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Having at this point only released three studio albums in a career that at this point had been a decade long Erykah Badu decided to focus her energies on a series of conceptual albums that would keep her consistantly making music for a good while to come. This is the first volume of the series. Ever mindful not only of her love and genuine respect for not only the music but the spirit of jazz-funk Erykah follows her muse here in every possible way she can. With the exception of the intro "Amerykahn Promise" and "The Cell" the music here generally shys away from uptempo funk and in doing so does prove a point. Not only is funk by it's nature a somewhat slower music but often enough it's been felt that such a slower burning variety of groove will bring more attention to the lyrics. Of course it should also be noted that the two uptempo songs here have the most driving messages of the albums overall concept. This was released in an era where there was a lot of uncertainty in the country and world at large and the very poor economics of the period were having intense effects on the music industry Erykah was a part of,however awkward that may have been for her. The general message in this music has to do with the facts as she saw them: that a whole society of people wanting to improve the conditions of their lives in the 60's and 70's had,for one reason or another found that the generation after them had neglected that promise and/or been neglected themselves and,more importantly that no one seemed to be paying attention. Here we find tales of people still trapped in the same ghetto syndromes of poverty and lack of knowledge that had stirred so much awareness in the past so it's only fitting that this album actually has more a 70's flavor than you'd believe. The album has this charred There's a Riot Goin' On-era Sly feel to it,only difference being there are a lot of hip-hop effects added into the mix. "Honey",the bonus cut here is the only song I'd have to actually stands out more as an individual piece of music on what otherwise winds up being a very album oriented project. The album certainly packs more individual punches verbally,in terms of lyrics than it does musically but it does have a nice slow burning acid funk-jazz flow to it all anyway. Honestly......the album looks a lot more exciting than it sounds in the end due to the fact everything from the vocals,the arrangements and even the powerful lyrics seem to hint at some mild personal Badu's lucky for us, a member of the resignation. But until now, the chapter on Erykah Badu's song kkeuteyi nothing.
