Erykah Badu's latest album, "New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)" opens with the line "More action, more excitement, more everything." But it's really just more experimentation. Moving completely away from the smooth beats and sweet vocals that made her debut album a success in 1997, Badu's new release is rough around the edges. Sloppy beats and bizarre song snippets suggest that Badu was trying to push the envelope in an attempt to create a full-length, edgy hip-hop epic. But there's nothing really groundbreaking about the disc. However, there are some great moments. "The Healer" is a tune with the kind of slow groove that made Badu famous, but it packs more punch that her previous releases. The vocals are bluesier, the beats are less processed, and the hook - sounding as if sung from off in the distance - is eerie and haunting. The tunes that are good are very good, but largely this album is an uninventive display of ego and hype.