Did anyone else miss Erykah Badu?
The Dallas native has been singing heavy thoughts for a long time, and New Amerykah Part 2 is no exception. The album dropped this week, but single Window Time is causing a stir because Erykah strolls through Dallas and sheds her clothes on the street where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
Window Time’s lyrics are as apolitical as possible. I adore her spoken outro after the song. Of all things, though, the video distracts from the song for obvious reasons as you wonder who is in the crew and why aren’t more people looking at this naked celebrity. News reports focus on how Erykah could have gone to jail (as if) or been arrested (more plausible). The same reports dwell on how the video was shot was at the landmark in one take without a filming permit.
You can catch the Window Time video on Erykah’s site. She has wisely blurred out any actual nudity so it’s probably not the thing to watch in a conference room at work, but it’s as tame as anything on broadcast television.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to the whole album, but even if the concept album premise from her last release is still working, today’s is a different world with individual track purchases and video streaming sites. I can tell you the lyrics are strong, and there has never been any doubt about the power and control in Erykah Badu’s voice.
