If there’s anything you can count on from Erykah Badu, it’s innovation. Fittingly, her new album is titled New Amerykah, signaling a new step in her career as a prominent political voice.

While a quick look at the album artwork makes her political statements obvious (i.e. the American flag portrayed as a prison, corporate America dictating to headless Americans, and a fork, knife, and syringe utensil set, etc.), it may have a greater underlying theme. At face value, it’s about liberation from the government. But judging from the music, it may be more about Erykah’s own personal liberation from her struggles and from the restraints placed on her career by genre titles and categorization.

Badu has generally been placed in the category of R&B, and for the most part, her music has always fit into that category, with a little hip hop and funk fused in. She has always been ahead of her time and has never been afraid to be an individual, but none of her previous albums have stepped as far away from the accepted characteristics of R&B as New Amerykah has.

It could be the chanting and the tinkling bells on the Madlib produced “The Healer,” or the heavily synthesized beat on “My People,” or maybe it’s the funky intro track “Amerykahn Promise.” Whatever it is, it’s clear that this is definitely not your typical R&B album. There are some pretty straight-laced R&B tracks though, mainly “Soldier,” “That Hump,” and “Honey,” the first single off of the album. But if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re listening to the wrong album. Erykah enlisted a super team of producers: Madlib, 9th Wonder, James Poyser, Kariem Riggens, ?uestlove of the Roots, and members of Sa-Ra, all of whom are known for pushing the limits on how conventional music should be structured. Erykah’s choices in production show her growth as an artist, being able to step out of the box and be innovative.

Badu has grown lyrically as well. Like most typical R&B artists, her albums have always been themed around love, heartbreak, and relationships, but with this album she has proven her superiority over typical artists by being able to create an album entirely devoid of those cliché topics and instead discuss political, social, and personal struggles that are more relevant to our society. She has always infused these things into her music, but the fact that this album is specifically focused in that area is a testament to her readiness to go beyond the expectations and be honest and direct with her fans and critics.

This album can’t be fully appreciated after one listen. Your immediate impression may be that it’s “too weird,” but don’t write it off; it has a lot more to offer than what appears at face value. Although it may not stand alone as a timeless classic, it is clearly the next step in the path that Erykah Badu has been travelling career-wise, and her ability to keep growing with time should be applauded. New Amerykah should be applauded in the same way.