Musically, New Amerykah is Badu's most hip-hop-influenced album. The tracks - sometimes turgid, sometime spare - bump, knock and boom as obscure noise bites and various voice snippets peek in and out of the mixes. Lyrically, there's so much to digest that it's a bit overwhelming for the uninitiated.
Deep references to Nation of Islam philosophies (Badu gives Louis Farrakhan a direct shout-out in the jazzy "Me") and allusions to the negative cyclical effects of drug abuse and the failures of the American health care and education systems abound. Paranoia haunts the record and finally lets up on the hidden bonus track, the feel-good jam "Honey," the album's first single.
"`Honey' is kind of a preview to Return of the Ankh," Badu says. "It's very summery. It's like how I was when I first came out. I wanted to bring that frequency back to a more conscious place."
Badu has always been an uncompromising artist - but not so much in a diva way. She's not afraid to flip her style or turn it inside out. In interviews, she comes across as sincere and sharply focused. She's also sassy and hilariously profane, all of which she reveals onstage. Although her latest album may be a tough pill to swallow, it's still a necessary dose of unfettered creativity long absent in modern black pop.
"It's the gift of being able to influence. When you're influential, that art or talent shines," Badu says. "I have to be careful not to be thoughtless in this whole thing. But at the same time, I got to be me. It's a constant struggle between me and the artist. But I feel fulfilled. The music makes me feel really good, and it's an honor to share what fulfills me."
See Erykah Badu and the Roots on the New Amerykah/Vortex Tour 2008 AD at 7 Saturday night at Pier Six Concert Pavilion, 731 Eastern Ave. Tickets are $53-$93. Call 410-547-7328 or go to ticketmaster.com.
rashod.ollison@baltsun.com
