New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh

Erykah Badu | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 30, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Motown
• ASIN: B003597ORA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,649 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #85 in Music > R&B > Motown

Editorial Reviews

2010 release, the fifth studio album from the R&B/Neo-Soul superstar. In contrast to New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), which was digitally produced and political in tone, New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh features lush live instrumentation and taps into Badu's emotional side by thematically focusing on romance and relationships. "We used a lot of analog instruments...harps, strings, drums, piano, and even a Theremin, to give the album that sonic feel," says Badu. "There's a strong undercurrent of bottom, a rumbling to these songs that feels good to me. It feels like a hug."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime and still kooky!, March 30, 2010

By 

Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh (Audio CD)

Where Erykah Badu's last album "New Amerykah part 1..." was a more political and experimental psychedelic affair that had many puzzled (but I thought was a masterpiece), her new CD is more conventional, lush and soulful with live instrumentation and cerebral lyrics about love and life.

"20 feet tall" is a stirring string/piano ballad (ending with cheering sounds of children) and the soothing "Window seat" is midtempo with skeletal groovy bass (belying it's now infamous video). "Agitation" is a brief free flowing joint, "Turn me away (Get munny)" funky and midtempo, "Gone baby, don't be long" an ethereal sounding groovy song with splashings of electric guitar.

The songs have a retro seventies soul feel with nothing truly uptempo, especially a song like "Umm hmm". "Love" has a choppy groovy feel while "You loving me (Session)" is a fun-filled interlude. The groovy "Fall in love (Your funeral)" finds her warning some unlucky chap that "you don't wanna fall in love with me".

The delicate "Incense" is acoustic with electronic flourishes and hushed harmonies and features Kirsten Agnesta, and closing is the 10 minute epic "Out my mind, just in time" which starts off a Jazzy piano-driven ballad with haunting strings, meandering through various trippy tempo and mood shifts similar to "Green eyes" from "Mama's gun".

This just may be her most commercial effort since her debut "Baduizm", but still with enough kookiness to set it aside from everything else out there. Amazing!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome. Diff from NA Part 1., March 30, 2010

By 

S. Evans "lalaevans2000" (Jax,Fl USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh (Audio CD)

I really love the live instrumentation.This album has a "mama's gun" feel. Its really diff from Pt 1. But still better than most of the garbage thats out today. Badu is my generations Nina, or Roberta. She is Fab a true original an artist that is her own woman.
Fav tracks include :
Window seat, Agitation, Umm humm, Out of my mind (epic 10 mins long!)
20 feet tall....I mean everthing.lol. amazing, fabulous, all around great album!!
Pt 1 is incredible to me too. This album is more organic. The other album was entirely produced digitally.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fresh refreshing music as only Erykah can deliver, March 30, 2010

By 

FlySexyChic "FlyMama" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh (Audio CD)

I purchased the online download and stayed up until 3am EST so that I could download it as soon as it was available. I ended up staying up longer to hear the entire album and listening to this woman is like taking a voyage in your mind. The beats keep your head noding and hips rocking. Erykah has a certain unique-ness and I feel fortunate to have an entertainer of her stature alive in my generation. If she comes to a city near you buy a ticket to her show trust you wont be disappointed I saw her in Atlanta this past fall - AWESOME show. I have listened to her since her first album Baduizm and every album since then and I will continue to listen for my lifetime.