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31 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent debut for Erykah and her sound Jan 07, 2000
By MilesAndTrane
With all the naked sounding R&B, elevator jazz and overproduced soul music out there, this album is a left-field surprise. "Baduizm" has a clear-headed grip on R&B, jazz, funk and soul all at once. Only D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" album can contest with this one for best debut of the 90's. The album has a very slow, mellow vibe to it, with occasional punches of energy, like on the funky "Appletree." This is the type of music where you could relax with your lover, do the dishes, or cook dinner. It works on many levels. Erykah's lyrics have a very positive, earthy, rastafarian vibe to them and she tries not to be too preachy; although you can always smell the incense when she sings. This album actually sounds like something that might have emerged from the ecclectic, early 1990's; when rap, R&B, and soul artists weren't all trying to sound like each other.Some people say Lauryn Hill is everything that Erykah Badu wanted to be. This doesn't sound anything like Lauryn Hill and it shouldn't. Erykah carved out a nice sound for herself on this album that should guarantee her longevity in music as long as she expands on it. A great, jazzy "chillin' out" album.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Original. Marvelous. Distinguished. Sep 22, 2002
By The Groove
Erykah Badu's debut album is loaded with old school jazz and modern r&b that's as tighly woven as her famous mile-high headdress. "Badizum" is a classy, towering release; for me, it conjures up images of a Saturday evening at your local jazz club or a cool, sun-drenched Sunday morning. It gives off a calming, peaceful vibe, and it's a near-masterpiece that can't be likened to anything else. Badu's voice, often compared to the grittiness of Billie Holliday, is elegantly restrained; yet, it is its modesty that makes it all the more powerful. There's the jazzed-up swing of the hit "On and On," the soulful swagger of "Four Leaf Clover," and the bangin' "Rimshot." Badu's voice is effortlessly smooth as she croons her way through these slightly hip-hop-flavored slices of r&b. I was first introduced to the music of Badu at a beach party a few years back. The single was "On and On," whose hook made me take a mental note to run and grab her disc. I'm glad I did. And so will you.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
My Personal Favorite Album Feb 24, 2002
By Anthony Humphrey
Erykah Badu is a very gifted & talented singer, songwriter and actress. Her soothing blends of old-school jazz & soul influences create an amazing backdrop of seductive beats, and a distinctive vocal style. With a musical approach that contains highly mature lyrics, Badu scats her way through an album of masterpieces. From the opening "Rimshot Intro" all the way to the closing "Rimshot Outro", Badu offers us an in depth look into her wonderful life filled with poetic visions and respected insights. "On & On" is a treasure, as is the hip-hop influenced "Apple Tree". "Otherside of the Game" is silky smooth and my personal favorite track "Next Lifetime" is a tale of reincarnated love. Though some found "Afro" humarious, it carried a very distinct message, that Badu plays nobodys fool. Other sure fire favorites include "Certainly", "Four Leaf Clover", "Drama" and "Sometimes". The lyrical content varies from track to track, and its nice to hear Badu's unique style of blended music put together onto one terrific album. She is definetly gifted and I hope that all her releases leave me as happy as this one in the future.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
"Reality today" Nov 27, 2000
By Pharoah S. Wail
My recent purchase of Erykah's newest cd, Mama's Gun, urged me to revisit Baduizm and also Erykah Badu Live today. I imagine that Erykah's music is in the "R&B" section of most retail outlets. Since I am a person who generally detests "modern R&B", this 5 stars speaks volumes about Erykah as an artist. Whereas most MTV-era R&B is happy just to be lovey-dovey, radio-friendly fluff, Erykah has chosen to actually express spirit, soul, and emotion, all the while avoiding the cliches in which almost all of her contemporaries indulge. "Other Side Of The Game" is the story of a woman trapped in a bad situation by both love and circumstance. "Drama" seems to be both a veiled plea for the worlds peoples to be helped, as well as a simple answer to those same problems. "Sometimes" is another masterpiece! The way the main lyrics weave in and around the background vocals is perfect and it really brings the words to life and gives them even more dimension. The list goes on, but my words won't do justics to any of these songs anyway. Erykah is proof-positive that the Soul and Ecstatic Spirit of traditional African cultures and religions can indeed hold a strong place in modern popular music. With so much popular music being little more than pandering to the lowest-common-denominator in hopes of cashing in, Baduizm was and still is a life-breath of ancient wisdom made accessible to the masses. Oh, and did I mention her voice is beautiful?
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
CLASSIC May 14, 2006
By K. Gorrell
"Born To Music"
Its so hard to write a review almost 10 years after the fact. And 10 years later there has been nothing like this cd. Erykah hasn't even topped her self.
Sometimes you can only do it once and i guess that's what all it took cause this album is still undisputed.
No need to list favorties...we all them from the radio and videos but for your whole album to be mind-blowing is CRAZY.
Anyone who doesn't have this album by now, smack your self and go get it.
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