Mama’s Gun

It’s a great chill out album. The music there but doesn’t get in the way. I’m not a lyric guy but the vocals nestle right into those beats. Neo-soul is not my genre but I can see myself returning to this some late night.

Going into *Mama's Gun* by Erykah Badu today, I had never heard the album before and wasn't really sure what to expect. I struggled with it a little at first, but as I worked my way through the tracks, it really started to grow on me. In fact, I think the album gets better and better as it progresses.

*Mama's Gun* has a lovely modern soul sound, although it's quite remarkable to think that it's now over 25 years old! In reality, it's an R&B album with plenty of soul and jazz influences, and while this isn't normally the sort of music I'd choose to listen to, I found myself enjoying it far more than I expected.

The standout feature throughout is Erykah Badu's stunning voice. Her vocals are absolutely beautiful, effortlessly moving between smooth, soulful melodies and more expressive moments. The musicianship is excellent too, with some lovely arrangements and a really warm, laid-back sound.

There's also some great songwriting here. The lyrics are thoughtful and interesting, and the whole album has a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. It's chilled out, easy to listen to and full of little musical details that become more noticeable as the album goes on.

I particularly enjoyed "In Love with You", featuring Stephen Marley, which is a lovely song. "Bag Lady" is another highlight, and "Green Eyes" is a fantastic way to close the album. All three have beautiful vocals and arrangements, and they really stood out for me.

My only real criticism is the length. At 15 tracks, I think the album could have benefited from a little editing. There are a few songs that don't quite reach the same standard as the highlights, and cutting some of the filler would have made this an even stronger record.

Overall, *Mama's Gun* was a really pleasant surprise. R&B has never particularly been my thing, but there's something about the warmth, musicianship and wonderful vocals on this album that really won me over. It's a very good record, and one I'd happily listen to again. Another unexpected discovery from this challenge!

Favourite tracks:"In Love with You", "Bag Lady" and "Green Eyes". Three excellent songs with lovely vocals, great melodies and beautiful musicianship.

Least favourite track: Nothing particularly bad. Everything is worth a listen, although I do think there's some filler that could have been cut to make the album a little shorter.

Album artwork: A fairly standard album cover. Nothing particularly memorable, but perfectly fine.

Incredibly long, but also incredibly enjoyable. Music is very original and enjoyable, there's a lot of variety, and her vocals are obviously great.

great music and overall really enjoyable album. quite a few of the songs are entirely too long, particularly on the back half of the album

Safe to say this is not my thing. I can think of few worse combinations than R&B/soul and hip hop. Maybe throw country in the mix as well for the ultimate Frankenstein's monster of shit.

Incredible R&B album, she's truly a GOAT of the genre. It's supremely listenable in an understated groove without being lo-fi. Didn't Cha Know? is great. Then the rhythm picks back up seamlessly with My Life.

It grew on me through the album. Never been a huge fan, but I can understand the draw. Modern twist on very classic jazz and R&B with a little attitude. 3+

This would be a 4 if it ended at Kiss me on the neck or 2000 AD, but it kept going. Up to that point it was so cohesive, with suites of songs blending into each other. Then 2000 AD changed it up but it could’ve been a nice closer. After that it felt like filler that got tacked on to a perfectly good album.

Sounds amazing. So chill. Just no 'great' songs.

Very cool, definitely one to come back to

4/5. A pretty great hour of Neo-Soul which mixes in a lot of jazzy elements, all held together by the strong vocals of Badu herself. The opener “Penitentiary Philosophy” is the most energetic song on the album and features a great build. But from there the instrumentals get a lot more slowed down and bare, which works very well for Erykah Brady’s confessional style of lyricism. The biggest highlight for me though is the massive closer “Green Eyes” which is a breakup song that goes through several interesting phases during its ten minute run.

Very samey the whole time

Vad mer kan man önska??

Hmm... I don't know about this one. It's probably just ok and not much more than that. My initial assumption was correct, but the first track was actually really good. After that, it kind of became either milquetoast or sometimes grating(the vocal affections on the second track, "Booty" in general). The vocals are usually pleasant but can become grating on certain tracks, especially with overdubbed "Woah-oh"s at the ends of many tracks. The lyrics are smart, with sharp observations about the state of life in America and expectations of being a woman. This album is a nice homage to 70s soul and R&B that can hold its own against that genre's greats at its best, but it frequently isn't at its best. We're ultimately left with a somewhat mediocre album with some showcases of potential.

This album is ranked #9 of 26 albums for 2000. Other 2000 albums rated by me:
Kid A(1/26)-5
The Marshall Mathers LP(4/26)-2
Stories from the City, Stories From the Sea(6/26)-3
All That You Can't Leave Behind(16/26)-1
Our Aim Is To Satisfy(20/26)-1

Pleasant. It's in desperate need of tighter 35-to-45-minute runtime. 3/5.

Pre Listen:
Never heard of Erykah, but her name follows the lame "more complicated spelling of a common name" stereotype of many other artists from this time. Always hesitant going in to albums post 90's :/

Notable Tracks:
My Life | ...& On - Major highlight of the album for me, and would've been my favorite if it weren't for a song mentioned a bit further down.
Booty - Least favorite track, it's the most hip-hoppy I think, the lyrics are dumb, and the beat is choppy and jumpy as hell. Song is cheesy.
Green Eyes - Favorite track on here. The lyrics are kinda stupid, but Erykah's actual singing, the audio mixing, instrumental performance, and overall sound is at it's absolute peak here for this group.

Post Listen:
Another toughie for me to place on a 1-5 scale. Times like this I really wish it was 1-10 scale, cause I really don't know where to neatly put this thing.

It was surprisingly better than expected, the jazzy and slightly disco-ish parts much better than the R&B or hip-hoppy portions. Erykah's vocals were a mixed bag for me, when she inflects hard it's great, but when she's a bit softer her voice has a bit of a nasally quality I wasn't much a fan of. The lyrics were alright too, for the most part. The beats across the album are solid, but rather plain. I know that's the vibe they were going for, more low-key. I sense a lot of inspiration from Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.

I would give this thing like a 6.5-7/10 if I could. It has issues, but it *is* a good album. I was generous on my last album, may as well be generous again. 4/5

EDIT - After some thought, I also want to bump this one down to a 3. It's a high 3, but it isn't memorable overall enough for me to give it a 4. A hard choice to make, but a necessary one. 3/5

pedradaça mesmo, nao tem jeito
nunca tinha escutado ele inteiro e eh extremamente competente, né. 0 músicas ruins, só pedrada, soulzinho gostoso, letras boas. infelizmente um pouco longo demais, mas mto pica!!

Trochę zbyt monotonna dla mnie, ale za to prawdziwa, porządna godzinna przejażdżka przez soulowe ballady i piękny głos. W sam raz na gorący dzień.

Very chill, great production and performances but it's just a wee bit too long, 3.5

Not sure it's for me. She has a nice voice, but it all kind of came and went for me. Lounge-y music. 2*