Erykah Badu Worldwide Underground EP (Motown/Universal) Rating: NNN
Rating: NNN
Calling the 50-minute Worldwide Underground an EP is obviously Erykah Badu’s attempt to give herself the room to experiment that might not come in a proper album. It works, though you wonder why she bothered – Worldwide Underground is really just more of the same. Now surrounded by the left-field production team and players who have juiced records by Common, the Roots and D’Angelo, Badu stretches her earth mama soul out on eight- and 10-minute tracks that are more jams than concise songs. Badu works best when she’s playing it fast and loose, and her all-star band has the skills to keep the groove interesting. While just letting the tape run was probably a gas, a proper song now and then wouldn’t hurt.