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Editorial Reviews

A bold and beautiful collection of funk- and rock-fueled songs, Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun sounds more inspired by the soul wailings of Chaka Khan than the jazzy musings of Billie Holiday that helped fuel her critically acclaimed debut, Baduizm. Shedding the ethereal lyrics that made "On & On" and "Next Lifetime" so engaging, this time Badu's lyrics are more direct and find her unloading the psychological baggage she accumulated during her swift rise to stardom. As she makes plain on the empowering first single "Bag Lady" (which borrows its piercing blues guitar loop and thumping bass line from Dr. Dre's "Xxplosive"), Badu yearns to "let it go, let it go, let it go." In fact, the disc's 14 songs play like a musical diary of sorts -- the svelte beauty addresses her detractors on the tongue-in-cheek "& On" ("What good do your words do/If they can't understand you), evaluates her choices on the reflective "Didn't Cha Know" ("I'm trying to decide which way to go/Think I made a wrong turn back there somewhere"), and expresses her desire for love on the playful "Kiss Me on My Neck" ("Been such a long time/I forgot that I was fine"). Musically, Mama's Gun sounds like it was recorded during an incense-burning jam session -- veering from the tranquil acoustic guitar of "A.D. Moon" to the boastful, blaxploitation-esque horns of "Time's a Wastin." And while this free-flowing sound may be rooted in her collaboration with the Soulquarian production team of James Poyser, Jay Dee, and Ahmir Thompson, who coproduced D'Angelo's Voodoo and Common's Like Water for Chocolate, Badu also deserves props aplenty. No longer overshadowed by her unique image or the quirkiness of her lyrics, Erykah Badu is packin' heat. Mama's Gun is a powerhouse portrait of a blossoming young woman and artist. Tracy E. Hopkins, Barnes & Noble

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