Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album or view the full album index here.
ERYKAH BADU | Live
Kedar/Universal (1997)
Selected by Patrick Corcoran
Recorded while her inaugural album Baduizm was still in heavy rotation, Erykah Badu’s Live offers a snapshot of the artist as she comes to terms with her newfound success and reveals the artists she admires and is influenced by. Chaka Khan’s “Stay” and Roy Ayers’ “Searching” rub shoulders with material from her epochal debut LP as an atmosphere drenched in understated funk and sinuous soul grips throughout. Yet the highlight remains the anthemic lead single “Tyrone”—a tale of terrible boyfriends and the divine retribution of kicking them to the curb. That Badu recorded this while heavily pregnant with her first child epitomizes the free-spirited, independent artist we grew to love.
LISTEN:
