Mama's Gun Erykah Badu Artist

Since the arrival of {|Erykah Badu|} onto the {|neo-soul|} scene back in 1997 with {|Baduizm|}, commercial music stood up and took notice with an onslaught of similar artists reaching comparable peaks of mainstream success. After taking some time off... Read more

Since the arrival of {|Erykah Badu|} onto the {|neo-soul|} scene back in 1997 with {|Baduizm|}, commercial music stood up and took notice with an onslaught of similar artists reaching comparable peaks of mainstream success. After taking some time off for introspection and to raise her son, {|Badu|} returned with {|Mama's Gun|}, which is a turning point for her in many ways. Gone are the cryptic Baduizms that glossed all over her first release, replaced with a more honestly raw {|Badu|} singing directly from her heart rather than her head. Sonically, {|Badu|} wades out into adventurous territories as well. From the {|Jimi Hendrix|}-inspired opening number to the closing ten-minute song suite, she develops fresh aspects of her sound, employing artists such as legendary {|jazz|} vibraphonist {|Roy Ayers|}, {|jazz|} trumpeter {|Roy Hargrove|}, {|Stephen Marley|}, and {|Roots|} drummer {|?uestlove|}; she sought after producer {|Jay Dee|} as well. The results are consistently tasteful, which only helps to prove once again that {|Badu|} is miles ahead of the rest. ~ Rob Theakston Less