December 09, 2007 @ 3:44 pm

What We Know And Love

Shirea L. Carroll

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Preview: Erykah Badu's fourth album, Nu AmErykah

The music industry often calls for artists to reinvent their image, recreate their sound, or revamp their lyrics, as though it will divert attention from what's really lacking - talent. After walking out of Manhattan's Electric Lady Studios Thursday night, where Erykah Badu previewed her fourth album, Nu AmErykah (due out in February '08), it was understood why she isn't afraid to be consistent. Erykah Badu knows that taking it back, so to speak, and giving her listeners what they're used to, isn't necessarily a bad thing; it is exactly what they want. She was already out the box and "new" when she stepped on the scene in 1997. At this point, she is one of the few that can rely solely on her talent, and not a new look, to keep her relevant.

Erykah's loyal fans have been wondering where she's been hiding since her last album, Worldwide Underground, debuted in 2003. "Hibernating," she jokes, before explaining she was actually taking time out to be a good momma. "I have two children now; my daughter is three," Erykah says, and raising them is most important. Now that she's bizack, our favorite "southern gul" hosted an intimate group at the famously chill studio to preview one of her most amazing albums to date. Walking around in her larger-than-life Afro, tie-dye shirt dress and jeans, and barefoot with navy blue nail polish, she inadvertently turned the scene from media/exec listening session into a dimly lit house party. Erykah seemed right at home in a studio decorated like you'd imagine her own living room to be - huge mural on the wall with a woman playing piano; red couches strewn with purple pillows; a serene, opium-den vibe. After instructing everyone to relax and "get some more wine" and having a comical chat with God about cosmetic surgery, she impressed beyond the expected, delivering a pure album that gave depth to simple topics.  

"Soldier 7" - Erykah's favorite track on the album - speaks about a boy growing up in a tough environment, but stays focused on doing the right things. While he is oftentimes underestimated, Erykah sings matter of factly, "He's about to change the face of your ghetto neighborhood."  The song knocks with just enough radio appeal that those who would normally consider her "out there" will listen a little closer, pump the song a little louder.

The song "Don't be Long" revisits the brother from the "Otherside of the Game" on the Baduizm album, and who got locked up in "Danger" on Worldwide Underground. Erykah reveals, "You have to know my music to catch that. Of course he's back - that's how it goes." Other definite hits: "Jump in the Air," a song filled with skipped beats and pregnant pauses; "Honey," the sweetest love song and her album's first single; and "Dirty Dirty" – in which Erykah is happy to have "a love worth it but questions does she deserve it."

"You can say the production forced this album," chuckles Erykah, speaking to VIBE after the session. "Although I'm still an analog girl living in a digital world, I have a MAC computer and Iphone now.  So producers would send me a hot beat that I instantly would receive and just start writing. I let music inspire me for this album." With producers who Erykah calls "scientists" - including the talented J Dilla (RIP), 9th Wonder, Mad Lib, Jah Born, Seerah, Frequency, Ringo Smith, James Pose, and Tariqq - the final product is a sound reminiscent of '70s soul and funk that will inspire you to go out and buy a solid sound system, just so you can bang all the hits.

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