Am I the only person on Earth who doesn't like Erykah Badu? It often feels like I am, which is hard for me to understand - she's easily one of the most overrated neo-soul singers around. Her voice lacks the soul of Sharon Jones, the character of Macy Gray and the power of Alicia Keys, but more importantly, she's never come close to matching the hype surrounding her talent and eccentricity. There's nothing particularly interesting or challenging about her music, which often hovers around a slow-to-mid tempo that quickly gets dull, especially if you're trying to plow through an entire album.
And yet, I want to believe, so here I am listening to New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh), trying to glean some enjoyment from Badu's latest creation.
But those who, like me, hoped the music might match the wild beauty and colourful intrigue of her album cover will be sorely disappointed: Return of the Ankh is yet another sprawling yawner. It's not nearly terrible, but it never verges on exciting, either. Badu is most exciting when she's spontaneous, which rarely happens here, and at her worst when she drags a single idea through mud for more than five minutes. "Love" and "Fall In Love (Your Funeral)" are both exasperatingly long and yield little reward after a six-minute slog.
Elsewhere, the album feels equally long-winded, even when the songs are short. “You Loving Me (Session)” feels half-baked and frivolous, while “Agitation” starts promisingly and quickly loses its momentum.
It wouldn't be so bad if the rest of the album was twisting and turning, but between its length, its middling tempo and its monotony, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) is a long, hard road.
Back to the drawing board, Erykah.
