ERYKAH BADU - New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) [Reissue] - 2LP - Vinyl

2LP - Reissue On Black Vinyl, Gatefold Sleeve

The gifted trendsetter, Badu, has enlisted some of the most talented, groundbreaking underground producers and engineers in the Hip-Hop game to support her breakthrough return, including Mike Chav Chavarria and R&B singer Bilal. 'The music is the star', says Erykah. 

It's an 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. 

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Amerykahn Promise
2. The Healer
3. Me
4 My People

Side B
1. Soldier
2. The Cell
3. Twinkle

Side C
1. Master Teacher
2. That Hump

Side D
1. Telephone
2. Honey (Bonus Track)