Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Another one of those albums that feels that feels like it was created for characters in a movie to put on their radio in the background
Just kinda meh?
If I was a big hip hop fan, I feel like I'd be very fond of this album. I quite enjoyed the flow of the beats throughout the album, but I just don't really care for it much overall.
I liked this album quite a bit. Jake Streek’s a fan of her which had me worried but good album. 3.5
So distinctive and so soothing. Somehow I never really got into Erykah Badu, but listening to this album certainly fills me with respect for her, and curiosity about her other work.
This is solid.
Smooth, sleek, chill
All right Album but I liked her later stuff more. After a while it's just unnecessary convoluted I find.
First track is the best, memorable... The rest less so. Great vocals, but it all becomes quite boring as it continues... Good for music in the background though.
chill
Enjoyed, great vibe
Nice mellow vibe
For over a decade, until he died in 2022, I used to store my old mate Neil’s insulin in my fridge, because his fridge had given up & he wasn’t interested in buying a new one. As a way of thanking me for this arrangement, he would often run me off cd’s or dvd’s. He was a few years older than me & was an encyclopaedia of funk. And it was Neil who woke me up to Erykah Badu, when he gave me a copy of her 2008 dvd, Live at VH1 Soul Stage. I’d missed Badu when she landed in the late 90’s. I’ve since picked up her hugely successful debut cd, Baduizm, which I love, but I’d never heard this, her second album before. Not quite as exciting as her debut. I have to agree with the dude from Entertainment Weekly, who claimed that it “ too often substitutes good taste for good tunes." Still, there’s a lot to like. Any album that opens with some wah-wah (it was after all recorded at the studio named after Hendrix’s great album) on Penitentiary Philosophy, co-written with the great Questlove, has credentials. I don’t know about the references to her sounding like Billie Holiday. Sometimes she sounds more like Blossom Dearie to me. I really like the funky Booty (hush your mouth) & the following track, Kiss Me On My Neck (one of two tracks featuring the great Betty Wright). And I really enjoy her duet with Bob’s son, Stephen Marley, on In Love With You, which they co-wrote. But the best is left for last - the ten-minute-long Green Eyes, together with record scratches to place it back in the day. One of her better lyrics here. A really good listen.
It was fun to listen to while I wrote to work and sat and checked my emails but 12 hours later I honestly can't recall a single song in any specific way. It was good but nothing to write home about
First track got me interested , nice and funky, but the next few were competent if not exceptional r n b. Zero recognition of any of these songs, I thought she was a chart-botherer? Enjoyed Orange Moon and AD 2000, sunny slices of soul. Overall, decent enough listen, glad I heard it, will probably just stick to Come to my Garden though.
Endlessly listenable yet unique in it's own right. Combination of R&B and reggae that I haven't really heard and thought was a ton of fun. Smooth and crisp like a McDonald's diet coke
Solid album that is both sound musically and vocally. My biggest gripe would be that the album is too long, 20-30 minutes could be cut and the album wouldn't lose much. The other issue plays along the same line, but it's just a bit repetitive. I understand keeping the vibe similar but 1.25 hours of soft r&b needs something to stand out. With that said, she has a great voice and stays within a music range that she can thrive in. I found this to be great work music but probably not something I would throw on in my car or leisure time.
Nice enough, but feels pretty dated.
Mmmmmh
Quite a nice listen. The patrician's choice of 2000's female R&B / Soul artist.
Enjoyed cruising through this.
This got tedious
Groovy throughout, and full of soul. The perspective of someone who is determined to see the good in everyone.
I have never listened to this album and to end, and it was worth the lesson. I enjoyed orange moon and in love with you A lot.
It's a little groovy but not enough Seems well produced and she has a unique voice but I wish the hooks were stronger and in this kind of thing, that's a big deal. The longer songs drag and don't make use of their runtime. Ultimately it showcases one style of RnB and stretches it out to a full album.
I didn't think I was going to like this as much as I did. It reminds me more of artists like early Bonobo or Morcheeba than the singles I had heard from her. Some of the songs are samey and her voice, while distinct and cool, does get a little weird at times. The instrumentation is spot on, and I love the groove the backing tracks pull. I liked the first half more than the second, which is like the reverse of the spotify plays. This isn't something I'll play all the time but I did enjoy it!
Pleasant voice and interesting compositions, but the songs ran too long to keep my attention - R&B rambling.
I don't love the lyrics or her singing. Some of it's pretty repetitive, too. Music's fine, though.
Groove. That word can elicit wonderful memories of music. But there's also a less pleasant connotation to that term, especially when it's associated with more negative-sounding words. As in the phrase "being stuck into one single groove". I just can't get the appeal of early-noughts "neo-soul", generally speaking. It's a lush sound for sure, but it's usually devoid of memorable vocal hooks and harmonies. Who suddenly decided that "soul" can't be found in the latter, and that you'd have to go to drowsy instrumentation and unimaginatic vocal lines instead--with a result that's so "laidback" that you actually end up lying on the cold hard floor? I'd rather have livelier hip hop-inspired beats instead, and not as many shapeless, meandering compositions lacking any true backbone as they run into endless circles. Fans of this genre need to explain to me what they hear when they listen to it. My take is that those listeners are more in love with "sound" than with music per se--music as in "surprising harmonies", "enticing rhythms", "dynamic chord sequence", "verse/chorus/verse", " propulsive middle-eight", "experimental flair"... All of which you can find in classic "soul music", by the way. But very rarely in Erykah Badu's "Mama's Gun*. A nice flute sound here and there, or a double-bass flourish, or a sensual piano fill are all fine enough. But if that's all you can notice in a record, I think you're doing something wrong. Especially when said record is so damn long. Self-editing never hurts when you're privileging mood over compositional chops. Unless you admit writing "wallpaper music", like Brian Eno. Seems to me this is not Erikah's goal here. But what is her goal? Does anyone even know? I might admit being under the sway of a blind cultural spot here. So I'll refrain giving this record the lowest mark this app can provide (a 1/5 is still equalling a 6/10 grade for more general purposes in my book, but I won't go as low as that on this one, don't worry). In the middle of the tracklist, "A.D. 2000" get things going a little, thanks to its mesmerizing tones (and it does not hurt that the song is a heartfelt tribute to a victim of police violence). And at the umpteenth minutes, you have two stellar tracks back-to-back. They're "Time's A Wastin" and "Green Eyes", nicely closing the proceedings. The first is a mysterious-sounding, strings-enhanced, progressive soul gem (seventies progressive soul being the corrective to what late-nineties / early-noughts "neo-soul" constantly missed). And the latter is a ten-minute wonder, almost starting like a Billie Holiday bluesy standard, and then building up to a multi-layered jazz epic, glowing like a perfect closer should glow. For those three tracks, and for the admittedly tasteful (yet ultimately empty) ditherings found elsewhere in the record, I can give a 7.5/10 grade (5 + 2.5). But as far as "essential albums" go, it's a 2.5/5 grade, here rounded up to a 3/5 mark. Hope Mama's not gonna point her gun at me for that. Number of albums left to review: 169 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 361 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 208 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 266 (including this one)
Green eyes
Ritmo muy marcado y estilo propio. Suena super interesante y tiene mucho flow. Alguna de las canciones son remarcables, quizás a lo largo del disco no veo que haya una marcada diferencia entre temas, está genial que haya una especie de hilo conductor sobretodo en la primera mitad del disco entre canciones, pero no veo algo distintivo, se me hace repetitivo al final. Sin embargo son canciones animadas y divertidas
3.4 If I ever get a fly honey back to my place, I will put this on
Not really feeling it , but could be decent background music
beautiful, soulful album. Her voice is powerful, tender and urgent. The tracks themselves are well orchestrated and arranged in way that even at 6 minutes a track never gets stale. Really enjoyed this album!
Just okay, long. Did get into it by the end though.
Not a fan of neo-soul but this is ok-ish
Pidin kovasti! Samantyyppisiä biisejä, jotka kuitenkin varioivat melodioitaan ja aiheitaan niin, että mielenkiinto säilyi ja tunnelma pysyi. Makee ääni. Lepsummalla arvostelullani voisi saada jopa nelosen! Jää aivan karvan verran siitä pituuden vuoksi.
"Nice!" as the presenter of Jazz Club used to say. But, I would add, a bit meandering and annoying? I don't know. It's fine. It makes me think I am sat in a coffee shop. It's like it has all the components of music I like and then it just slides off me. I dunno. I don't get it. Maybe I'll return to it when I'm in a more receptive mood.
Great - would revisit.
Of its era
Wonderful lounge music, Erykah is unique in her peer group. Also love that jam she did with the Roots
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
For the first half of this album, I was thinking it was a 4 for sure, maybe even a 5? Erykah Badu has a style I've heard emulated, and there were some fierce moments I wasn't expecting, and I was really impressed with everything happening. But as the songs rolled on, the album started growing tired, and by the end, I was wondering if it had sunk to a 3-star rating. What sounded fresh and inspired started sounding monotonous, and the mid-tempo vibe of the latter half didn't help to bring the diversity I was craving.
I like Erykah Badu's overall aesthetic. She's cool, empowering, and chill. She's a unique presence, and she avoids the cliches that many of her contemporaries fall into. The music on this album is often pretty groovy. I just wish I liked the compositions more. Some of the songs were cool, but most came and went before I ever had a sense of melody. And I can't decide how I feel about her vocals. Sometimes they work nicely, sometimes they grate, and sometimes—especially when she's singing her own backup—I swear she's off-key. I feel like she's a great feature more than she is a solo star.
Real good, just not my thing
Good album, the instrumentals are really great. I like the jazzier songs. I'm just not a huge fan of her voice, and the album does go on a little long.
Cool
I’m not sure if I’ve come across Erykah Badu before. Her name feels vaguely familiar, but I can’t place why that is. It’s possible that her name isn’t familiar to me at all, and that I’m just trying to convince myself that I’m cool and know all of the musicians. Anyway, let’s listen! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Orange Moon I wasn’t sure about this for the first few tracks. It felt like jazz background music with soul singing that didn’t really add anything to the music. However, as it progressed I found myself enjoying it more and more. I do think that this is better suited to ambient cafe music rather than focused listening, but I did end up liking it more than I expected. Still wouldn’t say I love it, but it’s not bad.
It's okay. A little too modern-day R&B for my tastes (I prefer retro-soul and classic R&B), but I didn't hate it.
This is like peak early 2000s hip hop/R&B. Can’t believe I had never heard of it before.
Not bad. A little boring though.
Well-done update of ‘70s R&B, but it didn’t grab me.
not really a genre of music I've gotten into, but I think the writing and production is good. 3 stars?
Groovy jazzy funky. Bass is trunk rattling. She has a unique voice - I normally don't like a slow vibrato, but hers is good. Sounds like it would be ideal to see live. Overall a chill listen. 3.8 (Except the song with vocals continuously panning left to right.)
High quality contemporary R&B from an absolute queen. I'm not always in the mood for it, but when you require a certain vibe - this absolutely bangs.
4/14, 29%
hints of things I like but overall not interesting enough
Good voice and I was into it at times but a bit too long without enough variety to warrant it. Passable.
I acknowledge the genuine excellence of Ms. Badu and her band. But it don't half go... on and on 😅 Seriously, why did artists stop knocking out tight 40 minute records? I know the format initially stemmed from what could fit on a 12" record but that constraint also improved quality control on the tracklist. I enjoyed listening to this for 45 mins but by 80 I was honestly getting bored.
Nice album but a bit long for me
Pretty good stuff! Not really for me though.
Didn't finish it just not really my thing
3.5
Not my favorite genre, but some ok songs.
Really didn’t do much for me. I was Hoping for more as she’s such a legend but I guess not everything connects with everyone.
Good listen, saved a third of the album and found a bunch of other tracks i liked on another album of hers.
Enjoyed this. I hadn’t heard of her before. Some really good tracks
Interesting, not really what I expected
Didn't know anything about this artist. Album was lyrically interesting, and I like the jazz feel of most of the tracks.
I liked the mix of jazz and soul and funk. The songs were good, but too much alike for me.
Un album en nuances et en recherche formelle. Voix à l’avant-plan sans être magnifiée.
3.5, again I'm a fan of jazz-influenced music. Some of lyrics really got me laughing tho
"Remember there in school one day I learned I was inferior.....Water in my cereal" Something about this line paints a picture of growing up struggling better than almost anything I've heard before. Great album just not my style
Nice background music. The duet with Stephen Marley was my favorite. She has a sweet voice. I thought many of the songs were very alike is tone and tempo.
Ok
This is good enough. Not a big fan of neo-soul, and she modulates her voice in an odd way that I am not a fan of. It's not bad, and very listenable, but I wouldn't choose to play this on my own.
Nicht ganz meins
Great voice.
2000. А звучит как будто семидесятые. Но ничего против не имею, звучит хайпово. Дослушивать желания нет, это три имхо
I enjoyed the first half a lot but this feels like the definition of bloat in the CD age. She really couldn’t find 20 minutes to trim it down? I think I’d rate it a lot higher if some of the filler was removed. Rating: 3.2
A few great tracks here
I missed this artist entirely. I was raising my kids in the years of her work. I enjoyed my first listen, and plan to listen again.
Pretty smooth, definitely see this as the female D’Angelo as compared to with a bit of Erykah’s BFF Andre to it. A little too long for my taste, but it’s an early aughts R&B album, what should I expect? C+
Not bad but to much pop and hip hop leaning for me. Some songs were really great but others were not that soulful as I would have wished for.
Not bad, but kind of sedate? I kept trying to pay attention to this as I was driving, but it kept slipping to the background. I didn't mind it, but wouldn't listen to it again. I liked "In Love with You" (feat. Stephen Marley) but nothing else was really memorable.
I feel like this one has some room to grow, I definitely really liked a couple of songs. Calling it a 3.5 for now though.
I could tell it was good, I just wasn't in the target audience.
Mega repetitivo pero qué chula voz.
Good chilled
I enjoy R&B and I really like neo-soul. I also like it when neo-soul artists use live instrumentation in their music. This album misses me in some ways though. Erykah Badu has a great voice and the music is interesting, but the songs on the back half just go on and on. It's hard to dive in when the pool is so deep and time consuming. The latter half of the album has 7 songs and only one of them is less than 5 minutes long. It made it difficult for me to listen repeatedly since each time through the album took over an hour. I think this album belongs in the book, if only for those who can appreciate this album more than I did. Because there are positives, even if it did not come together all the way for me.
Close to being really good but something isn't quite there.
Het begint op zich wel lekker, maar ik krijg er wel een enorm pretentieus gevoel bij gelijk. Pretentious Philosophy. Muziek voor het North Sea Jazz festival, waar je dan 200 euro voor een entreekaartje betaalt, en dan alsnog bij moet betalen voor de 'grote' artiesten. En wat me ook stoort, is dat ze haar eigen naam zo vaak moet zingen. Ze vindt zichzelf dus ook wel echt zo verschrikkelijk goed, dat we dat allemaal wel even mogen horen. De foto op de hoes spreekt ook boekdelen. Een soort janelle monae uit de 90s. Ik neem aan dat Erika wel een voorbeeld voor haar was. Het is dat de muziek op zich nog best aardig te pruimen is, al is het niet mijn favoriete genre. Als mannen zoiets zingen, is het helemaal tenenkrommend. Voor haar attitude zou ik een 1 geven. Maar omdat we hier zonder vooroordelen de muziek beoordelen, kom ik nog uit op een milde 3. Al zal ik na dit cijfer door Miss Badu wel gecanceld worden, voor zover ik dat nog niet was als blanke man.
Chill vocals, reminded me of an album I've heard before but I don't know the name of it. It was pretty one dimensional.
I don’t personally vibe with the style much but I can see that it is very quality for its genre. It’s a very well done female R&B/neo soul album. Highlight was definitely the last song. I felt somewhat fatigued in the latter half, but the album ended strong
Beautiful voice, very cool funky R&B album. Not every song caught my attention but I enjoyed it.
This project is really opening me up to actively appreciate genres I’d normally avoid. It helps that this is mixed so beautifully. If you are able, I highly recommend listening to this in Dolby Atmos. The subtle layers of sounds shine so brightly when they come at you from all directions. It really envelopes you and makes you feel like you’re in the studio listening live. The album itself flows nicely throughout, and the songs elegantly blend together.
Decent soul album. Not my favorite genre but it was OK enough.
Mostly just very mellow and low key. Very listenable. Nothing really stands out.
Soulful and smooth. Easy to listen to and enjoy... the music successfully delivers a consistent R&B groove. Not anything i really love on this album, but there's nothing that's really offputting either. Fine.
Meh. Neo soul. Didn't dig it, didn't hate it.
C+ Penitentiary Philosphy 3 Didn't Cha Know 2 My Life 2 ...And On 3 Cleva 3 Hey Sugah* 3 Booty 2 Kiss Me On My Neck 2 A.D. 2000 3 Orange Moon 3 In Love With You 4 Bag Lady 3 Time's a Wastin' 3 Green Eyes 3 Bob Marley's son on In Love With You is fu**in fantastic. This was about as good as I expected it to be. Erykah Badu is an R&B legend, but some songs are meh.
A little bit of Erykah goes a long way 2.5
Really interesting, didn’t think i’d like it as much as I did
Easy.
While this isn't one of my preferred genres, I can definitely see why this album is on the list. There are some good songs on here, and I liked the vibe a lot.
Ok album didn’t really get a close enough listen to be confident of rating.
Never heard of this album or Erykah Badu before but my knowledge of RnB neo-soul is very limited so probably not a surprised. Really enjoyed this great voice and fear funky vibe throughout. Deserves to be on the list.
Favourite tracks: didn't cha know; time's a wastin'
It's nice
Very calming, groove-y. There's a lot to the lyrics. The stuff was well done, but it felt a little slow to me. BT: 1, 9, 12, 14
Not bad!
She's a solid singer - there's some good music here. Organ is sweet on some of the tracks. Surprised I have never heard of her until now - solid soul.
I’m going to have to listen again. I feel like there’s a lot of depth here but I wasn’t in the right headspace to accept it today. So it was just meh, but I figure there’s a lot of Cleva stuff going on
Pretty nice stuff, great bass and lovely voice. Got a little sick of it before the end but generally pretty good
A wide variety of tone and message made this album flavourful and a somewhat enjoyable offering to listen to during the work day. It felt like there was everything from jazzy to bluesy vibes happening, and the singing was engaging throughout. While not a usual genre I enjoy, it was a good change of pace and not the worst way to spend an hour or so.
Decent album. Some nice funk, some nice R&B. There were a couple of skip tracks - I'm surprised that the repetitiveness of the lyrics in Orange Moon and In Love With You made it past production. "How good it is" in Orange Moon is sung about 25 times - but even this is knocked into sharp relief by the repetition of "In love with you", where I go to about 40 repeats before losing the will to live. I think only Daft Punk can lay claim to having the same lyric repeated so often in their track "around the world". Noted with interest that she also revisits the rhythms and beats from On & On, released in '97. I mean, it's a cracking track so I don't blame her. Also slightly odd to hear same samples Dre used earlier in the same year this was released. Overall, if it wasn't so damnably repetitive in places, it'd be a brilliant album. But a 5* album can't have skip tracks on it at all, and a 4* can't have more than one.
Calling Lauren Hill. Your but has been hijacked
This is kind of exactly what I thought it would be, reminiscent of Lauryn Hill but lighter and airier. Some lovely vibes and I liked the duet with Stephen Marley. But a bit too early-2000s R and B at times.
Overall a decent album... just really not my thing.
I like her voice, kind of basic beats, pretty chill though.
A smooth, pleasant and enjoyable r'n'n, neo-soul album. My problem with it is just many songs are similar and nothing stands out after my listen. It is also a long album with over 70 minutes so it drags on a bit.
Buena voz femenina para una sucesión de canciones con algo de ritmo, algo de étnica y de un estilo tranquilo y reposado. Demasiado insustancial
Listening to it chilled me out
Hmm seemed like kind of standard R&B. Which not to say bad, just nothing “special”. I did mostly enjoy this. A.D. 2000 was kind of physically nauseating though with the right-left channel business.
The album is too long. It's the biggest knock I have on it, it's too long for how unvarried the vocals are on it. Many of the songs, while the messages can be different, just "sound" the same. It's fine for a little while but, IMO, overstays it's welcome. I really like some of the funky bits. It's a perfectly fine album to have on, but not one I'm going to seek out to listen to again any time soon.
not really into
good album, unique sound.
There are some good sounds and her voice has lots of emotion. But there's just something inherently boring about neo-soul and R'n'B. It's too soft. It's like pop music of the '40s and '50s as sung by crooners. Just background. Inoffensive, but finally irritating. Bag Lady has a bit of oomph but the rest of it induces sleep. I couldn't wait to finish this and get back to some '70s funk. That's never going to be elevator music.
A good album - great use of instruments and Erykah's voice is beautiful.
Penitentiary philosophy Didn't cha know ...& On
Solid
smooth R and B background music.
Somehow I couldn't completely lose myself in the style and and atmosphere of Erykah Badu's album. While listening, I felt a little distanced, deep in my thoughts, instead of just simply enjoying a really nice soul piece of music. How much is it my own fault and how much it is an incompatibility between my music taste and Erykah's flow? Looking back at other albums on the list, I seem to like soul features and genre in general, but in this case I found it more "acceptable" than anything else. I enjoyed the longer tracks, like "Orange Moon" and "Green Eyes", with their more relaxed structure and more atmospheric elements. As for the rest of the album, more than once I had to listen to a song twice in a row, because I couldn't remember anything about it afterwards. I think all of those signs tell me, that I'm just simply not a fan of Erykah, even though I can objectively say "Mama's Gun" is an album fully deserving to be on this list.
Sounded ok from one listen. Some interesting tracks. Will give another go. Hard to judge, clearly a grower.
It started strong but then lost the thread for me. I don't remember most of it.
smoother than a veeted testicle.
A suburban dad dressed up to the nines in his wife's favourite boob tube. He eats a meat pie and slugs back a pint of gravy. He spits poison into the face of the slutty barmaid who hands him a shandy. He beats his wife to death in the back yard as his neighbours watch on. Nobody says a word.
This album exudes bad bitch energy Could see this being performed in an intimate back room somewhere and I would likely enjoy it but I doubt I'll be revisiting this album anytime soon
Expansive modern soul funk with occasional scat jazz and rap. Its that kinda album. Sge has a great voice. It meanders sometimes and pleasingly without gaps between tracks. The tunes are not always memorable but it doesn't always matter
Dia 3. Picar o ponto. Entrada e saída, cartão na máquina de moer espíritos o mundo quer que me chateie com todos e que os vergue à minha imperativa vontade mas eu nem me lembro do nome do poeta que falava sobre a baba do caracol (e com ela fazia uma analogia muito curiosa de que infelizmente também não me lembro) quanto mais das injustiças do mundo e de outra qualquer futilidade.
I enjoyed this album much more than I thought I would, but I felt that the second half dragged. Some seriously good and funky songs though, and I may just need to give it another listen. 3/5
Great voice, but far too long an album. The sound was great but it got repetitive quick.
Started chill wound up downright soporific. Repetitive. Sure, pretty in places, but not enough to save the album from the dreaded rating of: kind of boring. 2.5
Effortlessly cool, but maybe a bit too long
Not as earth shattering as I was hoping it would be. It lives right in the "really, really good" category. Of course I reserve the right to fall madly in love with it with added listens. It's all good, there just isn't a stand-out banger that I was expecting. That's what happens when you become somewhat fascinated with the woman who was the only good thing in "Blues Brothers 2000", and then learn that she claimed to find something good in Hitler, only to backtrack it a bit by saying that she simply loved his paintings. Oh, and apparently she stepped up for R. Kelly and Dr. Bill Cosby after their accusations. I regret going down the Erykah Badu rabbit hole for those reasons, but at least we have her music.
Sultry r&b for habitual hash smokers. It's kinda sexy just not for me. Makes me feel like a cuckold. It's funky enough and you can happily groove away but ultimately I was never destined to be in this gang and that's fine. If you want cool, laid back neo-soul go for it
Ok
Прям вижу жжшных «дев» нулевых которые прям млеют от этих звуков Ладненький альбом, но ничо такого. Режет ухо «нигга». Уверена, что щас баду рупор блм. Тогда прост немодно было. Талантливо, но немножко нюхает свои пуки, самолюбование.
Really nice
Very cool vibe. A little boring to me but there is a creativity and a craft that is not typical (to me) for this genre of music. As is the norm a little too long to keep my interest over the whole album, but in this case it is not unforgiveable and it does allow Erika to stretch out a little and express her creativity, especially her jazz leanings. She's also a great singer and a damn good songwriter. 3.5 stars
Not my favorite genre, but it did enjoy it slightly. 3/5
didn't hate it
Enjoyed the groove here, pleasant discovery.
A shame about the length, because there are some great songs on here
I understand that the music is objectively good, but it is so much out of my style that I couldn't listen through more than two tracks. She has a nice voice and the production is not bed by any means, but just not my cup of tea
My least favorite Badu LP. It's merely just OK for neo-soul, which is too bad since I have Baduizm as one of my top50 all time. The short stretch from "My Life" to "Cleva" elevates it a smidge.
Yet another R&B album that could have been amazing if not for the crazy length. Great voice and lyrics, but.. 80 minutes, man. Everything started blurring together after 30 or so minutes, and that's not even halfway through.
What a voice. I don't know if I like it 100% of the time, but I really liked the general vibes of this album. Sometimes the instrumentals didn't quite hit for me. 3.5, closer to a 3 though personally.
It's funky.
Really well produced. Pino paladino and Questlove are particularly good but none of the tracks grabbed me or made me want to revisit this
Better than I expected - the groove is undeniable, if somewhat repetitive. Odd that I missed this first time around.
Good without being excellent
You feel the influence of Andre 3000 throughout.
Context is everything. At work had this on while working on budgets. Me and Erykah did not vibe. At home a couple of hours later the second half of the album sounded just fine while cooking. So a modern soul stew.
3.75
Groovy, funky, soulful, and still pretty unique from other albums I've heard so far on the list that I'd describe in the same way. Generally I'm not really that into R&B but this still okay, though I kind of lost interest by the end of the album. Favourite: Penitentiary Philosophy
really hard to rate these albums cause I can appreciate it, but I just can't seem to get in to it
sounded a bit samey samey in the background but still has some bangers
Slinky jazz soul rnb which just got me 6 points on popmaster
Nice vibe love her voice, felt like seeing the album cover gave me a different experience than what I would have if I hadn’t seen it. Not so much of a fan of the jammy stuff towards the end
This is not my preference, but the whole album is smooth and easy to take in. I played it in the morning while getting ready and going to work. It just melted into the background and sounded great. No favorite tracks, just a good sound overall.
Some pretty average R&B imo, 2.5 would be more accurate
Wasn't as bad as it looked
A vibe, especially while studying, favorite track - idk they all sounded the same
Some I enjoyed (Orange Moon in particular), a lot that were kind of "eh" but nothing that was bad.
Leuke eenmalige listen
Soulful, sexy, cool. A bit too much internalized misogyny in some of the songs though.
It’s good, but not really what I like to listen to in general.
Beautiful voice....
Really solid R&B, but I'm not a huge fan. Not sure if I just wasn't in the right mood or what, but this one didn't do it for me. Still good though!
Good album but I'm not into turn of the millenium R&B
Loved it.
Not really my cup of tea.
Un clásico, 6/10
Very pleasant, nice in the background but nothing really stands out for me and gets me going. That said, I'd never object to hearing any of it again.
Soulful R&B. Not the biggest fan, but I can appreciate it.
Nice vibes
I got really excited for this album based off the first two songs but after that it kinda petered out and became boring if well made r&b. At least it had a good start tho
Stylish, real
Definitely a solid album, but a lot of things about it really weighed it down. It was a bit bloated, a bit meandering, but the biggest detractor was Badu's voice for me. On some songs she sounded fine, but too often there was a shrill/nasal quality to it that grated on me more and more as the album went on. For a genre that lives and dies on vocals for me, it was a big downer. Overall, though, still pretty solid.
Feels iconic for a demographic I don't fit into. Regardless, smooth good music, especially like the incorporation of jazz instruments like flute, upright bass, congos, etc.
I just can't get over the idea of hearing Jools Holland announcing "Erykah Badu" before sitting down to do some boogie woogie piano over some of these tracks. They're perfectly good, but does go on a bit and drifts a little too far towards the jazz-funk for me. Bit indulgent, but I'm happy they're having a nice time.
I guess I wasn't totally in the correct mood but I struggled through the first part of this album, then it got a lot easier around “kiss me on my neck”. Couldn’t actually tell why but that is what a felt. I like her style but it felt a bit theatrical for me, the music is amazing.
p864. 2000. 3 stars Classy soul/jazz background music. Vaguely reminiscent of What's Going On, but without any standout tracks. It sounds like a Nora Jones outtakes album. Can imagine this being played whilst the black forest gateaux is being served.
Not really my style but ok.
Pretty smooth and droning in a good way. Not necessarily standout but ya no complaints, nice to throw on in the background for study with lyrics or just a nice chill hang on the porch with a book. Def a good joint sesh album.
Weirdly ponderous. The repeat of 'On & On' and all the segues just make it feel like it's not got any contained songs, despite this clearly not being the case. Flawless playing, great feel but overall not grabbing me.
Ok, not my cup of tea
Good. Maybe a bit too smooth.
BUEN DISCO AUNQUE NO TODAS LAS CANCIONES
sounds like an alround r&b album
It was musical. Just not to my taste.
5/10 Best Song - In love with you
Oye, esto estuvo bueno. Me gusta el R&B de Erykah y especialmente cuando le añade funk como en este disco.
Un superbe album d'imitations que proposé ici par Erykah. Absolument tout y passe: mauvaise imitation de Childish Gambino, mauvaise imitation de Norah Jones. Un florilège délicieux, qui finit en apothéose avec une mauvaise imitation de Nicolas Canteloup imitant François Hollande. A mettre entre toutes les mains.
nice, groovy, sexy
3/5
Uh, daybreak after a brewery tour, and up early with toddler. Not a bad album for a slow cruisy morning. I think I liked the second half of the album best
Good funk album with soul overtones. Have to be in the right mood to enjoy it, which I am not currently. But this is a solid 3/5.
This was my first exposure to Erykah Badhu's music. I love her voice and the way it seemed to just gracefully dance across the music. It was a smooth, easy listen, but ultimately there were no specific standout moments for me.
Smooth rhymes and soulful lyrics wax in life and love in a way that makes you want to slither. Slither ever so slightly through the songs in this. A really well produced r&b record.
No comment
Smooth and soulful
There was one good song on this album, it is just a shame that it got repeated for 72 minutes. I really wanted to enjoy this album as I like some songs I've heard from Erykah Badu in the past. This album though is not for me. I never got into the whole Neo Soul style. Her voice and the instrumentation is great but I don't find any highs or lows on Mamma's Gun just mid range monotony.
It starts off with a 60s throwback sound to it. Didn't Cha Know is a lovely soulful album that has a good sway to it. I like this Ok but it's not the type of music that can keep my attention for too long
I like the fact she was brave enough to strip down the songs so that there was just her voice and lyrics remaining a lot of the time. Nice enough.
The backing music is ponderous at times and weaves wonderfully through jazz and R&B motifs. This albums suffers from its length the most. If this album cut a few songs, it would flow so much better. Because the backing is just there to support a singer, it just isn’t enough to keep interest for too long despite how skillful it is. There are some really great songs her though.
Good vibes overall. Very groovy. Not for me. You can tell she is very talented though.
I was very excited when I got this album. It seemed like something I would really enjoy. However, a few songs in, my excitement disappeared. There is just something about this album that doesn't hold up today. I think the instrumentals are good, but at times I feel the vocals are lacking or boring.
This is tough. It's a brilliant sounding album, with tight instrumentation and dazzling vocals. But at the same time, there is little I feel inspired to go back to after the first listen. It's a coffee table neo soul album. It sounds gorgeous but doesn't rise beyond a surface pleasantness, musically. Lyrically too, it's brilliant. I just can't see myself putting it on again, despite it's obvious technical and lyrical greatness.
I enjoyed this album a good amount. Goes from pretty chill to funky to soulful, great range of songs and production is top notch.
I've said this a few times about albums from the 90s and early 2000s, but while the sound of this album is great, it's just so so so damn long.
Easy to listen to, even if I’m not a fan
Where is Erykah Badu at? Who dat? Actually this album was better than expected and good background music.
Not gonna lie, liked it more than I thought I would
Neither here nor there.
First half was fine. Second half it began to drag out. The songs would've been better if they weren't as long. Only 3 songs stood out to me. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad.
Some pretty nice tracks mixed in with some more average ones. I liked the vibe but I found the album dragged on toward the end. Penitentiary Philosophy was my favorite.
Interesting to hear, but a bit too jazzy
Enjoyed it, though by the end it had become monotonous. Reminded me - slightly - of Lauren Hill's Miseducation. Listenable, but not re-listenable, at least not for a while. Added, to give it a second shot down the road.
This album does a lot of cool things, just not really my cup of tea. Nice vocals, cool layering, jazz inspired instrumentals. 6/10.
Interesting type of music 3/5
Mellow sounds and I like her voice. Quite enjoyed it. 3*
Really smooth jaz fusion album. Nice easy listening
It's warm in here....
A nice pleasent listen, silky smooth R&B and good vocals. A song didn't stand out in particular to me though. I feel like this would work better as background noise to a party or even studying then as an album you solely focus on listening to.
Fairly generic musically, but is pretty good for what it is. Wouldn't be bad for the background, but don't think I would go out of my way to listen to it again.
Not good not bad.
I dig it
Really enjoyed the mellower, jazzy songs.
Decent R'n'B album but I felt let down slightly by week vocals. Badu's voice doesn't have the depth and strength of some of her contemporaries and she seems sing from the throat rather than diaphragm, so she lacks the power and richness that would accompany the music well. Enjoyable on the whole though.
I really wanted to like it.
Talk about a bresh of freath air! This is very jazzzz. She's got a lovely voice and it has the feel of comfortable leather and polished walnut, but despite a few punchy tracks it failed to grab me by the lapels and shake me out of my stupor. Could probably be a few songs shorter to keep it sweeter. Though this is sounding a bit negative for something I actually really rather liked.
Had a really good time of it listening to this, but ran out of steam before the end.
Liked it…. Very different
Not bad, thought it was going to be rap and it wasn’t so that was cool
chill hip hop, r&b vibes. like chilling in a jacuzzi in the Sahara.
While a single song really doesn’t stand out to me here, this album as a feeling works really well. The neo-soul feel is here and vibrant, the instrumentation and the production is top notch. And it all flows very well, the downside is that it just kinda moves without emphasis. It’s good, but I might need another listen to fully appreciate it
Not bad, but not my kind of soul. All very competent though.
Сложно. Понимаю, что записано качественно, у тян приятный выразительный голос, в наличии внятные мотивы. Но положительных эмоций от сего как-то не возникает. И даже с трудом представляется ситуация, когда может возникнуть. Если бы услышал в кафе – постарался бы поскорее уйти, услышал бы по радио в GTA – сменил бы станцию. Попробую найти что-то хорошее. Penitentiary Philosophy – припев довольно мощный, но будто и он загублен странным звуком. Didn't Cha Know, My Life, Cleva, Booty, Kiss Me On My Neck, A.D. 2000, Bag Lady, Time's A Wastin – монотонная жвачка, местами раздражающая. ...& On, Orange Moon – нераздражающие треки. Hey Sugah – как начал слушать, подумал, что наконец-то первый интересный трек. А это, блять, интерлюдия на 51 секунду. Предваряющая очередной скучный трек. In Love With You, Green Eyes – хорошие треки. Кун на фите тащит. Вроде бы 6 треков выкупить удалось. Наверное, уже неплохо. По десятибалльной – 5, по пятибалльной всё-таки тройку натяну.
Didn’t hate any of it, didn’t love any of it, not a huge fan of R&B but this sounds like a decent R&B album.
This album is very adequate.
Like most soul, "Mama's Gun" is incredibly smooth. However, I was expecting Erykah Badu to do more to really stand out, as I remembered her emergence in the 90s being a big deal for the genre. But I'm not really getting that here. Seems like pretty straightforward soul, though I say that without much knowledge of soul music, though there were a couple of bits of funk that made for a nice shift. Overall this is just fine, but mostly for background listening.
Mama's Gun starts off on an aggressive note, and with the first track, I was afraid I wouldn't like this album. But Erykah won me over with the string of tracks 2-5. Her voice is a bit odd at times, some whininess I could do without, but the power in her voice and her lyrics holds firm throughout. In all, I was pleasantly surprised by this album. While I could do without Penitentiary Philosophy, Booty and Kiss Me on My Neck, I dug a lot of the other tunes here.
A mixed bag
Not bad. Easy listening background chill out.
I don't really care much for the timbre of Erykah Badu's voice, it feels thin and nasal to me, but that's the biggest criticism I have of her. I like her phrasing. Clearly, her voice is flexible and her pitch is enviable. But where she really differentiates herself is her music. She has appropriated and synthesized various threads of soul and funk from the past into something unique to her. For modern soul and funk, it's layered and sophisticated. She knows enough to hire first rate musicians to add complexity and depth to her sound. She's not content to stick with one style, which is a good thing. Still, too many of the songs on Mama's Gun feel underdeveloped, little more than glorified vamps over which Badu vocalizes. I've heard that she gets more experimental in later albums, which makes me hopeful. Maybe her songs will become more through composed as well. As it is, Mama's Gun is probably the best soul/funk hybrid I've heard in the last 20 years, which isn't saying much, but it's something.
Soul
chilli rnb, 3/5
Don't usually listen to that much old R&B/Soul albums, but this was really nice. Reminded me of Awaken, My Love! by Childish Gambino, cause that is the only R&B album I know :)
// Favs: - Score: Decent 3
A very free-spirited and compelling record. It comes off more as an emotional experience, something you have to be relax and be in the right frame of mind for. The first half of the album starts of strong and vibrant, while the back side comes off with more of a slow burn. I think the album length overextends its impact a little bit, and listening to it in chunks would leave just the same impression. 3.5/5
Good soul/R&B.
I didn't mind this. Probably a low 3.
Not bad, u have to say
Very funky and extremely soulful r&b. The tracks simmer along very smoothly. A great album for playing on a lazy Sunday afternoon. 3 Stars!
3.5/5 there were some interesting tracks here, i'll have to relisten.
Can't really remember it now.. was on I the background and didn't. Needs another listn
Decent but a bit samey
Hat mir gut gefallen, ich mag offenbar Neosoul. Tolle Stimme, schöne Arrangements! Schöne Geschichte auch um die Soulquarians, und wie das hier gewissermaßen das Schwesteralbum zur hier auch schon besprochenen neueren Common-Platte ist. Mein kleines Problem aber: es eignete sich viel zu gut als Hintergrundmusik, ich hab selten wirklich aufmerksam hingehört. Nun, 3 Punkte dafür? jederzeit!
Ok
Not my thing.
Funky dunky but too slow for my typical taste
2000, Chillig, rnb, soul, jazz, Übergänge 10/10
A long album that is quite dull for its majority. Not necessarily a bad sound, it’s a well produced album with grooves, it’s just that the songwriting is not there.
J'aime bien l'album, cependant, j'ai l'impression qu'il faut vraiment faire une écoute active pour bien comprendre le sens de l'album, qui comme indiqué est suite à une rupture. Je l'écoute en travaillant donc ce n'est pas l'idéale je crois. Je mets tout de même 3/5.
Interesting, not sure I would listen again
Silky & Smooth™. Nice grooves.
Good
Yeah I thought this was good but didn't connect with it loads. Thought it was decent r'n'b but didn't stand out to me like Missy Elliot or Layren Hill
Not my cup of tea
GO OFF QUEEN!
Soulful, not really my thing but I didn’t hate it
Some great tracks on the front half, disappointing to hear the album turn to repetitive and uninspired ballads on the back. That being said, the astounding mix of R&B/Hip-Hop + production (especially on the vocals!) show that Badu knows exactly what she's doing.
Decently r&b soul album.
Good stuff
It is a pretty chill album and I enjoyed it for a change
Muutaman tuttavan hehkuttama artisti, joka itseltäni on jäänyt aika vieraaksi. Pieni pettymys tämä on, kun musiikki vaikuttaa aika perus r&b:ta. Laulajan ääni toimii kyllä hyvin, mutta kappaleet ovat hieman tylsänpuoleisia rallatuksia. Pidin paljon enemmän esimerkiksi Lauryn Hillin levystä. 2,5*, joka pyöristyy nipinnapin kolmosen puolelle.
merece mais respeito ainda
Not bad, not bad at all. I found it started to sound all the same toward the end though.
Ok, was a bit bored on some of the tracks though
very soothing album. I would classify the genre as something between soul and jazz. This is not something I would typically listen to, but enjoyed it.
First listen. Excellent. Bit long. (3.4)
Fun album.
I enjoyed this album more and more the more I listened to it. Not my usual listening by any means but I greatly enjoyed the stong jazz influence and funk grooves.
Real tight band, slightly irritating vocals. This being said, I was listening with a backdrop of annoying five year old, so I also didn’t take in a single lyric, but I’ll probably revisit this one. It might have made it to 4 stars if I’d been paying more attention.
Good album, not as good as Baduizm. Some great songs, but also several filler songs.
Good, interesting
The soulful and funky production found here was the best part. Badu doesn't have the strongest or most memorable voice to compliment the silky smooth music. Songs have a habit of blending into each other, and I sometimes didn't notice when one song ends and another began. These lengthy records make me long for the vinyl days as most artists don't have enough worthy material to be interesting for an hour plus. Enjoyable at first, listening to the entire record soon felt like an endurance test.
It starts off funkily promising, but then takes a sharp turn into feeling a bit phoned in and dull. Not for me, even with the interesting twists and turns in production occassionally, such as in AD 2000 with the orbiting vocals when listening to it in stereo.