Track Listing

1. Penitentiary Philosophy
2. Didn't Cha Know
3. My Life
4. ... & On
5. Cleva - Roy Ayers, Erykah Badu
6. Hey Sugah
7. Booty
8. Kiss Me On My Neck
9. A.D. 2000
10. Orange Moon
11. I'm In Love With You
12. Bag Lady
13. Time's A Wastin
14. Green Eyes
15. Bag Lady

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40534 in Music
• Released on: 2002-12-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 76 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Dallas native Erykah Badu was responsible for the project that pretty much defined out-there, Afro-spiritual R&B. Her debut album, Baduizm, paved the way for neo-soul talents like Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott, and was hailed deservedly as the "most innovative and exciting soul debut since D'Angelo's Brown Sugar". With Mama's Gun, Badu takes another giant step into the left-field with less delirious results. Aided by D'Angelo's backing band, the SoulAquarians (Jay Dee, Ahmir "Quest-Love" Thompson and James Poyser), the relationship angst of first track, "Penitentiary Philosophy" is accompanied by truly turgid hard rock. Thankfully, the rest of the album doesn't harbour ambitions to "rock-out" in an Alanis Morrissette style. The guests include Bilal (Common), Roy Ayers, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, Betty Wright and Steven Marley but this is Badu's show. Sonically speaking, Mama's Gun's best tracks--"Cleva", the staccato funk of "Booty", the gorgeous, "A.D.2000", "Orange Moon" and epic closer "Green Eyes" (where she really does sound like Billie Holliday")--are once again a cool hybrid of jazz, blues, soul and hip-hop. Mama's Gun is definitely less immediate than its predecessor and perhaps requires repeated listening to appreciate. However it is hard to escape the feeling that this is Badu by numbers, a well-crafted, though ultimately dull facsimile that aims to capitalise on ground first broken by a focused and fascinating original. --Reuben Dessay

CD Description
R&B diva Erykah Badu's long-awaited second studio release finds her incorporating pronounced jazz influences into her history-cognizant mixture of hip-hop and soul. Jazzy touches,from the vibes on "My Life" to the ballad "Orange Moon," with its languid upright bass and bop-schooled piano, abound. Jazz trumpeter extraodinaire Roy Hargrove was responsible for all the horn arrangements on MAMA'S GUN. "Booty"'s Crusaders-style horns and loose, funky rhythm nod to mid '70s R&B, and the guitar lines on "Bag Lady" could have come off a vintage Marvin Gaye album. With its delicate acoustic guitar textures, lush background vocals, and '70s-style keyboards, "A.D. 2000" occupies a classy middle ground between Sade and HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS-era Joni Mitchell. The album closes with the adventurous, suite-like "Green Eyes." The first section of the song finds Badu crooning in a '30s jazz-blues style over crackles that emulate a scratchy old 78. The second "movement" grows jazzier, led by flute and punctuated by acoustic bass lines and brush-strokes on the drums. The final section bears a more modern R&B feel, with syncopated rhythmsand a carefully arranged horn section. Ultimately, Badu's self-description of an "analog girl in a digital world" proves highly apt on MAMA'S GUN.

Customer Reviews

a perfect chill-out album
Huh. Apparently I am a minority in my opinions when it comes to comparing Baduizm and Mama's Gun. Personally, I found Baduizm uneven, confusing and heavy (no, not in the sense of 'heavy rock'), whereas Mama's Gun was - to me - a perfect entity. The flow of the album as a whole was generally just so much better than in Baduizm. But, that's my opinion.

The album starts off with a funky kick. Penitentiary Philosophy surely is an interesting beginning; you're led in with whispers that lull you into the belief that this is going to be something calm, and then you're hit in the face with a two-by-four. In a nice way, that is. It's like a burst of energy that certainly will get your attention.

From there, the album moves to calmer, more swaying moods, but doesn't lose its grasp. Mind you, though, the first half of the album isn't necessarely the best of the best - songs from Didn't Cha Know to And On kind of blend in together a bit too much, even though the songs' lyrics are intriguing - but once you get to Hey Sugah and Booty... Yum.

Booty is definitely one of the gems in the album. Its mellow yet funky tone sends your hips swaying, the catchy tune humming along, and the witty and funny lyrics just enjoying the experience that much more. And it gets even better with the smooth transition to Kiss Me On My Neck, which continues with surprisingly fresh moods. Kiss Me On My Neck is full of joy and desire of life, both its tune and lyrics.

AD 2000 is my favourite song on the album. It's simple yet complicated, calm yet intense, a smooth, beautiful piece as a whole. The wicked use of stereo voice makes it even more interesting.

Orange Moon is somewhat classical jazz, smooth and dusky, taking you to a place somewhere on the hazy edge of dreaming. In In Love With You we're introduced to reggae-ish themes, and then brought back to the more soulful, funky tunes in Bag Lady and Time's A Wastin', both of which are delightfully comforting and loving in their lyrics. As a piece of story telling, Green Eyes is truly a masterpiece. It's a song that consists of three "stories" that are blended in together cleverly, each of the stories holding its own while being naturally tied up with the others as the song slowly builds up towards the end.

Overall, Mama's Gun is an album that makes you smile, relax, and think. The life philosophy that Badu portraits in her lyrics may not be something unheard of, but still leaves you pondering, and the humour and the story telling are truly something to enjoy. Mama's Gun is the CD I always turn on when I want to find that easy peaceful feeling.

Worthwhile
I cannot bear to listen to this album being slagged off any more! The whole album is worth paying for, and listening to, for 'Orange Moon' alone. As regards the rest of it, it's not as immeadiately gratifying as 'Baduiszm', but repeated listenings really reveal the subtle power of 'A.D 2001','Cleva', 'Bag Lady' and 'Green Eyes', Badu's most sophisticated song to date. And 'Penitentiary Philsophy' is an excellent, intense, song that is amazing, in comparison to a Jill Scott, Macy Gray or even Kelis track. So buy and adore this album, just make sure you've heard 'Baduiszm' first.

Mind blowing!
Mama's Gun is far more experimental than Baduism; it took me a couple of plays to get into it. But now this is in my top ten CD list. I love the rock tinged "penetiary brother" it's pure emotion. I always play the last 5 tracks back to back. "AD2000" is my favourite followed by "Orange moon" and "Green eyes"
The album has a more experimental flavour with a rock track, some old school funk and then a smooth jazzy R&B flavour. I love the lyrics they are full of Erykah's depth and audacity this album feels deeper and more personal than Baduism. Like most nu classic soul albums this is an album to play in its entirety rather than a collection of tracks.