No One Can Do It Better

Mary might have the unrivalled rights to the title queen of hip-hop soul, but there is no doubt that Ms Erykah Badu is soul royalty in her own right. When she first burst onto the scene with her stunning debut “Baduizm” in 1997, it was clear that here was an artist or rare talent and rare vision. Like fellow luminary D’Angelo here was an artist for whom the tag neo soul was almost an insult, so restrictive were its boundaries. Effortlessly merging elements of hip-hop, r’n’b, funk soul, jazz and even Gospel, African and reggae roots music, the record declared the emergence of an artist who may have initially grown out of the hip-hop world, but whose scope clearly went way beyond it.

These roots are still important however, and in terms of her core audience is the place that she will always find a welcome home. And so it was true as Badu brought her Vortex tour to the UK this summer. For soul and hip-hop artists who have outgrown the small but perfectly formed walls of the Jazz Café, and who are not likely to enter the world of the soulless arena, Brixton Academy is always something of a mecca. In the heart of black London, the crowd at the Academy is always a place to give love to its musical heroes, and Badu is certainly one of these. Touring her quite brilliant new album “New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)”, she delivered a show that smouldered and threatened with fantastically funky intent, before bursting into a distinctly show-stoppingly great finale.

That it took a re-visit to old favourites such as “Bag Lady”, “Love of My Life”, “Times-a-wastin” and the immense “Tyrone” and a journey into the loving arms of the crowd to really take things to boiling point was an interesting element of the show however, and got me thinking a little bit. As I said previously, “Baduizm” and it’s “Live” counterpart showed from a very early stage in her career that there was much more to Badu than was contained in even these virtually perfect gems. 2000’s “Mama’s Gun” proved that point still further, but there were indications even in this brilliant record (mention it quietly, but perhaps even better in my mind than “Baduizm”) that the singer’s own creative and experimental urges were taking her to new and slightly frightening new areas.

The self-imposed family break, return to touring, and seeming writer’s block of the early 2000s seemed to further assert this theory, with the rambling and sporadically great funky jam of “Worldwide Underground” testament to the work being put in to define her own direction. And in live shows also her innovation and desire to push the boundaries of her art and her own talents are also always evident. And this, for me is where the conundrum lies a little bit. There is no doubt that her new record, slated as part one of a double-hitter, is a phenomenal piece of work. Indeed if the second part follows in the same vein we will be sitting on an undoubted classic record. Bursting with a hip-hop sentiment and hard-edged attitude, the record is at the same time a statement of the state political and social world in 2008, but also an exploration of the inner world of the singer herself. Poetic lyricism mixes with blatant statements of intent, unedited commentary and vocal gymnastics.

The musical backdrop melds psychedelic space soul, funky jams, doo wop and straight-up beats. And throughout there is Ms Badu’s own seemingly unshakeable inner strength and confidence, qualities which emerge through her voice and imbue her music with an impressive credibility. But the question is whether an artist who strains at the leash of her own musical boundaries, can continue to connect with the world from which she came. The crowd at Brixton Academy were willing participants in the show, allowing with fondness the times when Badu chose to stretch the arrangements and her singing to the point of over-indulgence. But there was also an evident yearning for the old and familiar.

At the moment, Badu provides that, but even in the sing-along favourites she messes with the parameters of her own work, such as with the live Planet Rock souped up version of “Apple Tree”. For many, including this writer, the innovation in her work is what makes her such a standout artist. Just don’t expect a greatest hits tour any time soon.