#89 Erykah Badu, 'Baduizm' (1997)

New Entry

Another new entry for the Queen Of Neo Soul, Ms Erykah Badu; this time her debut. In the lead up to this record, Badu dropped out of her Theatre degree at university to focus on music full-time. To support herself, she would take on multiple minimum wage jobs. The album was inspired by Brandy’s debut, as well as Badu’s African roots. Drums play a major part of this record, and like her follow up, ‘Mama’s Gun, (#158), Questlove was behind the kit.

Her vocals on the record were compared to those of Billie Holiday, perhaps an insight into what Holiday might have sounded like had she been around in the ‘90s. It’s a melting pot of Soul, RnB, Jazz and Hip Hop, all coming together to create the new genre called Neo Soul. Her vocals are effortless and her lyrics on songs such as ‘On & On’ are so profound; “Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learned/If your knowledge were your wealth/Then it would be well-earned.” This album is a rewarding listen, best done late at night. This is the release that started a whole new movement of RnB and soul in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Her influence would extend to Alternative music too, with Neo Soul dominating at the turn of the century. Other highlights include ‘Appletree,’ ‘Other Side Of The Game’ and ‘4 Leaf Clover.’ I also really love the sound of the bass and drums on track 1, ‘Rim Shot – Intro.’

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