First of all, the live album is much better than Baduizm. But, when I bought the live album a couple of months later, it blew me away. I was sure that it would be a while before anything topped it. I purchased Baudizm back in February of 97' and I thought it was an instant classic.
"Tyrone" is the ultimate kiss-off song, and her unique and spiritual vocal phrasings and lyrics permeate this great cd. "Ye Yo", "Searching", "Boogie Nights/All Night", "Stay", and both versions of "Tyrone" (one is Live and one is studio) are not found on any of Erykah's other cd's. I read a couple of the previous reviews that basically made it sound like this cd has no new material. While others are yet again singing of wanting to get someone into bed, Erykah unleashes an emotional blessing for her unborn (at the time this was recorded) child. Again, this song sets Erykah far above the great majority of the R&B world. "Ye Yo" is a song that says all the words that every child deserves to hear coming from their mothers lips, and it says them without being sappy and stupid. These two songs alone would make this cd worth purchasing. "Other Side Of The Game" and Chaka Khan's "Stay" both get incredible, all-out, going-for-it vocal fluorishes. The liner-notes should have acknowledged the Miles tune, if for no other reason than to allow someone with no jazz knowledge to seek out the original Miles album if they are so inclined. The first minute or so of "Rimshot" is actually the Miles Davis masterpiece "So What" (originally appearing on the album, "Kind Of Blue"), with Erykah's backing vocalists chanting Badu over it.
This cd starts with something that I imagine many of Erykah's fans may not pick up on. I wouldn't exchange one for the other though, both have their strengths and show a side of Erykah that the other does not. This cd is a wonderful companion piece (with great new stuff as well) to the Baduizm studio cd. The most captivating moment, though, is a new number called "Tyrone," in which she most eloquently tells a dense boyfriend to take a hike. She also takes on an assortment of covers, ranging from Roy Ayers's "Searching" to the Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long," making each one sound distinctly her own. For her part, Badu does a wonderful job revisiting the material from her superb debut Baduizm. It's in the warmth of the songs, the intimacy with which Badu addresses the crowd, and the constant chants of "Erykah!" emanating from the masses. There is a kindred bond between the singer and her audiences which translates wonderfully onto the disc. To put it mildly, the Badu live experience is anything but typical. After seeing Erykah Badu steal the "Smokin Grooves Tour" summer of 1996, however, it only makes sense that her record company decided to release Live as a stopgap between her next studio recording. There is always cause for concern when a promising new artist follows up a solid debut with a live album rehashing all the same material.
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