Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Ursula Rucker

Ma'at Mama

Label: !K7 Release Date: 30/01/2006

12615
benmarwood by ben marwood February 14th, 2006

With song titles like ‘Rant (Hot In Here)’ and ‘I Ain’t (Yo’ Punk Ass Bitch)’, one look at the tracklisting for **Ursula Rucker**’s third album Ma’at Mama would probably suggest that you prepare yourself for some jive-talkin’, man-hatin’ hip-hop. Whilst what awaits you is indeed 'urban', it's a far cry from the mainstream; a fifty-five minute example of socio-political spoken word soul that draws from a host musical influences.

Rucker’s talents as a spoken-word artist are not immediately obvious. Opening track ‘Humbled’ is clumsily delivered as she pauses disjointedly at the end of every line, the jerking spoken-word vocal part offering a stark contrast to the slick, chilled, atmospheric backdrop it sets itself against. Maybe at another point in the album it might be better suited but as a starter, when Ma'at Mama has yet to get going, it’s all a bit too reminiscent of William Shatner at an amateur poetry recital. It's not necessarily that bad, just unfortunate. What you probably wouldn’t expect from Shatner though, is for the second track to be a political rant disguised as pop. An upbeat soul song showcasing Ursula Rucker’s smooth-as-silk, flowing, soulful singing voice that is rarely exhibited in her work, the appropriately titled ‘Rant’ does exactly as the name suggests, listing all the pitfalls of modern-day society from the underhand tactics of pharmaceutical companies to the fight for oil, and “sodomy, cos’ we all being fucked in the ass right now”.

Sure, that last statement may seem like the exaggerated pessimism normally associated with angsty schoolkids decked all in black, but at least the point is made. It’s hardly a shock tactic, as every reference is in here for a reason, but in terms of lyrical content Ma’at Mama contains a lot of straight talking – this is not for anyone offended by swearing or sexual references, or anyone dismissing the issues of modern life as ‘pessimistic’. By the end of ‘Rant’, Rucker has already covered poverty, gun culture, capitalism, sexism, racism, war and AIDS, and by the end of third track ‘Black Erotica’ we’ve had a blow-by-blow account of “the longest minute in cunnilingus history”, as Rucker reels off the explicit details of some sexual encounter over smooth jazz sounds and the mandatory seductive saxophone. As the album progresses, so do the topics raised: ‘Children’s Poem’ is a guide to looking after your children, to stop them being “drive-byed.. paedophiled.. murdered.. molested” and the importance of family values whilst projecting a lot of scenarios that are just too gruesome to be detailed here. ‘For Women’, meanwhile, highlights life in the ghetto. I could go on..

Although she spends most of Ma’at Mama speaking in anger, Rucker’s voice is soft, with Rucker herself staying meticulously composed. Aside from the poetic lyrical content, the tone is largely controlled by what is going on behind the lyrics; from relaxed, chilled, minimalist beats through to light jazz, or the tribal-esque drums in ‘Libations’, the music dictates the feeling. With the exception of ‘Rant’, all of the backing here is minimal – sometimes just a drumbeat, in one instance just a double-bass – and low in the mix, not detracting from nor getting in the way of Rucker’s vocal line, clearly the most important part of Ma’at Mama by a long way. Whilst not all of the material on here is memorable, it is a breath of fresh air after so many years of mainstream soul offerings from Destiny's Child and their contemporaries. There’s a lot on show here: different musical genres, social issues and a cool delivery, but Rucker also knows her limits. She doesn’t pretend to have all the answers as to how to start the revolution we are informed that we need, she just makes a point of addressing the issues.

  • 7
    ben marwood's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

Mendeed

This War Will Last Forever

Mobback
12616
12619

Proton Proton

EP2

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND