Excellent debut for Erykah and her sound, January 6, 2000

Erykah Badu's debut album is loaded with old school jazz and modern r&b that's as tighly woven as her famous mile-high headdress. "Badizum" is a classy, towering release; for me, it conjures up images of a Saturday evening at your local jazz club or a cool, sun-drenched Sunday morning. It gives off a calming, peaceful vibe, and it's a near-masterpiece that can't be likened to anything else. Badu's voice, often compared to the grittiness of Billie Holliday, is elegantly restrained; yet, it is its modesty that makes it all the more powerful. There's the jazzed-up swing of the hit "On and On," the soulful swagger of "Four Leaf Clover," and the bangin' "Rimshot." Badu's voice is effortlessly smooth as she croons her way through these slightly hip-hop-flavored slices of r&b. I was first introduced to the music of Badu at a beach party a few years back. The single was "On and On," whose hook made me take a mental note to run...

Erykah Badu is a very gifted & talented singer, songwriter and actress. Her soothing blends of old-school jazz & soul influences create an amazing backdrop of seductive beats, and a distinctive vocal style. With a musical approach that contains highly mature lyrics, Badu scats her way through an album of masterpieces.

With all the naked sounding R&B, elevator jazz and overproduced soul music out there, this album is a left-field surprise. "Baduizm" has a clear-headed grip on R&B, jazz, funk and soul all at once. Only D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" album can contest with this one for best debut of the 90's. The album has a very slow, mellow vibe to it, with occasional punches of energy, like on the funky "Appletree." This is the type of music where you could relax with your lover, do the dishes, or cook dinner. It works on many levels. Erykah's lyrics have a very positive, earthy, rastafarian vibe to them and she tries not to be too preachy; although you can always smell the incense when she sings. This album actually sounds like something that might have emerged from the ecclectic, early 1990's; when rap, R&B, and soul artists weren't all trying to sound like each other.