Prompted by
Drake
's "Hotling Bling,"
Erykah Badu
quickly recorded this loose, phone-themed mixtape, an official
Motown
release, with help from producer and fellow Dallas dweller
Zach Witness
. It's a trivial if fun diversion.
Badu
puts her spin on "Hotline Bling," quotes "Tyrone," and appends a "ghost of Screw" mix of "Telephone" to one of the low-slung new tracks. Original content is greatly outweighed by covers of songs originally recorded by
New Edition
,
Usher
Egyptian Lover
, and
Todd Rundgren
(via
the Isley Brothers
). Appearances from a
soundalike,
Aubrey "Itsroutine" Davis
, add to the mixtape's peculiarity.
Andre 3000
joins in on the
Rundgren
cover, while
Seven Benjamin
, his and
's son, picks up a co-writing credit on the eighth track. ~ Andy Kellman