Reviews (page 7 of 9)
I didn’t like this at all
Love the influence she has but found this monotonous
Really interesting, didn’t think i’d like it as much as I did
I really liked it!
This is definitely edging on quite good: I wouldn't say this is an immediate decision for a good rating but I'm not sure how to feel about it. I clicked play and loved the first few songs, thought it was perfect but then it sort of drowned out into background mumble and nothingness making it sit with an almost underwhelming feeling after the first few songs. I don't think it's bad at all but just can't rate it too high bc I just got bored.
terapeutico disco
Very talented singer. I noticed a few bars were ripped by Lin Manuel Miranda for Hamilton.
pretty cool
Okay, the album is a little long and a little samey. But honestly, those are small complaints in this regard. I have a feeling that it won't feel as long to me when I'm not under time pressure like I was today. I cannot believe I'd never heard of Erykah Badu until today. What a queen. What a one of a kind artist. She melds jazz, soul and hip-hop so seamlessly into an extremely distinctive sound (am I wrong to say there's a touch of reggae influence as well?). Yes, those are the same influences that you hear in RnB, and this is more than a little RnB, but it's more than that. It sounds so much more distinctive and colourful than any RnB I've ever heard. The instrumentals are way more eclectic and interesting. But that's not all... we need to talk about HER VOICE. Honestly, it's so beautiful! She has a gorgeous tone with so much expression and beautiful inflections. This was especially noticeable when juxtaposed against that one feature, Stephen Marley, who can't sing to save his life. He sounds like he's always gasping for air or something. Oh well, something I'll have to get used to. Also, her lyrics are amazing! There are so many positive messages presented on this album, and all of them are really well done. Even the songs I thought I wouldn't like too much, like "Booty," I ended up loving because the message was positive. Favourite tracks: My Life, ...& On, Orange Moon, Bag Lady
Oh, this was just lovely. Laid back, silky, earthy, sexy. Everything you want in a great soul album. Fave Songs: Bag Lady, Didn't Cha Know?, In Love with You, My Life, Time's a Wastin', Orange Moon, Green Eyes
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.
Overall enjoyable
Very good musicians, but I get really tired quick of her vocal tone.
Ok album didn’t really get a close enough listen to be confident of rating.
This is great so far. Super groovy, can hear roots of lots of more modern hip hop and rnb. Lots of Kendrick Lamar.
I didn’t really think I was going to like this going in, but it was really groovy
I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS
Brilliant. 6 stars.
кайф кайфец кайфарыч
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)
Lovely stuff. Before listening I only really knew Erykah Badu from 'On & On' and that she was Andre 3000's ex and subject of Ms. Jackson. I wish I had been more aware because this album is fantastic, groovy neo-soul fused with hip-hop beats, all underneath Badu's mesmerising vocals. Boom!
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.
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.
This album is so freaking good. It's groovy, the songs transition into each other, and it just sounds awesome. Vocals, instrumentals, and songwriting are top notch. My first five star and well deserved. This is a song I'd buy on vinyl if I collected them
❤️!
Favourite tracks: didn't cha know; time's a wastin'
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.
Nice find - adding to Favorites
It's nice
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
Bonita voz. Pero rollo.2
an extremely cool album. sounds pretty timeless too
Too long, too smooth
Get used to the face expression on the cover, because that's the one you'll be having for the next hour and 11 minutes.
Once again, very cruelly, the length of this album kills all the charm there could be. There are wonderful neo-soul moments and songs out there, but also many salty fillers so we can fill the CD at its maximum length.
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.
An amazing soul album
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.
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!
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.
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
Not really my type of music - it does nothing for me.
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.
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
Du bon neo soul R & B. Je connaissais pas, la précurseure de Beyonce genre. Bag lady pis watcha sont bonnes. Pas full mon style par contre.
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.
I enjoyed this a lot. R&B, soul, hiphop. Queen of neo-soul. D’Angelo vibe.
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
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.
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.
Erykah Badu is a taste i never acquired and this is a long album.
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.
Music is OK. Not my style. Not the worst I've ever heard though.
Confession time: I’m a huge Erykah Badu fan. Excellent work!
not really into
Great
sade with a twist
good album, unique sound.
Pardon flav
j'ai vibé sous les rayons du soleil méridien
Big DiFranco energy. Flawless, fresh, funky. Fantastic.
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
You remove the vocals, it sounds like soundtrack for some VHS porn tape
mehhhhhhh
gibts ned
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
This album was too long for my liking which got real boring real fast. It was intriguing at first however. Both the songs and overall album were lengthy which was irritating and made me kind of forget my true feelings about it.
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.
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.
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??
A good album - great use of instruments and Erykah's voice is beautiful.
Solid album but a bit long
Brilliant! Will definitely be playing this again and again. Great album.
Groovy, but blends together at times
Penitentiary philosophy Didn't cha know ...& On
The instrumentals on this album are absolutely fantastic, but that's where it ends for me. Erykah Badu sounds like a baby goat crying for attention at best and one being slaughtered at worst and most often. I remember when she was popular, I didn't like this kind of music at the time so I never listened and I'm glad I didn't. If there's an "A" or "Ah" sound watch out, she's going to spark a primal nausea in you that I imagine exists to force you to ask yourself, "Am I really so hungry I'm willing to slaughter this defenseless animal?" This album gets the rating it does from me solely because I find the instrumentals to be excellent. Unfortunately they are completely bogged down by horrible vocals. Liked songs: None...just...none.
Solid
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.
Not really for me
Ace.
Not really for me
Feels like there’s some talent here, but I don’t enjoy the voice nor style.
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.
Starts off very strong, but quickly falls into elevator music category and doesn't get out of there.
Fantastic album.
Made it half way through. Sorry. Not my style at all. 'Booty' finished it for me. Not sure what I'm meant to be getting from this.
Sounded ok from one listen. Some interesting tracks. Will give another go. Hard to judge, clearly a grower.
Mostly fine but too long and not particularly remarkable; mostly just faded into the background.
Not mind blowing, but I liked this
It started strong but then lost the thread for me. I don't remember most of it.
:)) Det dejligt og godt
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.
Bad. u
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
Sublime
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.
More groovy than her debut, more heartfelt, more adventurous.
Wasn’t sure what to expect Very good Album
Not my bag. I found it too samey, not helped by the fact that it's not my bag
Noice
Great souly music with smooth hip hop grooves
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
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!
Great voice, but far too long an album. The sound was great but it got repetitive quick.
Letras muy buenas, ritmos que juegan con la parodia/cliche/inmersión y las letras se le suman a eso a veces. Los géneros que se tocan son fieles a sus raíces en todos los aspectos. La voz es hermosa y sabe lo que hace en todo momento, tiene un delivery selecto pero acertado. 9/10
Mellow! Nice!
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.
Dull at first then I got into its grooviness..
Eliza would like this but it's not my thing.
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
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.
Effortlessly cool, but maybe a bit too long
I listened to this twice, the first time just in the background and I didn't think much of it. I only knew "Didn't Cha Know" before and did like it, so felt like I was missing something. I gave it a second listen with my "good" headphones, and was completely blown away! The production is fantastic, great drum and bass sound, and her vocals are really unique and interesting. The panning on "AD 2000" is particularly beautiful, like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
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
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
Nondescript late-90s / early-90s soul that is instantly forgettable once each song ends.
Ok
I respect her voice and musical talent but this whole thing fell flat for me and I didn’t enjoy it at all. Too smooth, no real hooks, and far too long. Need more structure.
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.
Bästa erykah!!
Really nice
Her best album
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
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.
Enjoyed the groove here, pleasant discovery.
A shame about the length, because there are some great songs on here
Þessi tónlist... þessi kona...
Good! Not really my taste but good.
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
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
This is the ideal Sunday brunch soundtrack. Soul soothing.
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.
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.
Love the groove and low key sound of this album, I even still love it despite listening to it when I had a car accident.
Need to re-listen.
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.
I had only heard Baduizm before this and loved it, but this shit is on a different level. This is a perfect album to me.
A vibe
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
This is pretty funky. I love this one. I forgot how badass Erykah Badu was on this album or at this time. This is amazing. When I need to chill and just relax, I'll come back to this one. I'm glad this is in my algorithm now. 95/100 or 5 stars in the 1001 album ranking.
Cleva went right on my empowerment playlist. Perfect. And now I've learned that she crochets her own clothes. That's the fifth star for me.
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.
GOAT
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
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
Better than I expected - the groove is undeniable, if somewhat repetitive. Odd that I missed this first time around.
Good without being excellent
10/10 extraordinarily beautiful and consistently enjoyable
Wow. Stunning record.
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.
9th January 2023 Listened throughout the day while working from home. Gym and Seb round in the evening, told him about baby and won Catan. Not my bag but got some nice vibes on it. 2.5 if I could.
Probably decent if you're into this sort of music but it's not for me. I enjoyed the first track, a couple more were ok, but after 70+ minutes I was thoroughly bored.
3.75
Pretty good. I need to listen again but I was jamming on the first play through.
Always been a casual fan of Badu but this is the first time I've ever listened to one of her records front to back. And holy shit I'm so glad I did. Such a great one to put on when you're winding down.
Erykah has such a voice, but literally and figuratively. So creative, such a great vocalist, and a great vibe all around.
Wasn't exactly my speed
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
Good neo-soul album with intelligent lyrics.
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
Just not for me.
Smooth, riding in a late night taxi
Slinky jazz soul rnb which just got me 6 points on popmaster
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.
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
Альбом мне не понравился. Скучный и поверхностный. Фоновая музыка
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
Zeikerige liefdesliedjes die 10 uur duren, kut zeikstem
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.
Too long and the singing is not something that I enjoy at all, it bordered on grating. I'd give it a 1, but a lot of the music itself is fairly good.
Some pretty average R&B imo, 2.5 would be more accurate
This album is best heard with a good set of speakers and a glass of wine or good craft beer. Deep beats and chill.
Like I can tell this is very good but it’s not for me
Wasn't as bad as it looked
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.
Wow, j’ai beaucoup aimé cet album. C’est très varié, tout en étant très unifié et cohésif. Les grooves sont monstrueux. La voix est magnifique, avec juste ce qu’il faut de slang. Le propos est intelligent.
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.
Bonita voz. Pero rollo.2
A vibe, especially while studying, favorite track - idk they all sounded the same
sounds good but I'm not in the vibe for it
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.
Erykah Badu is an artist that I have very little familiarity with but has been on my list of artists that I wanted to explore more. So happy that this project has pushed me in that direction!! Loved it!
Deliciously soulful. A great soundtrack for a chill Friday evening after a long, hard week.
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.
As is often the case with the albums listed here, what starts with the promise of freshness quickly deteriorates into the repetitive.
Some I enjoyed (Orange Moon in particular), a lot that were kind of "eh" but nothing that was bad.
I don’t like this it drags on way too long and her voice is just your typical cringey early 2000’s pop hip hop voice. The music is very loungey which it’s nice the album keeps a cohesive tone throughout but it’s so boring (a high) 1/5.
godess. defined the 00s.
10/21/22 Listened to this throughout the day. Smooth, cool. Loved 3 songs.
Not my style
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.
hard pass
leuk maar vooral te lang
Leuke eenmalige listen
Bylo gdzies slyszane
Mama's Gun is the second album by American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu. This neo soul album has elements of funk, soul, and jazz, making for a relaxing vibe. Although not as successful as her first album Baduizm, this album was a critical and commercial success - being certified platinum in the US. I enjoyed this album, but it's not within my musical preference.
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.
Over an hour of songs smooth as butter. Can't really say a bad thing about the album
I know Erykah Badu but I’ve never listed to this full album. I enjoyed it. Very funky and soulful. It’s clear how influential this was on later R&B and rap of the 2000s and even still today
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.
A great album and one I’d say is one of a kind except I think it works well as the sister companion to D’angelo’s Voodoo. There are a diverse array of sounds on here but the project feels cohesive overall in the way it mixes jazz, soul, hip hop and rock. Really special.
Real good
Smooth, like a hot comb on nappy-ass hair
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.
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.
Yes! Funky, smooth, unique voice. Musical poetry. Love this so hard!
Cool enough
Didn't hate it, but it was only an hour long and it felt more like three. Things just really slowed to a crawl at times and having a ten minute finale didn't help. Strangely enough, my favorite track on here was one of the slower ones "Orange Moon." I think I could absolutely get behind an album of these slower, more acoustic or jazz-adjacent tunes if it had a runtime of about 30 minutes. That feels like maximum Badu to me. Otherwise I had the same issues I've had with similar records where it seems like every song introduces a new vocal affectation. There were too many times on this record where I found myself wishing she would just sing instead of making the word "water" sound like it's being sung by a weird 4 year old kid. I don't know. I get - and vaguely remember - that Badu existed as a sort of welcomed alternative to the Mariah Careys and Whitney Houstons of the world. She is for sure different and for sure talented. But I can't help but wonder what she could do with just a straight up pop banger. I'd like to hear that.
Such a pleasant album to listen to.
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.
Beautiful voice....
Overlong, little difference between tunes and poor lyricism all contributed to this record dissapiintong me. Sorry but I just wasn't a fan. A dissapointing record
Was ok
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!
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
Good album but I'm not into turn of the millenium R&B
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
CLASSIC
Loved it.
Not really my cup of tea.
gorgeous gorgeous
Un clásico, 6/10
I suppose I can see the appeal but this album did nothing for me and honestly wanted it to be over after the first 30 minutes. Too long, and the songs all blurred into one for me, but there were a few highlights to keep it being a complete waste of time.
One of the best r&b albums ever, Ms Badu you've rocked my world
This album left me pretty disappointed unfortunately. Very little variety between the tracks, both in terms of vocals and instrumentals. Favorite track: My Life
Eh. Some catchy tracks but not my thing.
Fælt
A marvelous sophomore release, on which Badu explores a wide swath of emotions and themes, from closing yourself off to outside ideas on "Penitentiary Philosophy", to self-acceptance in the face of the prevalence of superficiality in society on "Cleva", infidelity on "Booty", police violence and racial profiling on "A.D. 2000", the weight of emotional baggage on "Bag Lady", from pure unadulterated romance on "I'm in Love with You" to jealousy with a touch of self depreciating humor on "Green Eyes". An album that is consistent in it's musicality, well written and understated lyrics and excellent production. Speaking of production, it serves as a good introduction to the producer J Dilla, whose classic "Donuts" is (surprise, surprise!) missing from the list. This one may be a grower if neo-soul isn't your bag, but give it a few spins, it's one of those records that not only has a timeless quality, but also infinite replay-ability.
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.
Smooth chill sounds Feels more funkier than some of her other music
First time hearing it front to back, this was really good. It really should be listened to all in one sitting
Erykah Badu is good shit. This is good shit.
Soulful R&B. Not the biggest fan, but I can appreciate it.
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.
Ok. Skipped a lot of songs
Very generic. Nothing stood out to me.
Ikke lige mig
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
Amazing album; one of the greats.
Nice vibes
Great stuff
Very slick, too smooth for me.
A nice summer feel - it reminded me of the Isleys at their peak. Clever, intelligent and funky. But also far too long. I didn't make it to the end.
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
Sounds like where Kendrick Lamar got some of his sound. Not my fav
Stylish, real
A perfect album on a sunny day - Erykah Badu’s exquisite vocals over some laid back nu soul grooves.
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.
Wow, what a fucking snore of an album. For all the rage of Badu being like a modern Billie, there was none of the sauce on the voice, and even the instrumentals were weak.
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.