Mama's Gun

Mama’s Gun works best when it’s minding its own business in the background, playing quietly while you wash dishes or stare into the void. At low volume, it behaves: warm, inoffensive, like music that apologizes for existing. The moment you turn it up or decide to actually listen, the album immediately starts making bad decisions. The production is the main culprit here. Everything sounds aggressively compressed, like the entire mix was put in a hydraulic press and told to “feel the groove.” There’s basically no dynamic range—just vibes, then louder vibes. And the bass? Completely unhinged. The low end is so exaggerated it stops being musical and becomes a physical event. My fucking subwoofer started jumping around the room like it was trying to escape the mix and apply for witness protection. Vocally, Badu is doing her thing: smooth, expressive, clearly in control, but she’s trapped inside this dense sonic soup. Her voice keeps trying to float to the surface, only to get dragged back down by the bass and compression like it owes them money. Any sense of intimacy gets lost somewhere between “thick” and “why does this sound like it’s being played through a pillow?” The arrangements suggest groove, nuance, and intention, but the sound treatment flattens everything into the same mushy plane. It’s less “organic and warm” and more “sonically overcooked". In the end, Mama’s Gun is perfectly serviceable as low-volume background music, the kind that exists but doesn’t ask questions. As a focused listening experience, though, it’s sabotaged by overcompression and a bass response that should probably be registered as domestic violence. The ideas are there. The mix said “nah". 5/10

Never heard of her or this album before now. Currently half of way through and whilst I couldn’t name a single outstanding song yet it’s quite tame for background music. Certainly not something I’d listen to again as it stands, but will listen to the second half to see if it picks up.

It's weird to compile a list of a thousand albums. There's bound to be lots of albums that not everyone is going to like or click in with. That's how this album lands for me. This record would have never landed on my Now Playing list without this. It's not a bad listen, but it's not my wheelhouse. So I don't know how to rate this fairly. It's a 2-3 for me because I don't have the skillset for R&B msuic in general.

Too boring, too long, goes nowhere

With this cover I expected some reggae. An I got 70 minutes so-called neo-soul. Musically almost peasant, especially the jazzy touch. But her uninspiring vocals and the total running time cost it the three stars for me.

Too long and too much of the same.

I can see the vocals are good and some of the lyrics too, but many of the lyrics are very cringey. The music is nice, but nothing amazing.

Would be ok if you’re in a restaurant and this is on in the backgroud

Rap

Not for me easy listening though

Instantly forgettable

Erykah's got a great voice but this genre isn't for me. Probably great for sitting in a coffee shop but never something I'm listening to personally. 4.25/5 (2.125/5)

2,3/5

Didn’t listen to all of it. Kinda good vibes if I’m in a feminine rage mood where I want to say fuck you to a random stranger for no reason. But not in a grunge way more in a bitchy lipgloss ways. Hope that helps.

Quite chilled R&B sounds. Nothing exceptional but a fairly easy listen. 2.5/5

I’ve heard better from her.

Couldn’t really get in to this. Started brightly with Penitentiary Philosophy but after that it all blended into a mass of sameness. The vocals started to grate and the music all began to sound similar from track to track. Found myself flicking to next track in the 2nd half of the disc which is not normal for me.

Easy listening, nothing in particular.

There are some seriously funky and jazzy R&B rhythms and grooves throughout this album, but I've been finding that I apparently just don't really like pop R&B vocalizations. She's got an interesting and fairly unique voice, which I'm usually drawn to someone whose singing is outside the norm, but I just find it starts to get on my nerves the further into this album I get. And, man does this album drag on.

It’s always on the edge of something interesting but never getting there In truth I found it quite forgettable

Some things are better left hidden.

Это чуть лучше, чем типичное арэнбишное завывание (по крайне мере музыкально), но всё же это завывание (две звёздочки за песню с Дэмьеном Марли).

Bag Lady

key words; soul, funk and jazz, so up for this. But I just kept checking out, by track 3 thought must nearly be finished, which was not a good indicator. Found her vocals somewhat one dimensional, lacking any variety what so ever and so for me, lacking emotion which made every track drag and appear overlong and outsaying there natural existence. It was just so much like hard work and a struggle to keep going, that isn't a good thing, probably generous - 2 Star

You know an album’s boring the shit out of you when you can’t tell when the next track starts or even which track is what. It’s that kind of dull that somebody thought was a good idea to stretch to 70 minutes. Add Badu’s annoying vocals to it and you pretty much got nothing much of value here. I’m sure that there was probably a good album somewhere squeezed in here, but I can’t find it. Favorite track: Green Eyes Other hits: A.D. 2000, In Love With You, Penitentiary Philosophy, Orange Moon

2000s R&B. It's exactly what I expected.

My misogyny goes brrrr. Singing and background instruments. 2/5

Not very interesting

Maybe its a Summer record? Just not feeling it on a cold winters day. Very pedestrian and limp with all the songs merging together into one laid back slop. I thought Erykah was funkier than this?

This was rather disappointing. Of course the album was preceded by 'On & On' which seems to have been reprised here, but reprised to match this album's aesthetic - dull (vs the original sultry groove). It seems like a cheap way to anchor the listener to familiarity - imagine if Oasis had reprised DLBIA on Be Here Now, or The Beatles had gone again with the Abbey Road medley. It's not on (and on). The rest of the album is revealed as little more than bland nu-soul, and was most disheartening. There's a couple of good moments. The brass driven, stop/start groove of 'Booty' is a highlight. 'In Love With You' was fine, on account of Stephen Marley introducing some gravelly variability into proceedings ('In Love With You'). But it's generally a vapid experience; and at over an hour and ten minutes long it becomes a challenging dirge. The album cover also reminds me of the scene in Airplane II where William Shatner is behind the screen door. But my goodness her lips are something else, and that's coming from someone with lips of the fuller persuasion. Could suck a golf ball through a hosepipe (her not me, although I confess I only tried once, and not with gusto).

Halvtrist.

Na ja. Ich fand es schon sehr lang und eher langweilig.

The Good: Mom will be able to hold off the bad people… The Bad: Mom doesn’t know what is good, or what is bad… The Ugly: Seeing mom in front of a judge, getting sentenced for having shot Erykah… Just as a quick question; if Erykah is phonetic, then is Badu racist as Asian people are being made fun of? Neo Soul… Neo anything tends to be shit, not much different here. Yes, sure, the beat is fine, while the groove is great… but the damn singing, and attitude, is just enough to make me not want to listen to this again. My biggest gripe, at the end of the day, is the runtime of this album… they should have made 40-minutes an industry standard when it comes to max album lenghts… CDs just ruined music I guess. So, should it come as a surprise that I will be dishing out 2* for this album? Mrs, or Ms, or whatever Badu should not be on this list… IMHO

I didn't love her voice which I found quite nasally. None of the songs really caught my attention. Basically I didn't really like it, although I thought some of the backing music was quite cool.

Blues, jazz, musica chill. Ni tan mal.

First song was really funky and I thought this might be a very good album, but sort of drifted into an R&B album that wasn't my thing, far too long as well

A couple of the songs aren’t bad. But this is really lacking in memorability to me. And it goes on and on and on and on.

Boring. Some decent music but the songs go on too long and don’t really go anywhere. Also some of the vocals are really nasally and grating. The entire album is too long as well. Her bored look on the cover reflects how I felt halfway through this listen.

Would have been a 2.5.

Not much of a fan. A little bit of it ok but eventually it kinda grates on me. I think it’s the winey voice and the jazzy music just all starts to sound the same.

The first song was ok. Ended up sampling the rest of the album.

Meh

Good to know something about Badu, but didn’t enjoy this much. I think every song was two chords in the same time? Nice voice etc. but this was aimless and boring.

The backing tracks have a lot more to offer than (what felt to me like) lazy vocals and boring melodies.

not really outstanding

OK enough Neo Soul grooves, but while I appreciate the range of Badu's voice, I can't handle the tone of it... She's no N'dea Davenport for example

Was mostly just wanting it to end, but still feel no other negative feelings towards it. Just whatever soul.

The beats were good, and would have been fine as an instrumental album But this way too long and repetitive. Her voice grated on me a bit and also some of the lyrics (I dont want to hear about your period thanks) 2 ⭐️

Background noise. No business being on this list

It's a good background listen, but all the songs kind of blend together, except for kiss me on my neck, which was really annoying and I had to skip halfway through. The instrumentation is great, but it falters a bit in the back half of the album

guess rym likes this too. honestly its the same with every soul/contemporary R&B album: i can sleep in the middle of it and when i wake up i would jave no idea that the song changed. apart from The ArchAndroid, i mean. that one is really fucking eclectic. 2/5

2 out of 5. Penitentiary Philosophy is a great song, and the rest was so-so.

While listening to this album I was thinking that I could have listened to this in a clothes shop. It is repetitive, plain and with basic beats, too safe that it can't be good. Some songs have nice instrumentations, but the overall is far from working well. Badu's voice feels tired and uninterested, and sometimes is very strident and tiresome.

Not my jazz..

This album is groovy as hell, but overshadowed by aimless vocal runs that dull the sharpness on virtually every track. Badu can sing, but we have to be made hyper aware of it, and that makes for a boring record.

Isch no easy aber nid maximal catchy.

Nice soul music but didn't catch me

2

Okay.

I'd be down for a instrumental version of this album

*2000 - In my wheelhouse, but never listened to this when it came out. *This took me a few tries, and still couldn’t get through it. *I like a lot of the music - very chill and smooth, but I really dislike her voice. *Like Macy Gray but without the catchy melodies. RATING - 5/10

Found it boring but my son absolutely bopped to one track!

It’s kinda good but Im over it halfway through

I thought it was groovy, but not as groovy as other albums I have listened to. I would not put it very high on my list.

Love the sound. The "songs" however ... It sounds like the producer makes the tracks and Erryka gets sloppy stoned and just riffs over them. Problem is, her ear can’t follow more than a two chord progression and she prefers just one because even two is a challenge. So we get this pretty-sounding modal-masturbation. It’s like a friend buys a Ferrari and invites you to check it out; she fires it up … and then tells you she doesn’t know how to drive. At first it’s exciting listening to the purring; quickly gets boring when you realize it’s going nowhere, and becomes infuriating sitting in the garage for an hour and ten minutes.

I'm not a huge soul person, but so far I appreciate the big sounds of this album. The first track really hits you with the dynamics. You definitely get the funk/jazz sounds from this album. I don't love it, but it's certainly a strong representative of its genre. I enjoy "In Love With You." Good duet.

Meh

Thought I might like but not really.

Funk that really failed to grab me. I was mostly bored throughout. It felt like she was trying to mimic Funkadelic. The instrumentals were there, but the vocals just didn’t sit well with me. I'm not sure if it was the mixing or the singing, but it just didn’t work. I also missed some catchy riffs or hooks to pique my interest.

Erykah Badon't

A soul album that wouldn't seem out of place being played quietly in the background of a bar or restaurant. I liked how funky some of the backing instrumentals were, but as a whole I found it all a bit boring and the album really dragged on by the end.

No idea why this one is on the list. Maybe it came over better at time of release and didn't age well. Songwriting is bland and production is lackluster. Quite possibly, Erykah may have a good voice. It's hard to tell though, buried under sound effects as it is. Not a horrible album, but definitely one I could have done without.

I didn't really like this. I didn't like the vocal effects, and the beats didn't resonate with me. This falls on the side of soul/r&b that I don't enjoy but it's hard to say exactly why. I think it's because the beats are '"jazz-inspired" but not all that interesting or complex.

This started out great and I had high hopes but unfortunately it got boring fast.

Started off with promise but it got old so quickly. I really rarely skip songs but i had to to get through this

I didn’t hate this, but really thought most of the songs were too long and that the whole album was too long…which results in boring. Badu’s voice can be a bit nasally a lot of the time as well, which I found annoying. Adds up to a two star rating.

Neo-soul seems like it'd be cool, but turns out, I like regular soul better (just call me an [[old soul] fan]). Hate to be such a hater, but I didn't like Erykah Badu's stuff when she was popular 25 years ago, and my music taste hasn't really evolved much since then. The lyrics seem good (minus a few slurs), but they are too muddled up in the music for me. (Although I did catch the very meta lyric: "What good do your words do / if they can't understand you?") To be fair, the music itself is kinda cool and jazzy, but it's muddled up in the vocals! Much muddle. Highlight: 'In Love with You' (thanks to Stephen Marley, Delawarean)

3/5 run of the mill R and B

ok but too long

too long for my taste and i didn’t really vibe with most of the songs. unfortunately didn’t finish the record

It not you, it’s me. I don’t understand/enjoy this genre. Just sounded boring and at times irritating. I don’t hate it and it was ok to have in the background but it doesn’t do anything for me. Really annoying voice?

Someone had it right on here that her voice sort of ruins it. Good vibe but ultimately not very exciting, I got bored QUICK.

Not a fan of this lady's voice. Can't really put my finger on why. It's otherwise basic R&B which

Meh

I was never really hooked. I could probably be discounting this a bit, but I didn't care enough to actually dig into the lyrics.

Eh

There are hints of really good here but the whole thing is unconvincing. She doesn’t convince me that she’s really behind the ideas and musically it’s rather pedestrian. I can believe she means the lyrics she writes and that they relate deeply to her works and experience but I she just doesn’t deliver them convincingly.

Something about her singing was really off putting to me. Beats were kind of mid. Too long. To be fair though the second half of the album was much better than the first. Green Eyes especially to end it was the best song. On a side note her alternate name from wiki, DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown, is a great name.

Sexy and fun, with a lot of soul and big grooves. Sometimes a bit too smooth for it's own good. Definitely too long. Favourite tracks: Penitentiary Philosophy, Booty, Orange Moon, Bag Lady, Green Eyes

A mixture of the most boring elements of music in the 70s and 90s.

2.15

4/10… neo soul / r&b

#546. Kind of a whiney voice. I don't really like the songs either. This one's not for me. 2/5: meh

Too laid back for me and way too long. It all sounds the same

Musically really good, but I absolutely hate this style of singing. Also 1h 16 is just too long for an album, got very repetitive.

It makes me wonder what happened to her after this release. Hopefully, she continued with a devoted fanbase.

гнусавый высокий соул? не, не моё

# Album Name: Mamas Gun # Artist: Erykah Badu # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Honestly, this is not my thing. Theres some decent vocals and sounds but none of the tracks really stuck for me. Nothing stood out. It could be background music and i wouldnt remember it. The music wasnt offense. It was just meh. # Top Tunes: None # Would I listen to it again? No

Schön, aber nicht super spannend

Lekker rustig, maar niet echt bijzonder ofzo

2.5

It's really good until she starts singing and then it just sort of goes downhill from there unfortunately. This could've been a vibe, and that's the biggest tragedy of them all.

An ok jazz album

Liked it more than I thought I would. Pleasantly surprised. Nice and relaxing Edit Mar 23 2026: 3 --> 2. I don't like the vocals that much

Pleasant chilled funky sounds spoiled by whiney voice

nose

This is not bad, but very boring. Her voice is great, but there's nothing interesting going on really.

Pleasant, mild R&B, neither memorable nor exciting.

28/1001 This is a weird record, on one hand it’s obvious she’s talented, but on the other it just seems more like elevator or background music at a restaurant. Nothing really memorable and the songs and album dragged on for way too long. Really not my kinda jam. 2,5/5

Im trying not to let my dislike of her voice cloud my judgement of the music. That said, as a woman, I don't agree with the sweeping generalizations she makes about women. I suppose my experience is very different, so I'm not compelled to listen to this again.

This genre goes over my head. I've tried listening to this album a few times and I can't connect with it. I like 'Didn't Cha Know' but the rest becomes background music to me. I expect it would be much more engaging live. Not for me!

Probably wouldn’t listen again; not too bad to have on in the background at work, but not really my style, i think my favorite songs were the first and last

Hmm... Maybe it's just not my vibe but man did it make me miserable.

Good Instrumental, bad vocals. Didn't really grab me 4/10

Not much variation between songs; everything kind of blended together.

- ich bin einfach bisher kein R&B Fan und auch das Album bekehrt mich da nicht - ABER es war weitestgehend sehr entspannt und man konnte das Album gut hören 2,25/5

I have so much good will towards the women on the list and there are some nice groves here. I’m not a huge fan of her voice though. And nothing stands out, it just sort of counters along inoffensiveky. I want to give it a 2.5 but the length cuts it to a 2. No need

It's very monotonous. Short loops repeated with uninspired singing. There's a 7 minute song with only 2 chords. That's not proper songwriting. Favorite song: hey sugah

Had a bad time listening to this - Badu sings well but refuses to sing anything interesting.

Bland, long, and quite repellent in certain ways. The lyrical themes wear thin after about 2 tracks and while the first half of the record is decent background music, by the end Mama’s Gun has become background in the worst possible way. Neo-soul might be my least favourite genre.

I don’t like her voice, the instrumentals were pretty good though. Way too long.

This music is kind of washing over me, not in a good way, not in a bad way. Its just there. I cant really tell what she is saying. I know Erykah has crazy talent and I love her but just not really on this album. I think R&B just isn't really for me.

I got bored with this very quickly. The sound is dated now.

This was fairly bland and unmemorable. Reasonably pleasant to listen to, but I can't see myself coming back to it.

This feels like it should be impactful and I should be wowed and find something in it, but it just fell flat for me. I'm surprised it isn't clicking more for me. There's clear talent and it flows together really well. Something is missing or not hitting it for me.

An instrumental copy of this for playing during a dinner party could work. It's fine sonically. I wouldn't mind hearing a version where all of the vocals were replaced by maybe a flute. The mixing is pretty solid but the album is a few tracks too long. If I want something with this vibe I'd probably look else where. This just isn't something I would write home about. I'm trying to find a reason to be generous and go to 3, but I just don't care enough.

Better than expected. Won’t be adding to my collection. Not my thing.

Mama's Gun is alright, it's a lovely chilled soulful sound with a voice that unfortunately ruins it far, far too often. She can sing to a point but when she stays too high for too long - which is very often - it grates very quickly. Also goes on for far too long, could cut 20% of it and be better off. Probably a high 2, it's not bad, it's not all that good, has its moments but plenty that lets it down, and not a patch on better from the same or similar genres.

Also a bit underwhelming - chilled, soul sound that doesn't have much in the way of bite or energy, it fades into the background far too easily and isn't memorable really at all. 2/5.

Started off pretty strong but didn't last long

It’s fine. I never really connected with this type of music.

It's jazz, lounge, smooth, dinner party, background hum scat singing nothingness. As pleasant as you want it to be and no more.

Listen to Betty Davis.

It's very slick and smooth. For some reason, Neo-Soul vocals sometimes get very nasally and sound very goofy to me. Not really my thing. Key tracks: ....& On Bag Lady

Beh...

I really got sick of hearing her voice for over an hour

Something about her, the lore, the fandom makes me feel annoyed and off put. I feel narcissism and idk , I didn’t really enjoy this the same along with her other music.

R&B, 2000 -> 2

Not for me

Largely forgettable to me. Not my kind of music, though she seemed to sing well. 2/5

I didn’t get this. Like really at all. I really liked some of the instrumental arrangements. There’s some really cool stuff here. Jazz, funk, soul, maybe even a little reggae all combine to create this interesting soundscape that just grooves. If this was an instrumental album, I’d give it an easy five stars. Lyrically? It didn’t do it for me. It’s repetitive, and the lyrics seem to lack depth. Maybe you don’t go to an album like this for lyrical depth but instead come for the grooves. But there’s an emphasis on the lyrics and vocals for sure and it just didn’t do it for me. That brings me to the vocals. Sometimes her voice is angelic and flows like a fine wine out of a bottle. Sometimes it takes on a tone that feels grating and is downright annoying. It’s a shame it couldn’t better compliment the great instrumentals here. Overall I hate to give it two stars but that’s where I’m at. It overstays its welcome and just doesn’t get me excited. A second listen might change that but who has time for that when it’s over an hour long?? Standout Tracks: Penitentiary Philosophy, Bag Lady

Not bad, wasn't up beat enough for me.

Het klinkt allemaal wel lekker, en een hoop talent zit er in de plaat, maar de muziek is veel van hetzelfde, en meandert, waardoor het album best wel saai is.

Not bad music but not what I’m into

Not so much my thing either but got to throw some respect on her vocals.

Die Interpretin hat zweifellos eine großartige Stimme, und einige melodische Aspekte auf “ Dem Album sind durchaus ansprechend. Der Musikstil des Albums lässt sich als Neo-Soul beschreiben, mit Einflüssen aus Funk, Soul und Jazz. Es fehlt es dem Album jedoch an Spannung und Abwechslung. Viele der Tracks klingen ähnlich und bieten wenig Überraschungen oder Höhepunkte. Insgesamt wirkt das Album wie ein Einheitsbrei, der sich durch monotone Rhythmen und vorhersehbare Arrangements auszeichnet und leider zu viel SchummSchumm.

Overrated

The first track blew me away but my interest slowly faded as the tracks went on. No doubt it is a well constructed album, but it started to feel repetitive and with a 1+ hour runtime it really starts to drag. 2.5

3.96 rym non è il mio purtroppo 2/5

This is a great album held back significantly by the use of a drum machine. Drum machines work in some genres like new wave and industrial music, but on a funk/soul/hip hop-infused album, I really think you need a true drummer who can put some passion and flair into the work that a drum machine is incapable of. Questlove does drum on some tracks but his touch seems light and it’s hard to discern. Otherwise, Badu herself is great, but I really feel like she’s held herself back on all her albums but not involving more meaningful percussion.

Quite a fan of Funk, NeoSoul or general melodic music but this was a turnoff, guess I can't stand the voice.

There's something grating about Erykah Badu's voice that turned me off of this album. Still, not as bad as some of the other albums I've listened to on this list.

Maybe I’m just inconsistent on neo-soul, but Mama’s Gun didn’t really do much to me. I find myself often getting bored with the monotonous, drawn-out song structures in the neo-soul genre, and while sometimes it works (it does occasionally on here), I lose interest pretty quickly because of the nature of the type of music. This means that my score and overall opinion doesn’t reflect the quality of this album, I genuinely just think it’s not for me

The entire album has a very specific low-energy vibe. Maybe on a different day I would be in a better mood for it. But today I just wanted more movement. It’s too long of an album, and the songs are long too, to not shake it up a bit somewhere along the way. Fine background music for a lounge, or when you’re chilling with friends not really paying attention to the music.

I got really excited for this album after the first song, but then it went into the whole "background music at a strip club" genre, heavy bass and drums, keyboards and lots of moaning.

that's where this song comes from lol not bad, definitely not my style very meh though, don't think i'd listen to again

2.5

2.25

I don't know. A stoned person singing with a Marley annoys me. Groove is ok

At its best, sounds a lot like D’Angelo’s brown sugar (didn’t change know, my life). Lost me when the songs were more about the vocals or the lyrics than the music. Turned a couple up but then skipped a bunch. 2.2

In a nutshell: brilliant backing, let down by predictable vocal acrobatics. The drum work is top tier, courtesy of Questlove and Gino Lock Johnson Iglehart. Erykah has swagger on the opening track. Reminiscent of Betty Davis. Then Erykah's voice becomes predictable from track 2 onwards due to limited key exploration and (previouly noted in another review) monotone delivery. This album didn't need to be 71 minutes long either. Erykah has no doubt inspired/influenced many neo-soul singers: Solange, Janelle Monae, Amy Winehouse. However, I feel that this isn't the best representation of her on the list. Overall: 4/10

Not big on R&B sorry!!! Some songs ok like chill but again would never listen to in my own time really!

The whole Neosoul thing never really resonated with me and diving in to a whole album of it didn't seem to make much of a difference. I get why people like this but it is just kind of meh for me.

ganz nett, mir zu jazzig/ruhig

Of the 1 hour 11 minute runtime the only bit I liked was the interlude "Hey Sugah (Interlude)". That's about the only truly nice thing I have to say about this album, aside from great jazz/funk/soul/r&b instrumental performances that bring forward sounds from the 60s and 70s. It is terrible to say, but truly if you were to take off Badu's vocals, I just might have enjoyed this album, but the vocals aren't doing anything for me and become monotonous pretty quickly. I feel like the songs were left without their own vocal identity. Take "In Love With You" in which Stephen Marley put his vocal stamp on the song and then Erykah comes in with the same phrasing and dynamics she has been using the whole album, which just kills the momentum he created, until finally in the outro their vocals start to really shine together. A neo soul album that won't disrupt the sipping of an an early morning cup of coffee, but is certainly not going to get the emotional or physical senses going like that cup of coffee will. Perhaps an album for a demo I am not the member of. Wouldn't make my list of 1001.

sounded ok, jut it just felt like a generic RNB album from the early 2000's

I thought i might like this better but it was just ok for me.

There is a London-centric DJ I really like - Robert Elms - not for his taste in music but for his interviews and wit, his love and curiosity about this fair city. The problem with his show was the music and for a good few years I was bombarded with Erykah Badu. Talk about On & On & On… not my vibe but I’ve definitely mellowed and don’t dislike the music as much as I did 20 years ago. It’s obviously wheedled its way into my psyche. And On & On is such an earworm…

Was expecting something else entirely. Not for me, too bad

I liked the album, but after listening to it again, after a long time, I don't like it so much anymore. Her voice is very irritating, tormenting. I have to listen to the album again when I have a quiet moment, maybe then I'll like it better again

Liked the music, but not the voice on many songs. Overall, I did not find it engaging enough to seek it out again.

The Time I spent listening to this certainly was A Wasted

I liked some of the songs but then didn't like others a pretty middle-of-the-road album

Seichter Neo Soul.

Beautiful voice. Not my thing though.

This is, unfortunately, exactly the kind of music I really don't like. I just can't. Listens: 1 No fave track. Rating: 2

I tried, just could not get into it…

I don't like this style of singing. It was OK I guess, but none of the songs really struck a chord with me, and I thought they were all pretty similar throughout the album.

I'm tempted to skip every song. I think I would need weed and a very comfortable sofa to really enjoy this music, maybe some other stoner company. I don't have any of these things, I'm just bored

2 pour moi. C'est pas que c'est mauvais, mais je ne pense pas que je ferais jouer ça de moi-même.

Ihan kiva mutta mietitytyttää miksei ihmiskunta pystynyt tähän aiemmin.. 2000 luvulle mentävä että päästään tälläisiin lyyrillisiin voivattelu tunnekuohuihin.. Vielä kun ei kappaleet olis samaa paskaa pitkää aikaa = jaksan katsoa tiktokin juuri juuri heh luuletko tällänen jää historiaan.. ei ole jäämässä historiaan.. Jos minulla ongelmia arvostaa ja ottaa aikaa tälle.. et sinäkään tulevaisuuden lukia heh pysty..

Listenable.

Cant get into it.

OMFG HOW CAN I GET THIS SO LATE IM ON MY 1069TH ALBUM Ok I thought it would be better actually. Its like ok 2

Soul, R&B, female, slow/mid, well arranged with strings, keys, winds and co, good voice, but songs too much focused on it, songs too simple, album too long

Groovy/funky kinda R&B. Her voice is really nasally and a little annoying though. Bag Lady was pretty good. Album ended strong.

There is not enough substance, boring.

nyeeeh 2

R&B, not really my style

Not awful is the best I can say.

Nyeh

One or two songs of this is fine, but when it's a full album you inevitably stop caring.

its meh

Songs seemed to blend together and nothing really stood out

It came, it left, I barely noticed.

About halfway through this album I was enjoying it, but by the end, I was ready for it to be over. It felt very repetitive.

It's probably just not my type of music and unfair but I find this pretty boring.

Not a big fan of this. There's this weird double-vocal-tracking thing going on where I'm guessing she couldn't get one good take so they just decided to average two. Just...boring.

Ok, but not great

Blind album and artist. Instrumentals were cool but I did NOT like the singing or vocals. Thought it was produced very well in general

Thoughts before listening: This is cool neo-soul from the late 90s/early 2000s. This was never my thing but I'm sure I will enjoy this...probably more than I would have when it was released. If this has Tyrone on it then that's a great song that I mainly know from My Morning Jacket's cover. Review: Tyrone is not on this album, but I like what I am hearing. Awesome grooves throughout these songs and Erykah Badu is a great singer. I especially like the jazzy backing instrumentation with funky walking bass lines that creates a laid back vibe. That being said, this does drag a bit at times. The whole thing stays in a very similar groove throughout, and while it makes for a pleasant listen I would have appreciated some changes in pace. The best songs are the two biggest hits from this album: Didn't Cha Know and Bag Lady. Those are getting added to the playlist.

Not my thing, and regardless much too long.

Started out as a decent listen and then AD 2000 hit and things went off the rails, Badu lost me, the album became a bore and downright bad. R&B continues to be the worst genre as far as I’m concerned. This was exhausting. 2 stars

Dont love. 2 stars

Her voice irks me. But I like Stephen Marleys feature

Super chill album but I don’t fancy soul and r&b that much. “Didn’t Cha Know” and “Penitentriapy Philosophy” are probably my favorite tracks on this album.

Was excited to listen but was disappointed by how boring it was

Kinda TLC vibes

Only listened a bit and it was ok

2.2

Erica Bad.

This R&B is better than D'Angelo but it's still way too long and quite booty overall 🤡🍑

Not my cup of tea

This album is like one big song, with songs oozing into each other and just feeling like one coherent thought, which I imagine is a big plus for those who are fans of this album. I, however, am not. It started to drag quite a bit pretty early on, and the long runtime just made it hard to stomach. I mean, it wasn't awful, but it turned to background noise very quickly, and any time I did tune back in, it felt like something not good was happening, like her weird country twang thing she does on some of the songs. Really at the end of the day this just wasn't really for me, but I can at least recognize that something good is here.

Love the influence she has but found this monotonous

Overall enjoyable

Very good musicians, but I get really tired quick of her vocal tone.

Bonita voz. Pero rollo.2

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.

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.

Erykah Badu is a taste i never acquired and this is a long album.

Music is OK. Not my style. Not the worst I've ever heard though.

Pardon flav

gibts ned

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.

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.

Not really for me

Not really for me

Starts off very strong, but quickly falls into elevator music category and doesn't get out of there.

Mostly fine but too long and not particularly remarkable; mostly just faded into the background.

Bad. u

Not my bag. I found it too samey, not helped by the fact that it's not my bag

Dull at first then I got into its grooviness..

Eliza would like this but it's not my thing.

Nondescript late-90s / early-90s soul that is instantly forgettable once each song ends.

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.

Need to re-listen.

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.

Just not for me.

Smooth, riding in a late night taxi

Альбом мне не понравился. Скучный и поверхностный. Фоновая музыка

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.

Like I can tell this is very good but it’s not for me

Bonita voz. Pero rollo.2

sounds good but I'm not in the vibe for it

Not my style

leuk maar vooral te lang

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Very generic. Nothing stood out to me.

Ikke lige mig

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.

Sounds like where Kendrick Lamar got some of his sound. Not my fav

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.

A decent r and b album. I knew of Badu from bag lady and I like that song. However I figured the rest of the album would be similar. The instrumentals were good all around but I found Badus singing to be the low point. Lyrically it was fine but after halfway I got tired of hearing her sing. It’s not a bad album just one I don’t prefer. 4.8/10

Listened Before? N I know who she is, and I've heard a song by her back in the day, but I've never paid much attention. This is not really my style. It's okay, and I don't hate listening to it, but I'll never listen to it again. Added to Library? N Songs added to Playlist: Didn't Cha Know

Some great sounds and musicianship from the musicians - in particular the drummer and bassist. This is quite far out of my comfort zone and I definitely haven't been turned onto funk as a result but can appreciate the craft.

Was expecting it to be more. Just come up flat for me.

Erykah brought it back at the end with "Green Eyes". Album's too long, had some major weak points where I just didn't care, but the occassional clever lyricism and chill vibes throughout, along with the strong closer make this a worthy listen, if maybe only once.

The music is alright but I'm not a fan of her voice. It's not bad just not for me. I'm glad I listened to it but I probably wouldn't play it again.

Redelijk R&B plaatje maar zal het niet nog eens aanzetten

You dont have to say everything 20 times!

Eh

The album definitely drags on in the middle. A lot of it is fine, but a lot of it feels bombastic just for the sake of being bombastic. It's just lacking something, but I am not sure what. Highlight: 1.

2.5

Smooth, jazzy, soulful, but not to my tastes. I found this quite dull. 2/5

A few interesting moments

a nice album! a pleasant listen while there are some great themes and lyrics. "why world do you want me to be so mad" from "penitentiary philosophy" hit me, today, in the year 2022! every song had such a mellow vibe and it wasn't a bad listen at all. but it simply didn't wow me. a lot of it blended together, and some songs unfortunately didn't want to end. i'm satisfied i listen to some erykah badu and i wouldn't be upset to listen to this again, but i wouldn't seek it out.

this was a miss for me, nothing really grabbed me and like most have noted this album is waaay too long at 71 mins.

Афроамериканская музыка. Лирические отступления в виде диалогов о любви. Ритмичные композиции . Хорошая музыка, просто мне такое не заходит.

Didn’t really vibe with this.

Not my vibe

Some good vibes but largely outside of my area of enjoyment.

Not my thing.

Yeah, there’s chill and then there’s Badu chill. I found myself lulled to sleep with this one. Can’t deny the music or the soul.

Not really my thing.

A keeper or two here. Not quite what I expected, only knowing her part from The Roots song. I think Andre3000 was influenced here.

Eh I'm not a fan of it - just typical 90s R&B - it all just kind of sounds the same. 4/10.

Prettig op de achtergrond, meer is het niet voor mij

Meer soul-achtige hiphop waar ik een broertje dood aan heb. Kan hier weinig mee, maar klinkt niet slecht denk ik...

Tja, ook best oké maar ik mis de energie een beetje. Iets te laidback allemaal.

Slaapverwekkend 😴

Ik zou willen dat ik hiervan hield, maar dat is niet zo.

Its good.

pretty funky.

Erykah Badu me suena de haberla escuchado en Radio3, pero nunca le he prestado atención. En esta escucha de un disco entero tampoco lo ha hecho. Entiendo que puede ser interesante pero no para mí, se puede escuchar como música de fondo pero no me ha parecido algo que tenga que estar en una lista de los mejores 1001 discos.

Erykah Badu's reputation precedes her but I haden't listened to any of her albums. I was disappointed, I found that the songs were not holding my attention, but were fading into the background. Not too crazy about her voice either. Could grow on me.

Didn't pick up on anything here. It just seemed to get into a groove and become stuck there.

I varied between it fading into the background and actively wanting to switch it off. It was a mash-up of spoken word poetry, jazz, and soul that ultimately I just don’t get.