Thundercat and Steve Lacy Bring the Bass to Erykah Badu’s First Album in 11 Years
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist have collaborated on a new album, Before the World Blows, which combines their unique talents for a fresh blend of soul, jazz, R&B, and more. The album marks eleven years since Badu’s last full-length release, But You Caint Use My Phone mixtape, and 16 years since New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). Badu says the time was necessary to process the world around her.
“Procrastinating and living, learning and stuff – that gives you stuff to write about,” she told The Guardian. “It’s important to gather the data, upload as much as I can. I don’t have a choice. But when the thing gets kind of full, I download it through writing music.”
If you know Badu’s music, then you know her new record is packed with killer bass lines. Many of the syrupy grooves are driven by the low end with hypnotic, melodic bass lines. Badu and Alchemist utilized samples and programming to write most of the bass lines, but two guests are credited with playing across several tracks.
The singer’s longtime collaborator Thundercat appears on three tracks, beginning with “Crossfade.” The song starts with a low pad to signal the chord changes, with the bassist’s chordal musings mixed deeper in the track. The drums dissolve at the 3:04 mark, putting the bass and voice into a duo setting. Thundercat keeps things sparse with limited movement, adding sparkle with some well-placed harmonics to keep the beat going. It’s a masterclass in accompanying such a sultry voice.
Next, he’s featured on “Witch Doctor,” a song with vibes that throw it back to Badu’s earlier albums. The simple, mesmerizing line glues the whole song together. Watch the music video for “Witch Doctor,” produced by Badu herself.
“They Ain’t You” features more of Thundercat’s own style. He provides background vocals and his melodic fills are all over the slow jam. Guitarist Steve Lacy got on the bass for “To The Moon (Plan C),” delivering a pentatonic earworm that continues through the whole song.
Even the sampled and programmed bass lines are worth checking out, making Before the World Blows a must-hear album for bassists looking to up their groove vocabulary.
The album is out now on CD, vinyl and as a digital download (Apple Music, and Amazon Music).
Before the World Blows Track List:
- Echos
- I Just Play A Part (feat. DJ Creole Princess, Westside Gunn & Joi)
- Crossfade
- Witch Doctor
- Valentine (feat. DRAM)
- Next 2 U
- Love Me Not
- Breezy
- Abracadabra
- To The Moon (Plan C) (feat. Steve Lacy)
- They Ain’t You (feat. Thundercat)
- What The People Say (Apostle 1)
- Hot BiBi (Apostle 2)
- No I.D. (feat. Westside Gunn)
- I Know That Man (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)
- Black Box (feat. Kamasi Washington)
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
