Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Is Badu's "Window Seat" a Logical Conclusion to "Bag Lady?"

This is just a banner year for me when it comes to music. Three of my four favorite female artists (Sade, Suzanne Vega, Erykah Badu and Bjork) have released cds this year. Erykah Badu is the latest with the release today of her album "New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh," and I am really excited about hearing the new music.

I love the "Window Seat," the first release from the album. It's classic Badu, with a smooth flow, and purposeful lyrics that just hit you with their honesty. However, it's the video for the song that is getting a great deal of buzz:



I decided to write about this after reading Natalie Hopkinson's article on it over at "The Root." And I found that I agreed with Hopkinson's "non-cynical part" that the video, which I like, really can be read as a discarding of the past with regard to the images of black women. Badu is just like that. But I also saw the video as a conclusion of the message she was putting forth in the song "Bag Lady" from her sophomore effort "Mama's Gun."



The bottom line is that Badu is back better than ever, and I want her to continue to push those barriers and give us that beautiful music.

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