Live

by

Erykah Badu

Edit

This cd is a wonderful companion piece (with great new stuff as well) to the Baduizm studio cd. I wouldn't exchange one for the other though, both have their strengths and show a side of Erykah that the other does not.

This cd starts with something that I imagine many of Erykah's fans may not pick up on. The first minute or so of "Rimshot" is actually the Miles Davis masterpiece "So What" (originally appearing on the album, "Kind Of Blue"), with Erykah's backing vocalists chanting Badu over it. This leads to my only complaint... The liner-notes should have acknowledged the Miles tune, if for no other reason than to allow someone with no jazz knowledge to seek out the original Miles album if they are so inclined.

"Other Side Of The Game" and Chaka Khan's "Stay" both get incredible, all-out, going-for-it vocal fluorishes. These two songs alone would make this cd worth purchasing. "Ye Yo" is a song that says all the words that every child deserves to hear coming from their mothers lips, and it says them without being sappy and stupid. Again, this song sets Erykah far above the great majority of the R&B world. While others are yet again singing of wanting to get someone into bed, Erykah unleashes an emotional blessing for her unborn (at the time this was recorded) child.

I read a couple of the previous reviews that basically made it sound like this cd has no new material. That's incorrect. "Ye Yo", "Searching", "Boogie Nights/All Night", "Stay", and both versions of "Tyrone" (one is Live and one is studio) are not found on any of Erykah's other cd's. "Tyrone" is the ultimate kiss-off song, and her unique and spiritual vocal phrasings and lyrics permeate this great cd.