> October 9, 2003 > Arts > Disc Reviews

ERYKAH BADU
WORLDWIDE UNDERGROUND
**
Motown

Erykah Badu waited almost four years between 1997's groundbreaking debut, Baduizm, and her follow-up album, the brilliantly eclectic Mama's Gun, breaking up the wait with a superb live album that debuted only two new songs. Although referencing everything good that had ever happened to R&B, she always brought something daringly unique to her work. The decisions in her previously faultless career implied a serene confidence, so why she settled to release this unrefined EP -- eight new songs, including one that she doesn't even sing -- is unclear. The cover of Worldwide Underground declares, "Neo-soul is dead." That would be a welcome change, but whereas neo-soul was once only the feeble imitations of Erykah-wannabes, Ms. Badu herself has now reaffirmed that genre's uninspired melodies and generic drum beats. The EP has the muted vibrancy of a reproduction of an original. "Back in the Day (Puff)," "Think Twice" and "Love of My Life Worldwide" are irrelevant retreads of musical and topical themes that have been done before by other artists with superior results. The unstructured "Bump It" and "Woo" are enjoyable, but little more than music for a pleasant atmosphere. The bohemian battle hymn has always been her specialty, whether in dealing with the wars of love, survival or the struggles within oneself. The only outstanding track on Worldwide is her latest installment in that tradition, "Danger," a belly-crawl through the drug war, and a grittier revisit to "Other Side of the Game," Baduizm's apologia about loving a drug dealer. Here, the intriguing flipside to Badu's artsy persona -- hip-hop credibility -- shines through. Stuck at the end of the gratingly repetitive "I Want You" lurks a distorted, psychedelic keyboard that sounds like an influence from Badu's days of dating Outkast's Andre 3000. It hints at what Worldwide Underground could have developed into if she had the patience to wait for the inspiration that made all her other work a revelation of smoothed-out eccentricity.

-- SARA GINSBURG

ALICE COOPER
THE EYES OF ALICE COOPER
***
Eagle

Alice's eyes are looking back in time, back to the roots of his initial success. It's obvious on the album's cover; Alice sports the spider eye makeup of his late 1960s persona instead of the mad harlequin of the last 25 years. It's obvious in the songs. Unlike his last few efforts this is not a concept album, unless the concept is simple rock and roll. Energized by a wealth of new bands such as the Hives, the Strokes and the White Stripes -- many of whom hail from Detroit, his old stomping grounds -- Alice wanted to go back to the basics. He assembled a band that echoed the composition of the original Alice Cooper Band: two guitars, bass and drums. Eyes was recorded live in the studio with as few overdubs as possible. So the question for long-time fans is whether or not it works and if Alice captures the essence of the old days. Yeah, a little bit. In many ways, Eyes is all over Alice's history. It sounds like an old Alice album. But nothing jumps out as an immediate classic like "I'm Eighteen" or "Under My Wheels." The early 1970s rock gets buried in the heavy metal 1980s. There is a beautiful ballad, "Be With You Awhile," a la "Only Women Bleed" and "I Never Cry." There are creepy moments and funny moments, a classic mix of Alice's disturbing imagery and his amazing sense of humor. But in some ways it all feels a little contrived. Back in the day, it was simply the music he made. Now it feels like an effort to capture a certain sound. Alice is no stranger to following trends. It's part of what has kept him successful. He has released rock songs, disco songs, new wave songs and metal, depending on the mood of the day. The song that best sums up his current mood is "Detroit City": "Me and Iggy were gigging with Ziggy, and kicking with the MC5," he sings, joined by Wayne Kramer of the MC5 on guitar. "The Kid was in his crib/ Shady wore a bib/ and the Posse wasn't even alive." It's not an insult, but as a thread meant to connect.

-- WAYNE WISE

Thursday, October 9. 7:30 p.m. $30-$32.50. AJ Palumbo Center, Uptown. 412.323.1919