Worldwide Underground (2003) Forget comparisons to Billie or Chaka -- that craggy-yet-smooth croon is Erykah Badu's own. Little here on Worldwide Underground matches the impact of "Danger," with… Erykah Badu R&B
Erykah Badu | 'WORLDWIDE' PHENOMENON Badu
Image credit: Erykah Badu: Arnold Turner/WireImage.com
'WORLDWIDE' PHENOMENON Badu
EW's GRADE
B+

Details Release Date: Sep 16, 2003; Lead Performance: Erykah Badu; Genre: R&B

Forget comparisons to Billie or Chaka -- that craggy-yet-smooth croon is Erykah Badu's own. Little here on Worldwide Underground matches the impact of ''Danger,'' with its simple piano figure and snatches of a fake 911 call. Still, most of this succeeds: ''Love of My Life Worldwide'' (with Queen Latifah) neatly reconfigures the Sugar Hill sound, and ''Back in the Day'' (with Lenny Kravitz on guitar) rides high on a strong backbeat.

Originally posted Sep 19, 2003 Published in issue #729 Sep 19, 2003 Order article reprints