Badu's Afroeccentric sounds

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But then her band, which included the rare but welcome addition of a jazz flautist, struck up, Badu strutted to the microphone, and suddenly all annoyance at her lateness evaporated.

She opened with You're Mine, a mid-tempo track whose understated beauty showed her voice at its best. Her appearance was just as compelling.

More Afroeccentric than Afrocentric, Badu had lost the towering headscarves and billowing tribal dresses of her early days in favour of a breathtaking look featuring a white dress straight out of Star Wars, a long smoking cheroot and a big sculpted Afro.

Looking like the slinky heroine of a Seventies Blaxploitation film, Badu delivered new material that boasted far more sexual energy than her older work.

Although many of the songs weren't known to the audience, her performance of the glorious, funk-driven I Want You instantly moved the crowd, as did her neck-tinglingly beautiful rendition of her first big hit, On and On.

In keeping with the retro theme, there were periods of slightly indulgent jazzy noodling, but Badu's excellent stagecraft and material brought the show back on track every time.

Erykah Badu