Neo-Soul diva Erykah Badu is preparing to release her new studio album ‘New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)’. The first single from the LP is the James Poyser-produced track ‘Window Seat’ (cover art seen above courtesy of Rap-Up.com). ‘New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)’ hits stores on March 30th.
Badu continues to demonstrate why music is about talent instead of fashion. This song depicts vocal prowess and artistry at their best. If only certain other singers (*hint hint*) had half of her ability, then the world would be a much better place.
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It’s actually a really sad, uneducated stance to take, this whole ‘got to be a great vocalist to be a worthwhile artist’ thing that you two have going on. Good music is not about having the pipes, it’s about how you express yourself, and whether that’s through your tone of voice, trademark vocal quirks, or the fashion/dance that accompanies the music, it’s all part of the experience. Then again I’m sure you know that, you’re just out to hate on Rihanna.
”Badu continues to demonstrate why music is about talent instead of fashion. This song depicts vocal prowess and artistry at their best. If only certain other singers (*hint hint*) had half of her ability, then the world would be a much better place.”
stop promoting these singers you talk of on this site then, jeez.
bored, trent. leave it about erykah
This song is boring as f***, and nobody who runs a site that promotes songs sweet enough to give you cavities, are going to have this on their own playlist. Ms Badu has done WAY better then this. Dont let the creative artist fool you into thinking everything they put out is gold, just because they have demonstrated good artistry in the past.
Also, Badu is ALL ABOUT FASHION! Duh! its part of her package. It may not be the high fashion couture, but it is super creative, unique AND apart of her package.
TRENT, if you really followed Erykah Badu and or understood this kind of American Music, you would have written a better piece. Why dont you put some milage on your passport instead of adding more garbage into the blogosphere.
I AGREE WITH TRENT
IF CIARA BRITNEY JANET OR JLO COULD ACTUALLY SING AND STOP WHISPERING THAN IT WOULD BE A BETTER WORLD
LUCKLY FOR ME IM SUPPORTING A STRONG SINGER WITH RANGE AND HOT TONE
SO I FEEL MORE SORRY FOR THE CIARA JANET ETC:: FANS
AND ERYKHA IS NOT A GREAT SINGER EITHER
HER VOICE IS NOT EVENS TRONG
I AGREE 100% WITH CHILE!!!!!!!
This site is becoming predictable. There is a rihanna bash in post that aren’t even about her. Bulllshit
YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsss
this is some REAL ass r&b music
i’m SO glad miss badu is back
I LOVE Erykah Badu, and really don’t care for Rihanna- never been a fan- and agree with you on the difference of vocal prowess thing…but seriously, I’m really tired of every single post on this website being a s*** at Rihanna. It’s gotten very lame and predictable.
I agree with most of the people on here…
This post is about erykah not rihanna!!!
You guys are #fail with that side remark about Rihanna when this post isn’t even about her
what sense does that make??? Post about erykahs music and move on!!!
You guys are pissing me off and I feel like reporting you somewhere to get you banned from existence
I think we can safely say that music is, at heart, about expression, and if that expression focuses mainly on showmanship (e.g. dance choreography, style, production), then fine. People are free to enjoy those things and there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as we acknowledge that it’s okay to like those things.
However, I’d argue that really excellent music, music that’ll have an impact years and years later as much as it does at the moment, is music that really works the musical end (vocal artistry, musical theory, strong instrumental arrangements, truly supportive productions).
Let’s take a look at a few examples. Rihanna–now, I’m no fan, but no one can deny that she’s got a lot of flair and style and her tracks are always good for dancing. But years from now, when Rihanna is no longer the hot, young girl she is today and she can no longer maintain that showman’s image, we are inevitably going to be left with just her music as her legacy–and what is the quality of that music? Will it really stand up?
Then there are artists like Erykah Badu, who barely work the showmanship aspect of music at all. She is really a musician in that respect. On the other hand, the burden of being judged for her dancing skills or fashion style is completely removed from her. You only need to judge her for her music and that gives a musician a lot of freedom to evolve and improve, whereas a showman, even if the music is weak, can get by if they can perform it well.
And one artist who really bridges the two worlds–showmanship and musical artistry–was Michael Jackson. This was an individual who was just born with the Voice–really natural vocal ability and genuine expressiveness–and he supported it with really suitable songs, songs that ran the gamut from power ballads to dance beats, as well as refined productions (as opposed to the overwhelming productions we get on songs today). He was a great showman–everyone knows that–but he also had, at bottom, well-written songs, expert arrangement, and incredible vocal talent. And that is why, in my mind, he is truly a musical star that will have a long-lasting legacy as opposed to star-of-the-moment.
It’s pointless to say one artist is worse than another or is not as talented as another or whatnot, because people are going to like who they like anyway. But we’d all get along a lot better if we are honest enough to admit the limitations and strengths of each artist in a fair way.
LOVE ERYKAH AND THIS SONG. I CAN’T WAIT TIL HER ALBUM DROPS! SO EXCITED!!!
GREAT POST AND CRITIQUE TRENT. LOVE HOW YOU ALWAYS GET YOUR LITTLE SIDE-BASH ON RIHANNA SOME HOW! 🙂 KEEP IT UP!
PEOPLE STOP TELLING THIS SITE AND IT’S OWNERS THAT YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT THEY SAY WHEN THEY POST SONGS AND THEIR OPINIONS……I JUST CANT UNDERSTAND FOR THE LIFE OF ME WHY YOU CONTINUE TO COME BACK IF YOU HATE HOW THEY RUN IT. DAMN! WHEN YOU GUYS TYPE IN http://WWW.THATGRAPEJUICE.COM, WHAT THE F*CK DO YOU THINK ABOUT???? SERIOUSLY. YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE DEAL IS WHEN YOU COME HERE, YET YOU B*TCH ABOUT IT AND COME RIGHT BACK LIKE IT’S GONNA BE DIFFERENT!!!! GEEZ! SMH.
If you all don’t like what Sam has to say, take yo m***** ass to an fansite solely for the artist you like! Sam is telling the truth , Erykah is one of those artist that can pull a song out of a hole of a needle and still be tight!!! The ONLY PEOPLE THAT TALK S*** ABOUT HER MUSIC ARE, DUMB ASS HOODRATS, AND THOSE THAT DON’T TRULY KNOW WHAT MUSIC IS!! I don’t want to bring her name up , cuz God knows that she is only a human being like the rest of us, but we as lovers of real, raw, organic, free flowing music are so f****** tired of Beyonces, Rhiannas of today! We get suck of feeling like we are not valued as consumers of music, we are tired of the same meaningless, empty, shallow , materialist b*******! Look at this Ke$a b****, how in the f*** do you get a number one song talking about getting f***** up in the club, nasty ass men touching you all inappropriately?? How is that music?? I understand that things change, but you all know that you can’t dismiss the time when you actually had to have “Talent” to get a record deal!!! Please before you make the assumption that someone is hating on Beyonce or Rhianna, please understand that before they even stepped on the scene music was still OK, not blaming them for how music is now, but just making that point ! I will put it in the words of Christina “Auto-Tune is for p******”! R%B is f****** dead, it no longer is a genre where we as black people can call out own! We have allowed white society, these record companies to totally exploit the talent we had to make a damn dollar! I know that writing this rant is not going to do s***, to make ya’ll wake up!!! I’m just in a place where I either listen only to the old school, or find new underground artist! Everybody from Usher to Mariah Carey have sold out, yeah I said it! Everything sound like a god damn theme song for a Nickelodeon TV show!!! Then what really messed up that an artist like Erykah is not recognized because she is not trying to shake her ass or sing about sleeping with a dude she just met, or trying on 99 stank ass wigs to enhance her looks!!!! I know that this cheap ass music era is not going to last s*** has to get better!!!
I’m one of Erkyah’s biggest fans, no doubt about it. I bought her last 3 albums the first days they were available. It just simply gets pointless and redundant when every other post is a jab at Rihanna. And no doubt, I hate Rihanna too, and have since day one. So don’t pretend I’m on her bandwagon. It just says something when you know exactly what the last 2 sentences are going to be about before even reading the post, regardless of which artist it is. True artists like Erykah don’t deserve the sheer irreverance of having Rihanna talked about in the same blog post- and I think that’s what everyone is getting about here. If it’s not all about Rihanna, don’t make it all about Rihanna. End of discussion.
decent, but nothing amazing
It’s refreshing to hear some soulful mellow music. And to have it sung by a person that can sing. Music is about self expression, but it’s also about showing one’s prowess and ability to distingush from one another. Badu is one of the many that can sing.
This song is great!
Badu’s got a fragile voice, wtf about powerful voice? It’s true that lately she hit high live notes but hey, doesn’t mean a thing as she strains her voice like hell. And I’m a Badu fan, but you’re makin her an outstanding artist, making rhianna like nothing to compare with. Right! I don’t know much about Rihanna. Badu is a very cool woman with attitude and a sens of creativity but she’s definitely not that smart. She’s a “pop” singer as much as rhianna is and her productions are as cheap (so quickly produced and sample based), she’s just in a more “roots” spirit. Anyway, stop making a genius out of an entertaining soul pop singer and appreciate her for what she really is. peace.
SORRY BUT RIHANNA WON’T BE AROUND IN 10 YRS…ERYKAH WILL
RIHANNA IS A PHASE…JUST LIKE MANY ARTIST BEFORE HER WHO JUST LOOKED PRETTY…PRETTY DOESNT = TALENT OR LONGEVITY OR ABILITY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ANYWAYS DOPE TRACK, DEF GETTIN THE ALBUM, TALK ABOUT VOCALS…
I dont even know how this became a battle between good and bad vocalist, Erykah and Rihanna respectively. IF YOU WANT TO ARGUE ABOUT ARTISTS,AND ARTIST IS SOMEONE WHO CREATES AND EXHIBITS THEIR CREATION WITH THE HELP OF TALENT. that would automatically push Rihanna out of the picture. She is a POP-STAR, not an artist, Erykah could be defined as an Artist, because she creates and experiments. So yes Ri-Ri is a phase, and your children may never know her, Erykah will not be a phase and has lasted 1 generation and will go even further. Stop fussing..HSTFU and sit down!
@Minhquan Nguyen I totally agree with you. She WILL NOT be around in ten years, and I’m not trying to hate either. Erykah Badu is a TRUE artist.