It seems like just yesterday Erykah Badu was on the television singing “On and On,” wearing the large green head wrap that came to define her and her swagger, even to this day.

It’s not 1997 though, it’s 2008 and the music industry has changed and so has our political and social climate. We’ve been at war for the last five years amid a sea of controversy, many lives have been lost, we’re looking at possibly electing our first ever female or minority president in the over 200 year history of this country, and black-on-black murder rates have skyrocketed in some areas to the dismay of many, largely due to a drug trade glamorized in music. Enter Erykah Badu with ‘New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)’ to speak on it.

As soon as you listen to the intro, “Promise,” you know you are about to embark on a mellow, yet psychedelic musical ride through the entire album. Every track is original and beautifully retro, with hints of trip-hop goodness and trance inflections. They aren’t overpowering, so long-time fans will not feel forced to accept a new form of music they are not accustomed to or interested in.

What ‘New Amerykah’ accomplishes musically that other albums released by other female R&B artists is she bares her soul in its entirety. On “Me,” she is not afraid to tackle intensely personal subjects like her failed relationship with Outkast’s Andre 3000 or having two children with two different men (she has a son Seven with Andre 3000 and daughter Puma with rapper D.O.C.). She is not afraid of introspection, something that has been seriously lacking in too many R&B albums to date. She’s also unafraid to tell the truth. While everyone seems to be glamorizing drugs in videos and songs, she talks about the flip side to all that supposed “glitz” in “The Cell” by describing the ravages of drugs.

Unlike a few of her peers in her genre she is not putting up an image that reeks of youthful pretension just to sell albums. She wears the fact that she is every bit as “grown and sexy” as her 37 years of age has shaped her to be. She also veers away from using past formulas in order to be safe and sell albums.

In short the album is refreshing and a much needed respite from what’s been thrown at us the last few months. There is something for everybody on this album, but it does so without being condescendingly simplistic. I enjoyed my very scenic trip through New Amerykah.