ERYKAH BADU
New Amerykah (out on Feb. 26): A-

''She is both earth mama and mystic, a Billie Holiday jazz-rasp queen with a tangy Southern drawl and a penchant for hip-hop boys... Badu sings with a graceful self-acceptance that would do Mary J. Blige proud, but she delivers it with an easy humor Blige has never shown.'' —Leah Greenblatt

Hear music from New Amerykah at Badu's MySpace page