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31Knots Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)
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Erykah Badu's latest album was produced by 9th Wonder, Madlib, Mike "Chav" Chavarria, and Bilal.
| LABEL: | Motown |
| RELEASE DATE: | 26 February 2008 |
| DISCS: | 1 disc |
| GENRE(S): | R&B, Soul |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 24 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Chris W. gave it a2:
A major disapointment! Her last album was much more focused. This is just garbage at points.
Dan C. gave it a9:
This is a fantastic album. beguiling, groovy, political, ironic, beautiful, messed up, rockin album..
R.T. Mar gave it a6:
Album contains 2 of my all time favorite songs by E.B. Bu 3 that I puposefully erased when saving to my i-Pod. Could have done without the militant black sufferage whining that goes on and on and on in a couple of tracks. Was hoping for a return to Mama's Gun , instead she put out a decent album with a bunch of out-takes from Superfly soundtrack. Good album when you sort through the clutter and politics. Not great by any stretch.
Conquertheworld gave it a3:
Creative in a bad way.
Heak T. gave it a9:
Early contender for album of the year, although she may yet surpass herself with her next installment/s. My favourite Badu album so far too. Very hard to get a multitude of producers on an album without it sounding patchy, but it's varied and consistent at the same time, a rare feat. From the meditative groove of "My People" to the pumped up old-skool workout of "The Cell", it's all immaculately executed, yet incredibly complex. I think critics that complain about lack of real "songs" miss the point; Badu prefers to vamp and let stream-of-consciousness lyrics flow over a beat and bassline, it's her way and it makes for an album that serves as a more worthy descendent of classic 70s funk by Funkadelic, Mayfield and Ohio Players than, say, Jamiroquai. Btw, bonus points for giving Georgia Anne Muldrow a guest spot on Master Teacher. She's ace!
Louis P. gave it a6:
I love me some Erykah Badu and I love me some REAL hip-hop, but I don't know if I love them in the same breath. "New Amerykah" is the marriage of both and too often one bogs down the other. Badu embraces the production, which at least detours from the standard radio garbage, but it also makes her sticks to concepts. Badu's voice rarely brims with the soul of her past successes, replaced with chants that lack charm or the sense of humor that made me fall for her past albums. Even with the political angle, Badu seems to be saying less this time since it all does not come from an emotional place. So thank goodness for "Honey", not because of the content, which is lighter than the rest of the album; but because producer 9th Wonder seems to be as in love with Badu's wobbly, nasal voice as I am. He shapes his production to complement her, where the other producers are just doing there own thing. The critics could be right though. "New Amerykah" might grow on me. On a second listen, I am able to separate the two, and enjoy them on there own merits. But I never had to make an excuse for a Badu album before.
Bc S. gave it a9:
Pretty hot record. General criticism: overexpansive and in need of sharper editing both in terms of lyrical scope and song length. General praise: brimming with creativity; an artist unafraid to flex her brain and sense of humor. Reserve judgment til you've spun the disc from start to finish all the way through. Undeniably hot: "The Hump," "The Healer," "Soldier," and "Twinkle."
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