Moon, Kiss Me on My Neck, Penitentiary Philosophy and In Love with You. Can't forget to mention the genius J Dilla on this album and Erykah's unique soulful voice. Will be taking another listen to this album.
Good music, good singing. Erika Badu has that voice that makes you melt. Now, what makes this a must listen? I don't know, but a thoroughly enjoyable listen nonetheless. 3.5/5.
Lekker album. Relaxt, maar niet langdradig of saai. Muziek en zang zijn heel goed uitgevoerd. ****
Never heard of this artist and I'm not big on hip hop but this album is a really pleasant listen
An absolute topalbum in the nu-soul.
Great album.
Good vides overall, the prods are really groovy and the overall feel of the album is really chill. Some skips wit ha bit of a repetitive feeling. but overall sweet listening experience. 3.75/4
Very class and relaxing listen. Perfect for a Sunday listen or juste a chill hip-hop moment. Would gladly listen again even if nothing was memorable (loved the bumpy's lament sample) 3.5/5
gorgeous gorgeous
Smooth chill sounds Feels more funkier than some of her other music
this might be the first album I've had that's over an hour long but feels like half of that - great vibes particularly in the instrumentals which made for an easy listen, and although it does start to lose momentum a little bit towards the end, I never felt completely bored. That being said, I don't know if there were that many standout moments that I'll be revisiting, other than maybe the first 2-3 tracks.
I liked the vibe of the album. At some points it was a bit repetitive, but overall it was a really nice album with no real outliers
A perfect album on a sunny day - Erykah Badu’s exquisite vocals over some laid back nu soul grooves.
Fantastische zangeres. Dit album was even tot rust komen.
Altough a little bit repetitive, this album have a lot of good points: so much soul and so much jazz
Jazz and soul inflected, with soem strong songs, the album is laid back and meanders a bit, but this reflect the way it was made. The album is long and unfocussed for a reason; it's the vibe. Possibly one of the strongest of the soulquarian/neo-soul albums of this period, Badu's voice is at its peak. Questlove and (especially) Dilla bring their woozy rhythms to play.
I was really vibing with this music! The album had a great flow and was super enjoyable to listen to. She has a great soulful, funky voice and I felt extra cool listening to it
This was a really interesting album. Loved the feel and flow of the album. 4 stars
I loved the vibe of this album! Pretty chill and really enjoyed Erykah's voice.
Very cool and unique. Enjoyed the listen.
Great album. Neo soul EB goodness. 4.5 stars for sure. Just this side of too sleepy/too samesy for me to be a five.
Super funky. Not the kind of stuff I'd usually listen to but really chill, definitely enjoyed
Very chill vibe. Had a few songs that had a good upbeat feeling to them.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Penitentiary philosophy, In love with you
Particularly dug the “In Love With You” duet with Stephen Marley. This album is solid front to back.
Yay! I really like Erykah Badu's first album Baduizm. I listened to it so much in high school. But, I don't think I've listened to her other albums all the way through. I have listened to a few songs on this this album, and "Green Eyes" has always been one of my favorite songs by her. It's 10 minutes but unlike other 10 minute songs this one doesn't feel too long. I guess I'm still an Erykah fan.
So much life on this album. She has such a unique voice and delivery, and lyrics. Besides the all-time great Green Eyes, the first track Penitentiary Philosophy never fails to bang the head. And Cleva's lyrics are so heartfelt and convincing. Damn solid album. 4.4444444 repeating.
Enjoyed it! Loved the neo soul vibes. Although my only complaint is that it is a little too long and got repetitive. 4.5/5
Favorite Tracks: Didn't Cha Know My Life A.D. 2000 Time's A Wastin
I started out not really liking this album, but as I listened through each song, I began to enjoy it more and more. There’s a whole chill vibe to the album, but there’s still a semblance of energy put into each song. Her voice tends to get a little bit grating sometimes, but overall, it fits really well to the music and is rarely ever a problem. Speaking of the backing music, it’s what carries the whole “cool, slick” feeling that’s within this album. I liked the piano parts the most, when it was present, and I think that was a large contributor to the aforementioned feeling. Favorite track: My Life
This album is an incredible mix of classic funk sounds and modern hip-hop/R&B. The instrumentation, groove and recording techniques here are super good. I can definitely hear the influence this album had on future recordings. Kiss Me On My Neck sounds like it would fit right in on Awaken, My Love! and Orange Moon evokes Hiatus Kaiyote. I did find that some tracks where she is rapping like Cleva and Booty felt a little shallow/juvenile to me. I guess she's not particularly known for her lyrical prowess though. Overall fantastic record, will definitely be coming back to this one. Fav Tracks: Kiss Me On My Neck, Orange Moon, Green Eyes
Тут все и сразу. Хотите неосоул? Есть. Хотите фанк-рок? Первый трек с альбома мощно вступает в дело. Отличный альбом. Возможно, не то, что я буду слушать на репите, но удовольствие я получил, а любом заслужил 7 из 10.
There's a lot of talent on display here. Definitely a lot of groove and nothing to hate here.
4/18/2022 Today's Album: "Mama's Gun" by Arykah Badu - If I had to compare this album with the other albums of it's genre that I have reviewed so far, being R&B music, I would have to say that this is the most technically impressive and well executed album of the bunch. Mixing elements of funk, soul, and jazz, the artist expresses a lot of her insecurities and opinions about relationships, womanhood, and love. As a whole it doesn't sound like much, but when you dive into these tracks, there are so many relatable and creative sentiments throughout the tracks and the high production and amazing instrumental performances just elevate all of it to the most vibey level possible. Her vocals are clear, confident, and cover such a wide range of expressions as well as pitches. I love the opener Penitentiary Philosophy with it's funky groove and it's pre-chorus that brings in this real haziness to itself as well as the chorus. & On is a really fun neo-soul track that Lin Manuel Miranda has absolutely taken inspiration from because it sounds exactly like Hamilton and he's quoted it in another project of his. Anyways, it's a really cool track with a lot of fun wordplay and rap verses. The interlude Hey Sugah is this really nice psychedelic jazz chorus piece with this flute backing up an extremely groovy beat and chorus hum and it impresses me in such a short time frame. Booty is a really braggadocios track about the artist attracting another woman's man despite what that other woman has, and yet the artist doesn't even want to deal with the guy. It comes off really smooth and funny and has a ton of personality. Kiss Me On My Neck is extremely catchy and similar to most of these tracks, just grooves so damn hard. Her vocals never miss and it is really just building in quality each song. Orange Moon is an absolutely gorgeous 7 minute ballad and it just demonstrates not only her vocal talent, but the musical stability and wit to the instrumental performances. It just builds and builds and by the end it is just a wonder to take in with a whimsical flute performance and the piano and vocalist almost competing with each other. I love the way the artist's voice plays off of the male voice in In Love With You and there's this really funky bass that's shoved back into the mix that I absolutely love. It's a really beautiful love song about being unapologetically in love with someone. I love the little descending scat line the male singer has too. I like the sound of the guitar on Bag Lady and overall the instrumentals of this song are just unbeatable. So warm and smooth and nice. The closer Green Eyes is a really heartfelt break up song about being jealous of your ex's new partner, and I just think it does a good way of wrapping up a lot of the themes of the album and then of course ending with an awesome instrumental jam before the a soft fade out. Overall, there are maybe 2-3 tracks on here that I think are just alright and mayyyybe 1 that misses the mark completely, but a majority of this album is really enjoyable and laid back neo soul R&B and a lot of the lyrics are just nice to listen to even if you don't identify with the perspective. If you like this kind of music, it's a great one to just let ride in the background and notice new instrumental flourishes each time you listen. Score: 8.5/10 Great Highlights: Penitentiary Philosophy, My Life, & On, Cleva, Hey Sugah, Booty, Kiss Me On My Neck, Orange Moon, In Love With You, Bag Lady, Green Eyes
This album is so good. I’m only docking it for preference points. As a metal head, it is a little too soulful for me. Regardless, I loved this album.
i found this quite soothing. soulful, introspective, distinctive vocals (until Macy Gray came along and did a pound shop impression of her). What's not to like?
Very chilled, would listen a third time
Amazing voice. Had never listened to much of her work and really enjoyed this
-"Penitentiary Philosophy" is pretty catchy will a cool, groovin', instrumental. Great drumming in particular. Honestly it gets pretty heavy at the end -"...& On" has some very cool parts, specifically the quiet, fast-singing parts -The synth-harmonized parts in "Kiss Me On My Neck" are quite catchy -Overall, album is quite nice soul/funk stuff. A couple great tracks, some kinda boring. I think I'm gonna give it the benefit of the doubt and bump it from a 3 to a 4
Really great, loved the vibe and flow of this.
I liked this album. Its a good album to have in the back. Different
Great album very funky first time listening to a true retro funk album
Chill, but soulful. Love her voice
Excellent Erykah Badu album - very consistent, probably the EB album I have listened to the most at the time.
Set in the middle of the prosperous Soulquarian era (a moment in time that included the likes of Common, D'Angelo, The Roots, J Dilla, etc.), Mama's Gun finds Erykah at the peak of her powers and fulfilling the use of her abilities (and that of the musicians on the album) to the maximum. Great sounds all around and a fine example of one of the many facets of soul in the beginning of the 21st Century. Favorites: Penitentiary Philosophy, Didn't 'Cha Know, ...& On, Booty, In Love With You, Bag Lady.
Really nice, smooth album. I enjoyed it.
Warm album with elements of funk, soul, and jazz styles. Good for late night or rainy day.
Great R&B album
This! It's a great album to experience in its entirety. The singing, the rapping, the jazzy instrumentals all just hit the spot. 8/10
Great music, produced well, singing matches the vibe and even though the vocal directions were difficult they were executed perfectly
pretty sweet 4
Very nice, even though the album as a whole is a little overly long. Soul seems to be becoming my highest rated genre
First time listen for me. Great voice can see the influence of Motown and 70's Soul in general. some good tunes throughout with great production values. Love "Penitentiary Philosophy", "Cleva" "Kiss Me On My Neck" "Didn't Cha Know" and "Bag Lady" Has a feel of Stevie Wonder "Talking Book" era throughout. Absolutely love it. Will add to my collection when I can!
Ich dachte erst 4 Sterne, hat zum Ende hin allerdings leider doch ein paar Längen. Dennoch sehr musikalisch.
Interesting. Not my favorite genre though.
Very cool. Sultry and textured
looking forward to it but also idk.
I liked the energetic and the soul she brought to the work. The feelings where there, a couple of songs felt flat but over all I saved the songs that I liked.
Some real nice tracks here. Love the groove. Nice soul without as much "thump." Nothing against some big and heavy thump in music; I sometimes love that, just not always in the mood for it. A few elements and styles woven together nicely here. That kind of approach doesn't always work for my ear -- the risk with such mixing together can be it sounds like parts don't gel -- but it does here. That's impressive. I really like her voice. She's got a great ear for matching music to her voice and vice versa. Glad this project introduced me to her.
Not as successful as Baduizm, but just as good a listen. I leaned more to the Funk and Soul tracks rather than the Neo-Soul ones.
Lisa shared this album with me a few years ago and for a few months we were both obsessed with "Bag Lady" especially because of the classic Gunter Grocery comment around another Bag Lady. I was so happy to see this album on here today and would never have expected it to be. I will say, listening in this format, it did feel long in the tooth. Sitting at an hour and 12 minutes this is that prime type of album that almost doesn't fit on a CD but you see why when the interludes are 50 seconds and some songs are over 6 minutes but I can't complain. She is a genius and speaks a lot of truth. Also love this album cover, gives of a 60's/70's vibe and for some reason I love the toothpick.
Too horny
R&b. Серьезно блять!? Ну, ок, надо как-то привыкать к такому, мне три года так жить
Really nice. Definitely has a background music vibe to it.
Probably my favorite "neo-soul" artist. Regret sleeping on this album in the past. Like the atmosphere throughout. Very earthy and organic. Really flows. Perhaps a bit too long.
Real solid and jazzy. Lots of smooth funky guitar and piano and her voice is mesmerising at times.
By contrast to yesterday's Kelela, Erykah Badu's voice is versatile and interesting. Perhaps I just prefer "organic" music like this. Excellent.
4.4 - Gorgeous. Cozy like wrapping up in a soft blanket on a rainy Saturday afternoon, maybe with a cup of tea and a smoke. This album epitomizes the Danish concept of hygge.
Great! A lot of very well written and performed songs.
Ну сначала не пошло, а потом вроде расслушал. Довольно годный атмосферный чилл, жалко настроен изначально был немного на другое: на яркий выразительный попс с цепляющими хуками, хз, почему-то с именем Эрики Баду всегда такая ассоциация была (но ранее не слушал). Но в целом прикольный, грувовый неосоул, походить под него, порадоваться первым солнечным денькам. Под конец, правда, утомляет немного эта каша из вокала и рандомных инструментов, я бы альбом сократил до песни "In Love with You", наверное, тем более что она просто парашная. Но начало очень бодрое, с небольшой натяжечкой 7/10 ставлю.
Lepposaa menoa ja kuuntelen varmasti uudelleen jahka saan kirittyä listan kiinni. Jatkoon.
Soft 4. The first half had me but I started to lose interest after the interlude. Will definitely return though
Nice
This was great, macey gray meets alicia keys
cool
This was great. Opening track was such a banger I had to listen to it 3 times. Some of these tracks had some seriously funky P-F vibes. Featuring artists like Stephen Marley and Roy Hargrove were great.
Truly enjoyed this one. Would listen again
good composition, great dynamics but has some voice artifacts
The first track is great, the rest of it I am re-listening to as it came off a bit ordinary the first time around Penitentiary Philosophy though.... a great track
funky, good music, 3.5/5 -> 4/5, will come back, but not often, tbf very good sound mix, Green Eyes stands out
i wasn't sure about the first song, then i liked the second one but thought "yeah of course i mean it's the hit" but then the third song was super nice too. well i'm done, honestly i just let this played and greatly enjoyed it, i don't have a lot more to say.
Really chill, well made
Very interesting music, glad to have seen it in this list
This is what I thought it would sound like, I like it
Really enjoyed this album, and have added it to my catalogue. The chill groove laid down throughout this project is infectious, and I found myself wanting to start from the top as soon as the last song finished.
I’m not sure about this one, probably needs another listen. Just a bit disjointed but not bad or anything
Loved this, missing a stand out tune to make it a 5
This is a cool album. Female Stevie wonder vibes. She's a bit of a fruit cake
Second: Provisional Rating: 6.5/10
Wäre R‘n‘B öfter von solchem Kaliber würde ich häufiger eine große Zielscheibe aufstellen. Was nach ersten Töne einen Kravitz andeutet, entpuppt sich schnell als verschachtelter Soul mit ungewöhnlichen Passagen, einem warmen Groove, toller Stimme, die wie bei Solange nie aufdringlich in den Vordergrund drängt, sondern ihre charaktervolle Prägung dem Gesamtwerk unterstellt. Fat 3.5
Brought back a lot of good memories and I was like “oh yeah, erykah baud is awesome!”
For chilling not for biking
3.5 probably
Really dug this one.
I liked listening to this album. It was accessible but it didn't really blow me away on first run through. I think I'll have to come back to it to listen a few times.
Nice :) Funk, Soul Sister
I've been meaning to check out some of Badu's stuff. That's something I like about this album generator. I liked this album quite a bit, what I expected really.
Pretty solid album, very smooth and chill and easy to listen to. Good lyrical content. Really enjoyed it.
Man, this was a great record. Such a vibe
Whispering in beginning starts the scene for real musical album with direction and storyline. Album flows with neo soul, jazzy elements and a prominent voice of Erykah. Liked it a lot
nice n groovy
Incredible. Great production. Very fun
8
Funky and soulful with fusiony bits. Very cool!
It's really good. It's not really a style that resonates with me, but there's no denying the talent here.
I like this . Soulful and funky. definite re listen
Very soulful and relaxing.
Very chill and relaxed
What a voice. 7,5/10
Chilled out, funky soul vibes. I like it!
It sounds nice but also somewhat unremarkable. I don’t know why I don’t like it more, but I was not particularly drawn to any songs. A gentleman’s 3/5.
Meh
What if they made a whole album out of 'the cut'? Warm and buttery, mellow and pillowy soft, an easy going blend of funk jazz and soul with rich arrangements and laid back but perfectly in the groove playing across a huge swathe of instruments. Her voice fades in and out of the blend, an extra texture, a bit of high end melisma floating around, a fleeting focal point - an album that's more about the vibe than the hook.
Got better as the album progressed. Quite enjoyable.
2026.07.01.-05.
Mama's Gun starts off strong, but 70 minutes is simply too long, and I lose interest multiple times. It works wonderfully as background music, though. If it were 20 minutes shorter, a fifth star would be close; as it is, it falls just a bit short of four stars.
This was all nice enough, but it got a bit repetitive and it went on too long.
Definitely a different vibe than what I am used to but I liked a few of those songs.
Favorite tracks: Penitentiary Philosophy, Didn’t Cha Know, My Life, & A.D. 2000. I enjoyed it, but not enough to add to my physical collection.
Some really cool music here, but R&B just doesn’t click with me for some reason
Definitely an interesting listen, but not really up my alley overall. Found a few songs that I enjoyed, though.
5/10
3.1 2x better than expected
Enjoyed it. Didn’t super stand out to me.
This album was decent but not for me.
I like the smooth groovy sound of the album, but sometimes the vocals were annoying and sometimes they were amazing. Overall, I enjoyed it.
First Listen; 3; Very chill soul/R&B album. I really enjoyed some of the instrumentation. Fun riffs on a variety of instruments. Has a very light and airy presentation, between the vocals and instruments. Favorite Track: Orange Moon
Suave :) 3/5
way too long but not bad
kinda lo-fi hiphop on any song the bwomp-a-womp-wompa-wowowa would fit
Some flashes here of some pretty great stuff. But I didnt think her vocal style matched the music except for some of the slower stuff, which i liked a whole lot less.
The voice is good, the instrumentals are jazzy in a good way, but it just goes on for too long. The lyrics are supposedly where it's at but I found it hard to keep bringing up the mental energy and focus on them. Not a bad album by any means, but doesn't contain anything for me push it to great.
There is some great instrumentals on here and Erykah Badu has a very nice voice, but this album is very hard to listen to in one sitting because it’s very long and starts to blend together after some time. 3/5
Not awful
The music is pretty funky and she has a really nice voice. I found the album drags a bit though, some of these songs don't really need to be as long as they are
3.3
This is beautiful, soulful music with very distinctive vocals. Unfortunately, I'm just not a fan of soul/R&B, and it's hard for me to imagine a mood in which I'd want to listen to this album. But the music is good, and I'm sure it has a lot of fans.
Pretty sexy and silky and at the same time- kinda boring.
This was good. Soulful, funky and Questlove holding things down on most of the tracks as well as some other credible contributors. Not really in my wheelhouse, and it didn’t really do enough to keep me interested throughout. Her voice is superb but at times it annoyed me. Great for what it is, but wouldn’t revisit.
Once again, skillfully made art that does absolutely nothing for me.
I don't think I've ever heard anything before from Erykah Badu's solo work, and overall I enjoyed the album more than I expected after the slow start with "Penitentiary philosophy", and once I made my peace with her singing style. The album itself is too long by half, filled with too many semi-lounge-act songs (even with hits like "Cleva" or the solid but out-of-place "Orange moon"), but thankfully there are some nice highlights too, including "...& on", the funk-filled "Booty" and following chant "Kiss me on my neck", as well as the Cheeba Sac mix version of "Bag lady" (with honorable mention to "In love with you"), and it's really nice to have an album that clearly made extensive use of live instruments and band members rather than samples, synths and sequencers. Also interesting to read that she'd had a child with Andre 3000 before this album was recorded and produced, as I was struck by the musical affinity these two seem to share (down to the videos), even if the relationship didn't last (apparently the inspiration for the ending track "Green eyes", as well as perhaps the entire album).
Le bon côté du chill, mais ya clairement 20 minutes en trop.
First few songs were really good. Kind of got boring. The last few songs were kind of funny / interesting in terms of the lyrics, so they were memorable in that sense but still kind of boring to me.
Neat
A classic album that better in the 2nd half than the first. This should 3.5 stars
Very pleasant and a bit funky. I really like her laid back vocals and the music is lovely. I had to listen on Apple Music which only had a bonus track edition so it went on a bit too long but never the less I enjoyed it and it was perfect for a hot day in the UK. Will definitely listen again but maybe the normal version.
Favorite Track: Didn't Cha Know
Not bad but not memorable either
The music is wonderful, but the lyrics were missing choruses and hooks that I could really latch onto. I'd enjoy this if it came on again, but I wouldn't seek it out.
no complaints but i can’t see myself relistening
Solid but liked yesterday more
This is too sassy for me, but I can tell it's good
Erykah Badu is an eclectic artist who fits in her niche very well. So well, in fact, that her music is quite listenable for those of us who may not opt for her particular style. The orchestration is different from standard popular music, incorporating flutes and African percussion, creating a unique sound that combines well with the soul music at its heart. I enjoyed most of the album, but can’t say I’d go back to it. 3 stars
Wasn't really in the mood for the r+b style but there were good lyrics and I liked her voice
Stærkt og varmt Neo-soul RnB album som tager udgangspunkt i Afrikansk musiktradition. Der har været mange store producers indover, bla J-dilla! Angiveligt slog hun igennem med et stort album inden, men det her er vidst mere modent og sådan sammenhængende. Synes det var super godt og chill at lytte til.
oh mama
I'm pretty sure I've just listened to the same song on repeat for 70 minutes, but it's not a bad one Decent enough background music
Seems like mostly 2s but overall might push up to 3. Not really my thing, but her voice is wonderful and the songs are nice and chill. Best song: Kiss Me On My Neck
Liked this
Very good
Rating:★★★ Idk man, not my favorite. There were some great beats but I didn’t really dig the voice.
Good music but felt more like background than the main event
3/5
I listened to her only peripherally. At the time, I thought she had an excellent and very enjoyable hook--but just the one. Today her music isn't part of my listening world; my rating reflects that.
leuk en hiphoppy en soul ik zou wel in achtergrond luisteren
3.3/5 good grooves need listen more
It's like okay, but not entirely my vibe. I like the concept more than the execution.
This was really cool and I enjoyed listening to it. I don’t know if I’m really someone with the critical ear to put a ton of words in to the why, but sometimes I think the above sentence is all I need.
I enjoyed the production and Badu's voice paired nicely with it, but the lyrics weren't as compelling...
It is OK, not really my thing.
I've been postponing making a review of this album until I had a moment of clearness, because almost every time I've heard it I was almost falling asleep, not only because I was incredibly tired on those occasions, but also due to how incredibly soothing the album is, to the point where I find it hard to stay focus throughout the whole thing. The record starts incredibly strong "Penitentiary Philosophy". It is undoubtedly my favourite part of the whole project, as it has some of the more memorable melodies and a super powerful and expressive ending. From this point and moving forward, almost every song's main focus is to be incredibly groovy and relaxing soul, with some exceptions having some different approaches, like the funky "Booty" and "Kiss Me On My Neck", the song "Orange Moon" being an almost piano ballad and "In Love With You" being an acoustic guitar piece and collaboration with reggae artist "Stephen Marley". While I think the voice performance is incredibly sweat and passionate, the bass very groovy, some transitions between songs are super smooth and everything sounds super clear, I think it is too much for me, as I said in the beginning. In addition, there are some tracks that I wasn't really crazy about, specially the last bunch, from "Orange Moon" until the end, where maybe my lack of concentration was playing a big role, but the fact that they are some of the longest cuts didn't help either. In conclusion, I think it is a decent album. If it was way shorter a see myself giving it a way higher score.
Funky, but maybe too many different vibes per track on this album.
I kept wondering when I’d run out of things to say about three star albums and it turns it’s about now. Idk, didn’t dislike my time listening to it. Was actually vibing probably more than the half the time but it was all spread thin over a long run time
This is what Arnold would play in his room when he got into high school.
Kule "jazzy" melodier, litt kjedelig sangstemme.
Vocally, she's really talented... Lyrically, repetitive to the point of annoying
Really smooth, enjoyable album. Found it to be really good 'background music' while I got chores and life-stuff done around the house. It's one of those albums I would be really happy to listen through at the coffee show with a nice warm latte and a good book.
Fantastic R&B album. Erykah’s voice and all the instruments meld into one cohesive mixture. 3.7/5.0
I thought this album was alright, there were some good beats but I just wasn’t hooked for whatever reason. I could listen to it again, but if I don’t, I’ll be ok with that.
Some really really great songs and vocals on here, overall good album
Enjoyable enough listen but doesn't quite grab me as really great 3.5*
Some decent r&b. But nothing that felt particularly special or attention grabbing.
Every song on this should be half the length it is, but the music itself is fine. There's nothing really on here that stood out to me, but it was easy background music while I was driving this evening.
Number 800! This is a pretty good album overall. It's pretty straightforward and very consistent. Favorite track: "Time's A Wastin"
I thought I would like this much, much more than I did. The first five tracks are absolutely phenomenal, but the latter half of the album, while having a couple of very good tracks, fumbles with just as much tracks that didn't work for me at all. Favourite track: Penitentiary Philosophy
Not bad from a modern soul album.
Good jazzy vibe
- I honestly didnt think I would like but its not that bad - the album is a little long in my opinion, but it has some good hits - the album feels more of a jazz album that would be made in the 1990s or 1960s rather than the 2000s. - its album I would listen to when I want to sleep or study
Smooth vocals, didn’t capture my attention.
Not what I thought it would be, a good album but a little too long. No individual song stood out to me but was good background music
Fantastic vibes. Smooth and emotional, and still sounds fresh.
I appreciate her great voice and the music, but it’s just not the sound I usually like.
I've always like Erykah Badu from a distance, but never really listened to any of her music at length, so I appreciated the opportunity to listen to this album. The quality is great. I like her voice, and the backing musicians are excellent, seamlessly moving between jazz, funk and soul. It's definitely original. Having said all of this, Mama's Gun didn't quite connect with me and I'm not sure why.
I enjoyed it for what it is, and if I'm being honest I think I actually liked this more than I expected to going into it. But at the end of the day this is just not not my kinda music. R&B just really doesn't resonate with me at all, even though I find this a lot livelier than I was expecting. So for someone who IS into R&B, I would think you'd definitely dig this.
Celkom zaujímavé. Neviem ale, či si to ešte vypočujem. Napriek tomu dávam 3
I enjoyed this. Was good background groovy music. Liked the stereo effect on AD 2000 - felt like I was getting my brain flossed with her voice! No standout tunes for me other than that. I did get a little bored of this after a while because the songs all started to sound the same, but overall it was decent. (3)
Ei iskenyt. 2,75/5.
This was fine overall. I didn’t love any of it, but it’s pleasant and has some nice, groovy moments. In the right setting, I could see it being more enjoyable.
I have a very similar problem with this that I do with Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which is that every song just feels like it drags a little. And obviously she's got a great voice, but it feels like there's just not enough material here to really justify the length. Still decent though, just a little disappointed. Favorites: Didn't Cha Know, ...& On, Booty
truly I don't know if this is my own fault for not listening to enough rnb but every track sounds the same. pleasant, but not interesting, like if you put too much soap on all the tracks and then they all started melting into one undistinguishable soapy mess
She's got a lovely wee voice and it's all very easy to listen to. Would be nice to have on with a car ride with ar Stephanie. But at 75 mins it does go on a wee bit, would maybe rate higher if it was 45 mins. Overall solid tho
The main parts worth complaining about are the relatively simple backings/instruments and Badu's delivery being kind of crap. About the latter: maybe I'm having some post-traumatic reaction, but all I can think of is Dance Monkey if it had less earwormy melodies. Badu's is the sort of vocal you would instinctually tune out, but you can't because the timbre (or something) eats unerringly into your brain and refuses to leave. But everything else? Smooth as heck. The percussion, most of the backing vocals, the keyboards and synths... Lead vocal aside, everything is extremely friendly to the ear, produced with that lo-fi influence that was all the rage in 90s rap (but without the rap itself, thankfully). I get the sense the lyrics are pretty strong too. Those keyboards in Penitentiary Philosophy kick some serious ass despite being pretty toned down. The soft middle section is breathtaking. (I like to think that Radiohead took inspiration. But it's a reach.) I'm not a huge fan of the weird filter on Erykah Badu's vocal, so the song excels more when the unfiltered backing vocals somewhat blot it out. Still, an incredibly strong start to a genre for which I usually have low expectations. What follows is the exceptionally groovy Didn't Cha Know, which is an obvious hit as soon as it begins. My Life is a major step down from Billy Joel's homonymous 1978 song – the delivery of "Wanna throw my hands up in the sky" is a little painful, and the strings feel a bit like a weak attempt at disco nostalgia – but it's not the worth Badu has to offer. ...& On claims the title of "first miss". There isn't much of substance here. Badu says her name a few times, then mumbles for the rest of the track. The melody is poor. I'll give props for the seamless transition into Cleva, though that song is frustrating for a new reason: Badu picks one note that isn't in the main chords of the song and repeats it incessantly. Which gets pretty annoying once you notice it. Another connection to Billy Joel, perhaps, since he commits the same sin in When In Rome (one of his worst songs). Unusually for the genre, the interlude is pretty good. It leads into the funky Booty, which makes use of a sweet horn section and lots of stoppages. Kiss Me On My Neck has an utterly bizarre vocal delivery, and it's a complete miss. And at this point, with a generous number of questionable tracks and musical elements, I'm worried this will be a 2- or 1-star effort. (I promise, I sometimes have positive opinions of this genre!) Fortunately, A.D. 2000 (and all following tracks) completely save this album's prospects. (See?) Orange Mood is a gorgeous jazzy ballad with heavy emphasis on piano and (actually good) backing vocals. In Love With You reworks this jazzier, blue-note-heavy style for acoustic guitar, and it’s really good. (Vocals still need a lot of work, but at this point on the album, I’m not holding my breath.) The album’s lead single, Bag Lady, doesn’t make sense as a single at all – it sounds great yet contains exactly zero of those catchy hooks that tend to define singles – but I’ll allow it. I love Time’s A Wastin’: the synths vibrate slowly in and out, creating this warm, full atmosphere you might find in slow Latin/soul tunes. Think mid-70s Stevie Wonder ballad (or the like). There’s a subtle horn arrangement near the beginning, but the keyboard is definitely the star of the show. The 10-minute finale, Green Eyes, has a perplexing rhythm at first – there are tape artefacts that tap out a vaguely regular beat, but there’s no other percussion, and the rest of the music only partially follows the tape noise. But by the 2-minute mark, we get a slow, emotional, almost melancholic rhythm. With other elements like the flute fills, several mood shifts, and left-right switched vocal panning, there’s plenty here to stave away any late-album boredom. 3/5 Key tracks: Didn't Cha Know, Orange Mood, Time’s A Wastin’
Soul-funk ? Sympa mais pas transcendant
It was hit or miss for me but the hits were super fun listens.
Nice beat and singing. The last song sounds like an old Jazz recording.
Funky and groovy. Her voice wasn’t my favorite (a little nasally) but overall a fun listen. Fave song: Bag Lady 3.5/5
Pretty solid record by a great pop funky R&B artist. Something I like about this record is that it really feels like a band, a cohesive unit, and not just a singer who has some hired guns behind them. They all gel really well and all have moments to shine, and she herself is an amazing singer. So much soul and great lyrics. "Didn't Cha Know" is her big single from this and it's a nice song. As I look now through her more popular songs though I'm surprised to find that she doesn't have too many that I immediately recognize. Maybe she is one of those artists that puts out records and all the songs are just pretty solid. Regardless, this is a nice 3/5 for me, and I think if I listen more it could easily be a 4.
Day 8/9 — Erykah Badu — Mama’s Gun (2000) Listened: Mar 2–3, 2026 Genre: Neo-Soul / Funk Soul Vibe: Chill funky R&B and soul Highlights: • Didn’t Cha Know • My Life • … & On • In Love With You (feat. Stephen Marley) • Bag Lady • Green Eyes Impression: Love the mix of R&B and soul with funk. Beautiful voice and great album top to bottom. Rating: 3.2/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes
The vocals are highly skilled and the album is good, but I didn’t feel much engagement. The constant high-pitched singing, continuous vibrato, and slow R&B grooves felt distant to my listening preferences. I found myself almost dozing off at times.
7,2/10 Très chill pour écouter quand on fait quelque chose, mais je suis d'accord avec les review sur le fait que c'est très très répétitif.
Really not a fan of neo-soul. I could appreciate bits of it but it left me wishing I was listening to Everybody Loves the Sunshine, which it sampled at one point (I think).
Franchement un 2,5 : il y avait des moments d’instru vraiment sympa, des bons rythmes, une bonne prod… mais l’album est répétitifs, la voix se trompe de registre et agace vite
Feels a bit mean as I do think she’s great but I found this a little long and samey. Would listen again but not crazy about it. Maybe should be a 4
I enjoy the vibe and the voice is smooth and beautiful. I think this lacks the innocence and youthfulness of her debut though. It ticked along pleasantly and is a perfect three.
Bit of everything on here, not bad Fave track: Bag Lady
Probably really good make out music. Not great for work driving
I’ve now listened to this album on a few occasions, and I’ve become increasingly fond of it. It’s cool and slinky with a real jazzy feel. Songs are sparse and airy and Badu’s voice slides effortlessly through it. Nothing stands out but it’s an interesting listen throughout