Watch: Erykah Badu Performs "Window Seat" On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

As promised, Erykah Badu popped on by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night to perform "Window Seat," the lead single off New Amerykah Pt. II: Return of the Ankh with The Roots (including the song's co-writer, Questlove, and co-producer, James Poyser) and members of her usual touring band (among...

By Pete Freedman

March 4, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

As promised, Erykah Badu popped on by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night to perform "Window Seat," the lead single off New Amerykah Pt. II: Return of the Ankh with The Roots (including the song's co-writer, Questlove, and co-producer, James Poyser) and members of her usual touring band (among them The Gritz's R.C. Williams). The song, along with most of the new album, as you may have already heard, is pretty throwback Badu--which is to say far less hip-hop eccentric and more classic neo-soul than the bulk of her last release, New Amerykah Pt. 1: 4th World War.

A stark difference like that could be cause for concern with most acts, but clearly not for Badu, as you can see in the clip above.

I'll be honest: I was a little lukewarn on the new single the first few times I'd heard it. But seeing it performed live definitely gives it a certain added--and maybe needed---extra oomph. Check it out in the above clip and judge for yourself.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.