New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)
Encyclopedia
New Amerykah Part Two is the fifth studio album
by American recording artist Erykah Badu
, released March 30, 2010, on Universal Motown. Production for the album was handled by several producers, including J Dilla
, Questlove, James Poyser
, Madlib
, 9th Wonder
, Sa-Ra
, Georgia Anne Muldrow
, and Karriem Riggins
. Contrasting its socially themed and complex predecessor, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
(2008), New Amerykah Part Two contains a prominently groove-based, analog sound with personal and love-related lyrical themes.
The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200
chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week. It achieved moderate international success and produced three singles, "Window Seat
", "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)", and "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long". Upon its release, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) received general acclaim from music critics. Pitchfork Media
ranked it number 18 on its list of the Top 50 Albums of 2010.
(2008), which was digitally produced and political in tone, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) incorporates sampling
and live instrumentation, while its more personal lyrics focus on themes of romance and relationships. Badu has described its sound as "very analog". Recording during 2006 to 2009, a portion of the album was recorded at New York City
's Electric Lady Studios
. She told Rolling Stone
that she recorded her vocals for the song "Window Seat" in her shower, stating "I wanted to sound like I was in a tunnel. I got my laptop and closed the door". In an interview for Billboard
, Badu explained that "We used a lot of analog instruments—harps, strings, drums, piano, and even a Theremin
—to give the album that sonic feel. There's a strong undercurrent of bottom, a rumbling to these songs that feels good to me. It feels like a hug". In the same interview, she explained the album's title, stating:
According to Badu, the album's closing track, "Out My Mind, Just in Time", is a three-movement
song: "The first movement is called 'Recovering Undercover Over-lover.' It actually sums up the whole album, because I'm talking about love and emotion – 'I need you to do this,' 'I want you to do this,' 'You make me feel like this,' 'Why don't you feel like this?' It's typical of how you feel in relationships. The second movement is called ... 'Easier Said Than Done,' and it's about how hard it is to change after you've been in a relationship for so long. And then the third movement is called 'But Not This Time,' because even though I've done things a certain way for so long, I won't do that this time".
, who had also designed the artwork for New Amerykah Part One. He explained on his website that he used song lyrics from the album as inspiration.
In promotion of the album, Erykah Badu hosted a series of listening sessions for press and VIPs at Chung King Studios
in New York City on December 9 and December 10, 2009. During March 2010, Badu promoted the album through television performances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
, The Wendy Williams Show
, Chelsea Lately
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Good Day New York
. She also appeared on the April issue cover of EQ magazine and was featured in the April issues of Nylon
and Playboy, while she is also scheduled to appear in upcoming issues of several publications, including Rolling Stone
, Entertainment Weekly
, Time Out New York, Spin
, Vibe, Paste
, and People
, among many other publications. Badu performed at a surprise midnight show on March 31, 2010 at the El Rey Theatre
in Los Angeles.
and Bilal, was released on Badu's official website in January 2010. RC Williams, Badu's musical director, said that a music video for the track was shot in Dallas. A censored "clean" version of the video was released on February 12, 2010 on Badu's official website. It has been made available as a free, legal download by Giant Step
, the marketing and promotion company for the album.
The album's first official single, "Window Seat
", was released by Badu through a downloadable link on her Twitter
page. The song peaked at number 16 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The video for "Window Seat" was directed by Coodie Rock and premiered on Erykah's official Site on March 27, 2010 at 3:33 AM EDT. In the video, Badu is seen walking the streets of Dallas near Dealey Plaza
, slowly stripping to the nude, before being shot by an unseen assassin. The album's second single, "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)", was released March 24, 2010 by Badu as a free download online. It spent three weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number 87.
On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, vimeo.com
released a new video for Gone Baby, Don't Be Long directed by Flying Lotus. The video was tweeted by Badu herself and friend and associated music act Questlove from the Roots.
", began its North American-leg on May 28, 2010, starting at the DAR Constitution Hall
in Washington, D.C.
and ended June 24, 2010 at the Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. Its European-leg began July 9, 2010 at Sweden's Hultsfred Festival
and ended July 24 at Brixton Academy in London, England. Badu was supported on the tour by N.E.R.D., Bilal, Janelle Monáe
and The Roots
-drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. She also performed at the Lollapalooza
festival and Lilith Fair
during the 2010 summer, along with special guest appearances at Maxwell
's concerts at Philips Arena
in Atlanta, Georgia on June 11 and at Madison Square Garden
in New York City
on June 26, 2010.
chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week. It also entered at number two on Billboard
s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In its second week, the album fell to number nine on the Billboard 200, selling an additional 30,000 copies. The album fell to number 20 and sold 19,000 copies in its third week. In the United Kingdom, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) debuted at number 56 on the UK Albums Chart
and at number nine on the R&B Albums Chart
. In Canada, the album debuted at number 36 on the Top 100
and at number five on the R&B Top 50 chart. New Amerykah Part Two achieved moderate chart success in international markets, peaking within the top-50 in several countries, including Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 83, based on 25 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Most critics commended its soulful sound and loose structure, while viewing its music as inventive and more accessible than that of its predecessor. Allmusic editor Andy Kellman wrote that "the album is so rich with sample-reliant songs that it sometimes resembles a glorified mixtape". In comparison to its predecessor, Kellman described the album as "more personal than planetary, less challenging sonically and lyrically". Entertainment Weekly
s Simon Vozick-Levinson complimented its "organic" sound, writing that its "comfortable style [...] makes it that much easier to get pleasantly lost in". Glenn Gamboa of Newsday
commented that "it's a distinctly smaller scale, but one she handles much more effectively". The A.V. Club
s Michaelangelo Matos described the album as "smoother than anything since her 1997 debut, Baduizm
". Ed Potton of The Times
gave it four out of five stars and called it "slinky, at times raw and eccentric, and built [...] on a foundation of lurve". Embling of Tiny Mix Tapes
gave it four-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote that it "combines her trademark psychedelia with disarming emotional candor". The Washington Post
s Chris Richards found Badu's performance complimentary to its "dreamy, elliptical" style. Dan Weiss of Crawdaddy!
called it "Badu’s most life-imitating album yet".
However, some critics regarded its songwriting as overly vague and deemed the album less adventurous than its predecessor. Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
noted that "atmosphere easily upstages the words". New York Daily News writer Jim Farber commented that its songs "develop horizontally, rather than vertically, letting funky bass lines meander on well before a melody arrives". Rolling Stone
s Jody Rosen
found its "hazy texture" and songwriting sketchy. Kitty Empire
of The Observer
commented that it "turns its skewed sights on love in both soppy and calculating fashion". Richard Beck of Barnes & Noble
commended its groove-based compositions, writing that it "doesn't have songs [...] it has grooves with vocals, in four minute chunks. This would be a problem if the grooves weren’t so good". Chicago Tribune
writer Greg Kot
gave it three out of four stars and called Badu "a mistress of vibe and feel rather than strictly formatted songcraft". Slant Magazine
's Eric Henderson praised its "freeform" style and compared her songwriting approach to that of Marvin Gaye
, stating "Gaye would usually feel out his melodies first and then come up with lyrics to fit into those lines. The result for both Gaye and Badu is R&B impressionism". Sputnikmusic
's Nick Butler wrote that it "rewards patience and time [...] because underneath the new smoother exterior lies a batch of songs that are surprisingly loose and free".
Pitchfork Media
's Mike Powell called the album "a coherent expression of a big, scattered personality" and praised Badu's expressive performance, writing that "her ability to toe the line between sounding effortless and sounding tossed-off is remarkable". Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe
called her a "terrific formalist". Boston Herald
writer Lauren Carter gave the album an A rating and found Badu's "free-flowing approach and quirky-cool vibe" refreshing from other popular music. Steve Jones of USA Today
stated "The moody, soulful ambience complements Badu's insightful lyrics and mesmerizing vocals". Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters
found the album on-par with its predecessor, in terms of thematic detail, but called it "a smoother, more delicate and accessible affair". Sean Fennessey of Spin
called the album "earthbound and elemental [...] Badu's version of lover's rock", noting Badu as "often plainspoken and unguarded". Andy Gill of The Independent
s found its musical settings "varied" and called its music "superior seductive R&B which doesn't insult your intelligence while still turning your head". BBC Online's Stevie Chick compared the album to Stevie Wonder
's Songs in the Key of Life
and Badu's melodies to those of Marvin Gaye. Los Angeles Times
writer Margaret Wappler described the album as "a velvety, but still appealingly odd, exploration". Seth Colter Walls of Newsweek
called it "the R&B album of the moment that actually has a hint of timelessness about it".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American recording artist Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, released March 30, 2010, on Universal Motown. Production for the album was handled by several producers, including J Dilla
J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
, Questlove, James Poyser
James Poyser
James Poyser in Sheffield, England is a multi-Grammy winning songwriter, musician and multi-platinum producer.Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo,...
, Madlib
Madlib
Otis Jackson Jr. in Oxnard, California, known professionally as Madlib, is a Los Angeles-based DJ, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and music producer...
, 9th Wonder
9th Wonder
Patrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, professor, and lyricist from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J...
, Sa-Ra
Sa-Ra
Sa-Ra is a hip-hop group based in Los Angeles, California, also known by its full name, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners. The group is composed of Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn...
, Georgia Anne Muldrow
Georgia Anne Muldrow
Georgia Anne Muldrow is an American singer and musician signed to Stones Throw Records. She is the first female artist signed to the label and seems to be a close friend of fellow label artist Dudley Perkins...
, and Karriem Riggins
Karriem Riggins
Karriem Riggins is a jazz drummer, hip hop producer, dj, and sometime rapper. He is a former member of the Ray Brown Trio and Mulgrew Miller trio and currently appears in the Diana Krall quartet....
. Contrasting its socially themed and complex predecessor, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
New Amerykah Part One is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Erykah Badu, released February 26, 2008, on Universal Motown. It follows her 2003 album Worldwide Underground and a hiatus from recording music...
(2008), New Amerykah Part Two contains a prominently groove-based, analog sound with personal and love-related lyrical themes.
The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week. It achieved moderate international success and produced three singles, "Window Seat
Window Seat (song)
"Window Seat" is a song by Erykah Badu. It is the lead single from her album New Amerykah Part Two . It was produced by Badu and James Poyser. The song is low-tempo ballad with lyrics that concern escapism and longing for a lover...
", "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)", and "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long". Upon its release, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) received general acclaim from music critics. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
ranked it number 18 on its list of the Top 50 Albums of 2010.
Background
In contrast to its predecessor New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
New Amerykah Part One is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Erykah Badu, released February 26, 2008, on Universal Motown. It follows her 2003 album Worldwide Underground and a hiatus from recording music...
(2008), which was digitally produced and political in tone, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) incorporates sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
and live instrumentation, while its more personal lyrics focus on themes of romance and relationships. Badu has described its sound as "very analog". Recording during 2006 to 2009, a portion of the album was recorded at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
. She told Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
that she recorded her vocals for the song "Window Seat" in her shower, stating "I wanted to sound like I was in a tunnel. I got my laptop and closed the door". In an interview for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Badu explained that "We used a lot of analog instruments—harps, strings, drums, piano, and even a Theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
—to give the album that sonic feel. There's a strong undercurrent of bottom, a rumbling to these songs that feels good to me. It feels like a hug". In the same interview, she explained the album's title, stating:
According to Badu, the album's closing track, "Out My Mind, Just in Time", is a three-movement
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
song: "The first movement is called 'Recovering Undercover Over-lover.' It actually sums up the whole album, because I'm talking about love and emotion – 'I need you to do this,' 'I want you to do this,' 'You make me feel like this,' 'Why don't you feel like this?' It's typical of how you feel in relationships. The second movement is called ... 'Easier Said Than Done,' and it's about how hard it is to change after you've been in a relationship for so long. And then the third movement is called 'But Not This Time,' because even though I've done things a certain way for so long, I won't do that this time".
Release and promotion
The album was released March 30, 2010 on Universal Motown in the United States. It is set for release in Japan on April 14, 2010. New Amerykah Part Twos cover art, titled "Out My Mind Just In Time", shares the name of the album's closing track and was designed by visual artist EmekEmek
Emek is a popular artist/graphic designer/illustrator designs concert posters since the early 1990s. He is widely credited with helping to revive the rock poster scene...
, who had also designed the artwork for New Amerykah Part One. He explained on his website that he used song lyrics from the album as inspiration.
In promotion of the album, Erykah Badu hosted a series of listening sessions for press and VIPs at Chung King Studios
Chung King Studios
Chung King Recording Studios, formerly known as The Chung King House Of Metal, is a New York City recording studio founded by John King with financial backing of the Etches brothers and engineer expertise of Steve Ett became a site of many classic punk and hip hop recordings...
in New York City on December 9 and December 10, 2009. During March 2010, Badu promoted the album through television performances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
, The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Wendy Williams that premiered on July 14, 2008, as six-week sneak peek, in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. The test run was picked up for a full season that began its run on July 13, 2009 in over 70% of the country in...
, Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler on E!. The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and is produced by Handler's production company, Borderline Amazing Productions...
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Good Day New York
Good Day New York
Good Day New York is a weekday morning news and entertainment feature show which airs on WNYW, the New York City flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company...
. She also appeared on the April issue cover of EQ magazine and was featured in the April issues of Nylon
Nylon (magazine)
Nylon is an American magazine that focuses on pop culture and fashion. Its coverage includes art, beauty, music, design, celebrities, technology and travel...
and Playboy, while she is also scheduled to appear in upcoming issues of several publications, including Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Time Out New York, Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
, Vibe, Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
, and People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, among many other publications. Badu performed at a surprise midnight show on March 31, 2010 at the El Rey Theatre
El Rey Theatre
El Rey Theatre is currently a live music venue in the Miracle Mile area of the Mid-Wilshire region in Los Angeles, California. "El Rey" means "The King" in Spanish....
in Los Angeles.
Singles
The internet-only promotional single "Jump up in the Air (Stay There)", featuring Lil WayneLil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
and Bilal, was released on Badu's official website in January 2010. RC Williams, Badu's musical director, said that a music video for the track was shot in Dallas. A censored "clean" version of the video was released on February 12, 2010 on Badu's official website. It has been made available as a free, legal download by Giant Step
Giant Step
Giant Step is a New York based concert promoter, marketing company, and record label.-1990-1995: The Groove Academy and Early Years:Giant Step began in 1990 as “a roving, freewheeling party” in New York City, a weekly production of British promoter, Maurice Bernstein, and his South African partner,...
, the marketing and promotion company for the album.
The album's first official single, "Window Seat
Window Seat (song)
"Window Seat" is a song by Erykah Badu. It is the lead single from her album New Amerykah Part Two . It was produced by Badu and James Poyser. The song is low-tempo ballad with lyrics that concern escapism and longing for a lover...
", was released by Badu through a downloadable link on her Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page. The song peaked at number 16 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The video for "Window Seat" was directed by Coodie Rock and premiered on Erykah's official Site on March 27, 2010 at 3:33 AM EDT. In the video, Badu is seen walking the streets of Dallas near Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
, slowly stripping to the nude, before being shot by an unseen assassin. The album's second single, "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)", was released March 24, 2010 by Badu as a free download online. It spent three weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number 87.
On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, vimeo.com
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...
released a new video for Gone Baby, Don't Be Long directed by Flying Lotus. The video was tweeted by Badu herself and friend and associated music act Questlove from the Roots.
Tour
The album's international supporting tour, "Out My Mind, Just In Time TourOut My Mind, Just in Time Tour
Out My Mind, Just In Time Tour is a tour by American R&B/soul singer, Erykah Badu, in support of her album, New Amerykah Part Two ....
", began its North American-leg on May 28, 2010, starting at the DAR Constitution Hall
DAR Constitution Hall
DAR Constitution Hall is a concert hall in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to house its annual convention when membership delegations outgrew Memorial Continental Hall. Later, the two buildings were connected by a third structure housing the DAR...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and ended June 24, 2010 at the Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Its European-leg began July 9, 2010 at Sweden's Hultsfred Festival
Hultsfred Festival
The Hultsfred Festival is an annual music festival held in Hultsfred, Sweden. It takes place at the lake Hulingen during three days in the June or July, from Thursday to Saturday. Since the first festival in 1986, its attendance has increased from 7,500 visitors to approximately 32,000 people in...
and ended July 24 at Brixton Academy in London, England. Badu was supported on the tour by N.E.R.D., Bilal, Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe is an American R&B/soul musician signed to Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records.Monáe debuted with a conceptual EP, Metropolis: Suite I ...
and The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
-drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. She also performed at the Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
festival and Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
during the 2010 summer, along with special guest appearances at Maxwell
Maxwell (musician)
Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...
's concerts at Philips Arena
Philips Arena
Philips Arena is an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia.Completed in 1999 to replace The Omni, at a cost of $213.5 million, it is home to the Atlanta Hawks, of the National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Dream, of the Women's National Basketball Association...
in Atlanta, Georgia on June 11 and at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on June 26, 2010.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week. It also entered at number two on Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In its second week, the album fell to number nine on the Billboard 200, selling an additional 30,000 copies. The album fell to number 20 and sold 19,000 copies in its third week. In the United Kingdom, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) debuted at number 56 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and at number nine on the R&B Albums Chart
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
. In Canada, the album debuted at number 36 on the Top 100
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
and at number five on the R&B Top 50 chart. New Amerykah Part Two achieved moderate chart success in international markets, peaking within the top-50 in several countries, including Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark.
Critical response
New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) received general acclaim from music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 83, based on 25 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Most critics commended its soulful sound and loose structure, while viewing its music as inventive and more accessible than that of its predecessor. Allmusic editor Andy Kellman wrote that "the album is so rich with sample-reliant songs that it sometimes resembles a glorified mixtape". In comparison to its predecessor, Kellman described the album as "more personal than planetary, less challenging sonically and lyrically". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Simon Vozick-Levinson complimented its "organic" sound, writing that its "comfortable style [...] makes it that much easier to get pleasantly lost in". Glenn Gamboa of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
commented that "it's a distinctly smaller scale, but one she handles much more effectively". The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Michaelangelo Matos described the album as "smoother than anything since her 1997 debut, Baduizm
Baduizm
Baduizm is the debut album of R&B and neo soul musician Erykah Badu, released February 11, 1997 on Kedar Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during January to October 1996 at Battery Studios in New York City, Sigma Sounds & Ivory Studios in Philadelphia, and Dallas Sound Lab in...
". Ed Potton of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
gave it four out of five stars and called it "slinky, at times raw and eccentric, and built [...] on a foundation of lurve". Embling of Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as its mix tapes generator.-History:Originally called Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven and...
gave it four-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote that it "combines her trademark psychedelia with disarming emotional candor". The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s Chris Richards found Badu's performance complimentary to its "dreamy, elliptical" style. Dan Weiss of Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
called it "Badu’s most life-imitating album yet".
However, some critics regarded its songwriting as overly vague and deemed the album less adventurous than its predecessor. Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted that "atmosphere easily upstages the words". New York Daily News writer Jim Farber commented that its songs "develop horizontally, rather than vertically, letting funky bass lines meander on well before a melody arrives". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen is an American journalist and author. He is the music critic for the online magazine Slate, and the author of White Christmas: The Story of an American Song....
found its "hazy texture" and songwriting sketchy. Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic.Empire was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain in 1988....
of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
commented that it "turns its skewed sights on love in both soppy and calculating fashion". Richard Beck of Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
commended its groove-based compositions, writing that it "doesn't have songs [...] it has grooves with vocals, in four minute chunks. This would be a problem if the grooves weren’t so good". Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
writer Greg Kot
Greg Kot
Greg Kot is an American writer and journalist. Since 1990, Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, where he has covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues...
gave it three out of four stars and called Badu "a mistress of vibe and feel rather than strictly formatted songcraft". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Eric Henderson praised its "freeform" style and compared her songwriting approach to that of Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, stating "Gaye would usually feel out his melodies first and then come up with lyrics to fit into those lines. The result for both Gaye and Badu is R&B impressionism". Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
's Nick Butler wrote that it "rewards patience and time [...] because underneath the new smoother exterior lies a batch of songs that are surprisingly loose and free".
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Mike Powell called the album "a coherent expression of a big, scattered personality" and praised Badu's expressive performance, writing that "her ability to toe the line between sounding effortless and sounding tossed-off is remarkable". Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
called her a "terrific formalist". Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
writer Lauren Carter gave the album an A rating and found Badu's "free-flowing approach and quirky-cool vibe" refreshing from other popular music. Steve Jones of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
stated "The moody, soulful ambience complements Badu's insightful lyrics and mesmerizing vocals". Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
found the album on-par with its predecessor, in terms of thematic detail, but called it "a smoother, more delicate and accessible affair". Sean Fennessey of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
called the album "earthbound and elemental [...] Badu's version of lover's rock", noting Badu as "often plainspoken and unguarded". Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
s found its musical settings "varied" and called its music "superior seductive R&B which doesn't insult your intelligence while still turning your head". BBC Online's Stevie Chick compared the album to Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and...
and Badu's melodies to those of Marvin Gaye. Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Margaret Wappler described the album as "a velvety, but still appealingly odd, exploration". Seth Colter Walls of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
called it "the R&B album of the moment that actually has a hint of timelessness about it".
Track listing
Personnel
Credits for New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) adapted from liner notes.| # | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) | Executive production: Erykah Badu, Mike "Chav" Chavarria Art direction: Erykah Badu, Kyledidthis Design: Erykah Badu Project management and marketing: Paul Levatino (for Badu World), Xavier Jernigan (for Universal Motown) A&R: Edward Richardson Mixing: Tim Soares, Chris Bell Illustrations: EMEK Studios (Emek & Gan) Typography inspiration: Alfredo Gray |
|
| 1 | "20 Feet Tall" | Produced by Erykah Badu and 9th Wonder Embodies portions of "My Darling Baby" by Wood Brass & Steel |
| 2 | "Window Seat" | Produced by Erykah Badu and James Poyser |
| 3 | "Agitation" | Produced by Erykah Badu and Shafiq Husayn of SA-RA Creative Partners Contains a sample of "Just As I Thought" by David Sancious David Sancious David Sancious is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on the 1992 album Human Touch. Sancious is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known as a keyboard player and... |
| 4 | "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)" | Produced by Erykah Badu and Karriem Riggins Karriem Riggins (drums), Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner (bass), James Poyser (keys), Tommy Trajlio (guitar), Mike "Chav" Chavarria (mooger fooger) Contains an interpolation of "You Can't Turn Me Away", by Sylvia Striplin Sylvia Striplin Sylvia Striplin is a New York based jazz, soul and R&B vocalist. Striplin has worked with funk, jazz, R&B and soul, vibraphonist Roy Ayers, who helped her release her 1981 album Give Me Your Love on the Uno Melodic record label. Striplin, along with Marva Hicks found some solo success after being... |
| 5 | "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" | Produced by Erykah Badu and Ta'Raach Contains a sample of "Arrow Through Me Arrow Through Me "Arrow Through Me" is an R&B/soft rock song by Wings. The song with its Fender Rhodes bassline is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder music. It was the A-side of the third US single released from Back to the Egg and peaked at #29. The B-side was "Old Siam, Sir", which was the A-side of the first UK single... " by Wings Wings (band) Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981.... |
| 6 | "Umm Hmm" | Produced by Erykah Badu and Madlib Contains a sample of "Take Some Time" by Ndugu & The Chocolate Jam Co. |
| 7 | "Love" | Produced by Erykah Badu and J Dilla Contains a portion of "Take Me" by Fabulous Souls |
| 8 | "You Loving Me (Session)" | Produced by Erykah Badu |
| 9 | "Fall in Love (Your Funeral)" | Produced by Erykah Badu and Karriem Riggins Contains a sample of "Intimate Friends" by Eddie Kendricks Eddie Kendricks Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things... |
| 10 | "Incense" | Produced by Erykah Badu and Madlib Kirsten Agnesta (harp) |
| 11 | "Out My Mind, Just in Time" | Part 1: Produced by Erykah Badu James Poyser (keys) Part 2 & 3: Produced by Erykah Badu and Georgia Anne Muldrow |
| * | "Jump Up in the Air (Stay There)" | Produced by Erykah Badu, RC Williams and Jahborn Lil Wayne (rap), Bilal (vocals) Contains an interpolation of "Hydraulic Pump" by The P-Funk All-Stars Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic is a funk, soul and rock music collective headed by George Clinton. Their style has been dubbed P-Funk. Collectively the group has existed under various names since the 1960s and has been known for top-notch musicianship, politically charged lyrics, outlandish concept albums... |
Chart history
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
36 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
36 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
66 |
| Danish Albums Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
35 |
| European Albums Chart European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
61 |
| French Albums Chart | 77 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
38 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
14 |
| Polish Albums Chart OLiS OLiS is the official list of the highest selling music albums in Poland. The list exists since October 23, 2000 and is provided by ZPAV.... |
15 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
21 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
18 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
56 |
| UK R&B Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
9 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
4 |
| US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
2 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
119 |
External links
- New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...