Track Listing

1. AMERYKAHN PROMISE
2. THE HEALER / HIP HOP
3. ME
4. MY PEOPLE
5. SOLDIER
6. THE CELL
7. TWINKLE
8. MASTER TEACHER
9. THAT HUMP
10. TELEPHONE
11. (Bonus) HONEY

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #883 in Music
• Released on: 2008-02-26
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Universal Motown's multi-platinum-selling, Grammy awardwinning singer/songwriter/actress Erykah Badu returns to the music scene with her new album "New Amerykah" featuring the debut single "Honey". Laced with Erykah's bluesy grit and MC style vocals, the song is bolstered by producer's 9th Wonder's razor sharp hip hop beats. Badu describes the song as "an old school track with some funk on it." The release of "Honey" on November 20th also marks Badu's 10th year in the music industry. To celebrate, the gifted trendsetter prepares the release of her much anticipated new album on her birthday, February 26th. Badu has enlisted some of the most talented, groundbreaking underground producers and engineers in the hip-hop game to support her breakthrough return, including Grammy Award winning producer 9th Wonder (Jay-Z, Nas, Mary J. Blige), Madlib, Mike "Chav" Chavarria and R&B singer Bilal. A special, 12-inch pink wax edition will be available only to DJ's next month and will feature underground tracks, "The Healer" and "Real Thang." "The music is the star," says Erykah, "I just laid down my vocals and let the music breathe while the melodies tell the stories." This album is part one of the series New Amerykah Part 1&2.

Amazon.co.uk
Subtitled 4th World War (when was the third, eh?), New Amerykah Part One is the first release in five years from the woman born Erica Wright. The wait was worthwhile though, as this smart, eclectic set, her fourth, adds to the grand tradition of socially conscious soul music. Literally so in the case of opener "Amerykahn Promise", spun by Badu straight over an obscure seventies funk track by Roy Ayers's protégés Ramp. "The Healer" is effectively a tribute to the power of hip hop to ground otherwise lost lives, while the deeply felt "Telephone" commemorates her friend, the late producer J Dilla (and was in fact written the day after his funeral). "The Healer" and "That Hump" deal with the damage caused by drug dependency and "Soldier" is a hard-hitting analysis of the state of Black America. None of which would count for much if the music didn't connect. Though Badu's quirks remain intact--the vocal/saxophone duet at the conclusion of the otherwise ice-cool "Me" (what else) is easily resisted--a terrific team of collaborators including idiosyncratic producers Madlib, 9th Wonder and the three man unit Sa-Ra keep New Amerykah Part One endlessly imaginative, tough, twisted beats sitting alongside softer jazz-funk grooves. The US public certainly assented, sending New Amerykah towards the top of the album charts. Only the eighties-style slow jam "Honey", charming in itself, seems at odds with the serious mood and is thus tagged on the end. The now eagerly anticipated Part Two is due later this year. --Steve Jelbert

About the Artist
Erykah Badu, a Dallas native emerged in 1997 with her masterpiece debut album Baduizm as a primal force of nature connecting old school soul with contemporary R&B. The album garnered her numerous award nominations, pulling 2 coveted Grammys (Best Female R&B Vocal, Best R&B Album) and multiple Top spots on critics' Best-Of-The-Year Lists. In 2000 she followed up with the critically acclaimed platinum selling album, Mama's Gun. In 2003 the EP World Wide Underground was awarded Gold certification.

Customer Reviews

"I stay woke"
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War (Universal Motown, 2008)

Erykah Badu helped kicked off the neo-soul movement over ten years ago with the classic album, Baduizm, and the career-defining Live album. Then she dropped the even-better (but weirder) Mama's Gun. Her so-called EP, Worldwide Underground, fell to mixed reviews but this album, New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, finds her back on her "A" game for the most part. However, this album may alienate some of her fans and even her Motown record label.

The album kicks off with a remake of RAMP's "American Promise" called "Amerykahn Promise" (of course). What follows after that are various songs. Songs, not hits. This means that, as with Worldwide Underground, you have to be a little patient while listening to these and not expect any "Tyrone" or "Love of My Life". She has something to say with these abstract productions and it'll take a few listens to understand.

Things get easier though towards the end of the album. "The Hump" rides along a heavy bassline while Erykah talks about the pain of getting off the dope. "Telephone" is a touching tribute to frequent collaborator J. Dilla who passed away two years ago. And of course, "Honey" is thrown at the end of the album as it's the only "single" on here. But the best song is one that Erykah didn't write: "Master Teacher", by artist Georgia Anne Muldrew, has both ladies singing over a cool Curtis Mayfield sample.

Let's hope her label gives Erykah more promotion. She may never give us another "On and On" but Erykah will always give her the music that she wants to make and will hope that you will come along for the ride. And for those who said that she has turned weird, she's ALWAYS been a little strange. This album is exceptional but when Pt. 2 comes out (supposedly this summer), don't be surprised if it's released on Shanachie or KOCH. -EJR

what the f*** ! this is crap
Did this girl go through one of those things like Prince were she had to put out a CD to fulfill a contract? This CD is down right awful. I put this thing in my player and I had to force myself to listen to it. I didn't make it.

Disappointed Fan
I have to say that I have ALWAYS anticipated the release of Erykah's albums. I respect her as an artist and her music has always taken me to a place where I can soul search. New Amerykah was a big disappointment. I respect that she has her own direction, but I was expecting to fall in love with her new album just as I have with the past albums. Her music used to make me feel good...this new album makes me feel uneasy and uncomfortable. I don't know where she was coming from when making this album, but I am truly disappointed. It's not the Erykah I was waiting for...