Baduizm

Love this artist.

Erykah Badu was one of the pioneers of 90's neo soul. "Baduizm", her ultra-cool 1997 debut album, was a huge success. It went triple platinum and won the Grammy for Best R&B Album. The single "On & On" earned for her the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Erykah wrote or co-wrote every song except "4 Leaf Clover". Her lead vocal talent is obvious after listening to a few seconds of the album, and she also contributed background vocals, keyboards and music programming. To me, what distinguishes the album's sound, other than Erykah's talent, is the minimalist production. The standout features which complement the vocals and keyboards are the strong, pronounced bass and the "stick" sound in place of a regular drumbeat. "On & On" uses the stick, which gives the sound a primitive edge, and so do most of the other tracks. The general sound of "On & On" pervades the album, and this is what makes the album as unique as it is. There are two slower tracks, "Other Side Of The Game" and "Next Lifetime"; and there is the funny, old-school bluesy, "Afro (Freestyle Skit)" to lighten things up a bit. There are 2 versions of "Certainly", track 8 and track 13. They are pretty similar. The main difference I notice is that track 8 features melodious piano, while track 13 features a different keyboard. Both versions are fine, and I prefer track 8 simply because I like piano so much. Many of the songs are about relationships, mostly concerning the difficulties therein. "4 Leaf Clover" shows ambivalence about love: "Catch a four leaf clover...Try and love might come your way...Like the way I am free/Going places, being things I wanna be/Settle down is oh so hard/But I will pray you get that one chance". "Next Lifetime" is about forbidden love: "Now what am I suppose to do/When I want you in my world...When I'm already someone's girl...Guess I'll see you next lifetime". Some relationships are just toxic: "Sometimes I don't love you anymore/Sometimes I'm in love with you/Sometimes I think that I'm going mad". Other songs touch on relationships but go further, incorporating ideas about life and social issues. "Certainly" is about independence: "Was not looking for no love affair/And now you wanna control me...When I wake up/I don't need nobody telling me the time". Likewise, "Appletree" celebrates individuality: "I don't walk around/Trying to be what I'm not...And if you don't want to be down with me/Then you don't want to be from my appletree". "Drama" tells of difficulties in modern life ("I can't believe/That we're still livin'...With all the problems of the day/How can we go on") and suggests a solution ("Lift up your hearts to God/Lift up your soul/Teach your children Wisdom"). "On & On" is a bit cryptic: "I'm feelin' high/My money's gone/I'm all alone...If your knowledge were your wealth/Then it would be well earned...You rush into destruction/Cause you don't have nothin' left/The mothership can't save you/So your a** is gon' get left". I feel that the minimal production and Erykah's voice, which is expressive and strong without being overpowering, blend well with the straightforward presentation of the ideas found in the lyrics, giving the album consistency and unity. I like the resulting philosophy of life: common sense and earthiness, laced with humor, hope and self-reliance. And I have to smile when I hear these lines from "On & On": "If we were made in His image/Then call us by our names/Most intellects do not believe in God/But the fear is just the same."

I finally found this cd!

Happy customer. Perfect addition to my collection.

Good very good

Since I decided to purchase this album because I thought it should be in my collection, I'm fine with the black cover, "sticker" on the back, and abridged track list. I don't know if this is truly how the album was sold but it does look like someone put it together the way someone would put together their demo cassette/CD. Anyway, this particular album is a great one to own if you were born in the 70s and remember positively the neo-soul sub-genre at it's peak (which ironically none of the artists wanted to be classified or limited as such which is an attribute of an artist who would be best categorized as a neo-soul artist as they are outside of any boxes anyway).

Quality product

Although the album looks like a cheap bootleg vinyl with a sticker placed on a black cover and some residual pieces of yellow paper from the label cooked in the pressing in the middle of a track, it really sounds good and is a pleasure to own and show your friends. Obvioulsy it sounds a little better than the cd version but if you don't have a real good turntable you'll probably won't hear any improvements in the funky atmosphere that surrounds the tracks. With vinyls you should keep in mind that you really need a good equipment to extract the sound from the grooves in the proper way or you'll be disappointed. But you won't be disappointed by this true classic record. A must have.

Mit Baduizm hat Erykah Badu Neo-Soul definiert: warme Grooves, hypnotische Rhythmen und eine Stimme, die unter die Haut geht. Songs wie „On & On“ und „Next Lifetime“ klingen auch heute noch modern und tiefgründig. Die CD ist hochwertig produziert, der Sound glasklar, das Booklet schlicht, aber stilvoll. Für Soul-, R&B- und Jazz-Fans ein Muss – musikalisch meditativ und absolut einzigartig.

Veramente bello da ascoltare

Great album, love all the songs & Great price. Very pleased & delivered quickly.

Good price and in time

Non la soul n'est pas morte. Elle s'enrichit de diverses influences. Le propos est classieux, racé. La version vinyle apporte cette chaleur et cette profondeur de son incomparables. Attention : la version 1 LP pochette noire avec sticker mauve n'est pas le disque en intégralité. Il existe en version double vinyle réimpression intégrale de l'original.