Album Review: Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh

New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh (released March 30,2010)

Badu certainly takes her time releasing new material. Her last album, New Amerykah Part 1: Fourth World War, was her first in five years. She promised that we would receive the sequel in six months or less.

More than two years later, we FINALLY get a sequel. It goes to show two things – her watch is set to CP Time and Badu does what she wants, when she wants.

That was evident on New Amerykah Part 1 – a dizzying disc filled with space-aged socio-political commentary. It left some fans, like me, scratching their heads – but you can bet Badu didn’t mind. She said her piece, and that’s all that matters.

New Amerykah Part 2 continues that trend – Badu had a lot on her mind. This time, though, she’s focusing more on love than legalities. Plus, the tracks are a little more easy to digest since she makes a slight return to her Soulquarian roots.

The Roots’ ?uestlove injects the track with a dose of laid-back funk – it’ll have you reminiscing back to the days of Mama’s Gun. And speaking of her 2000 album, this album’s closer, “Out of My Mind, Just in Time” evolves over the course of 10 minutes, similar to Badu’s beloved “Green Eyes.”

But this is more than a rehash of her prior hits – she borrows from her friends. “Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)” turns the infamous Junior M.A.F.I.A. jam into a funk fest. By now, readers should know I’m a sucker for simple guitar licks and a light bass – slap on a sample of “Take Some Time” by Ndugu and the Chocolate Jam Co. and “Umm Hmm” becomes a subtle, yet substantial hit. And I can’t say enough about the beautiful harp solo on “Incense.”

The album is pretty much one big soul session.

The are only a couple of missteps. While I appreciate the message of self-empowerment on “20 Feet Tall” the track’s sparse piano keys and howling winds sound like the score of a cheesy sci-fi flick. And “Love,” which starts off what could be considered a trilogy of intertwining tracks, drones on seemingly forever with Badu’s monotone and repetitive vocals – a bad habit of hers. She redeems herself with the hilarious “Loving Me” and “Fall In Love (Your Funeral)” where she blatantly warns her lovers “to prepare to have their s*** rearranged.”

Andre 3000, Common and the rest should have listened to that track before she turned them into neo-soul zombies, having those poor men wearing their underwear outside of their pants.

Actually, go ahead and throw me into that category as well. Even when Badu does things that turn me off, like her last album, each and every time she draws me in for another journey.

And wouldn’t you know it – now she’s got me wearing crochet caps and Kente cloth too. It’s Badu’s world – either you follow her lead or you miss out.

Best tracks: “Umm Hmm,” “Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)”, “Window Seat”

4 stars out of 5