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The so-called "EP" that will make many Erykah Badu skeptics wonder what's going on is actually 15 minutes longer than What's Going On. Why would any musician want to call a recording of such length -- 50 minutes, to be precise -- an EP? The fact that Worldwide Underground is being referred to as an EP makes it apparent that it isn't intended to be considered the true follow-up to Mama's Gun. You also find out throughout the course of the disc that the loose, spare arrangements aren't likely to generate a stream of tidy, four-minute Top Ten hits. As easy as the disc is to slide into, it's far and away the least commercial R&B release of the year. Written, produced, and performed by Freakquency -- a seemingly ad hoc group consisting of Badu, James Poyser, Rashad "Ringo" Smith, and R.C. Williams -- along with a revolving door of guests, the whole thing goes down more like a weekend jam session than an endlessly labored-over, polished project. For the most part, this is a good thing. Both "Bump It" and "I Want You" are over eight minutes in length, leaving plenty of space to establish relaxed atmospheres that are built on uncomplicated rhythms, twinkling keyboards, and vaporous textures. "Back in the Day (Puff)" and "Danger" are the two most single-oriented tracks; the former's essentially a more filled-out version of one of the extended pieces in miniature form, while the latter is the toughest sounding of the whole batch, with punchy, synthetic horn jabs and Badu's most animated vocal. A new version of "Love of My Life" caps off the disc in fine, fun style, with Badu paying tribute to the all-female, old-school trio Sequence, with the help of Angie Stone, Bahamadia, and Queen Latifah. If Worldwide Underground isn't to be taken as seriously as Baduizm and Mama's Gun, so be it; but it only goes to show how apprehensive the powers that be are in allowing their platinum artists to deviate from what's expected.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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James Poyser, ComposerLyricist - Erykah Badu, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rashad Smith, Producer, Drum Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - James Poyser, Producer, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Leonard "Doc" Gibbs, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Soares, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Caron Wheeler, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Erykah Badu, Producer, Recording Arranger, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Zap Mama, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Braylon Lacy, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Audrey Magett, ComposerLyricist - China Black, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rashad Smith, Producer, Drum Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Lenny Kravitz, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - James Poyser, Producer, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Leonard "Doc" Gibbs, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Soares, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Erykah Badu, Producer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Braylon Lacy, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - R.C. Williams, Producer - Audrey Magett, ComposerLyricist - Pat Vidas, ComposerLyricist - Joy Grand, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rashad Smith, Producer, Drum Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - James Poyser, Producer, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Leonard "Doc" Gibbs, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Soares, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shinobu Mitsuoka, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Erykah Badu, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Braylon Lacy, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Audrey Magett, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rashad Smith, Drum Programmer, Unknown, Other, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Stanley, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Isaac Hayes, ComposerLyricist - Timmy Olmstead, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Soares, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Erykah Badu, Producer, Unknown, Recording Arranger, Other, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Braylon Lacy, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - R.C. Williams, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - B Rush, ComposerLyricist - Dwayne Kerr, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - James Van Leer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rashad Smith, Drum Programmer, AssociatedPerformer - Clayton Gavin, ComposerLyricist - Lavonne Alford, ComposerLyricist - Brian Stanley, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Soares, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Dead Prez, Producer, FeaturedArtist - Erykah Badu, Producer, Drum Programmer, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - R.C. Williams, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rashad Smith, Drum Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Leslie Brathwaite, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - James Poyser, ComposerLyricist - Tom Soares, Additional Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Erykah Badu, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Braylon Lacy, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - R.C. Williams, Producer, Keyboards, Co-Producer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Audrey Magett, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rashad Smith, Drum Programmer, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Stanley, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - James Poyser, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Soares, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Roy Hargrove, Trumpet, Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Erykah Badu, Producer, Recording Arranger, Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Braylon Lacy, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Bradley Ridgell, ComposerLyricist - Sigidi Abdullah, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mizzell, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rashad Smith, Drum Programmer, AssociatedPerformer - Queen Latifah, FeaturedArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Poyser, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Angie Stone, FeaturedArtist, ComposerLyricist - Tom Soares, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Erykah Badu, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Bahamadia, FeaturedArtist, ComposerLyricist - B.R. Smith, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
James Poyser, ComposerLyricist - Erykah Badu, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
The so-called "EP" that will make many Erykah Badu skeptics wonder what's going on is actually 15 minutes longer than What's Going On. Why would any musician want to call a recording of such length -- 50 minutes, to be precise -- an EP? The fact that Worldwide Underground is being referred to as an EP makes it apparent that it isn't intended to be considered the true follow-up to Mama's Gun. You also find out throughout the course of the disc that the loose, spare arrangements aren't likely to generate a stream of tidy, four-minute Top Ten hits. As easy as the disc is to slide into, it's far and away the least commercial R&B release of the year. Written, produced, and performed by Freakquency -- a seemingly ad hoc group consisting of Badu, James Poyser, Rashad "Ringo" Smith, and R.C. Williams -- along with a revolving door of guests, the whole thing goes down more like a weekend jam session than an endlessly labored-over, polished project. For the most part, this is a good thing. Both "Bump It" and "I Want You" are over eight minutes in length, leaving plenty of space to establish relaxed atmospheres that are built on uncomplicated rhythms, twinkling keyboards, and vaporous textures. "Back in the Day (Puff)" and "Danger" are the two most single-oriented tracks; the former's essentially a more filled-out version of one of the extended pieces in miniature form, while the latter is the toughest sounding of the whole batch, with punchy, synthetic horn jabs and Badu's most animated vocal. A new version of "Love of My Life" caps off the disc in fine, fun style, with Badu paying tribute to the all-female, old-school trio Sequence, with the help of Angie Stone, Bahamadia, and Queen Latifah. If Worldwide Underground isn't to be taken as seriously as Baduizm and Mama's Gun, so be it; but it only goes to show how apprehensive the powers that be are in allowing their platinum artists to deviate from what's expected.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:50:29
- Main artists: Erykah Badu
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: UNI - MOTOWN
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
© 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2003 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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