New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)

In 2004, Badu received her first computer as a Christmas gift from drummer and producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and began communicating with and receiving music from him and other producers such as Q-Tip and J Dilla. Beginning in 2005, Badu worked from her home in Dallas and used the software application GarageBand as a digital audio workstation, which she was introduced to by her son, and she used it to construct various backing tracks for songs. Using GarageBand, she recorded demos of her vocals by singing into the computer's microphone. . She composed more than 75 songs within the year and intended on splitting them among her planned series of New Amerykah albums. Madlib, 9th Wonder, and J Dilla, instant messaged her to get back into the studio and sent her tracks. She told Rolling Stone that she recorded her vocals for the song "Window Seat" in her shower, stating "I wanted to sound like I was in a tunnel. I got my laptop and closed the door." In an interview for Billboard, Badu explained that "we used a lot of analog instruments—harps, strings, drums, piano, and even a Theremin—to give the album that sonic feel. There's a strong undercurrent of bottom, a rumbling to these songs that feels good to me. It feels like a hug." ==Music and lyrics==

In contrast to its predecessor New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (2008), which was digitally produced and political in tone, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) incorporates sampling and live instrumentation, while its more personal lyrics focus on themes of romance and relationships. The album's style and production is characterized as being down-tempo, built around soul and jazz. According to Exclaim! critic Ryan B. Patrick, New Amerykah Part Two featured a "progressive fusion of 'Neo Soul' Badu with 'Seasoned and Savvy' Badu together at last". " "Window Seat" was compared to the Badu's early work particularly "On & On" and "Otherside of the Game" from her debut album, "Window Seat" contains stomp-and-clap breakdowns built under halting lyrics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic described the song as being innocently as a piano ballad, before changing into a "psychedelic, slow-motion soul-jazz" song that sees Badu becoming "increasingly fragmentary and tripped-out" before being "renewed." ==Singles==

The internet-only promotional single "Jump Up in the Air (Stay There)", featuring Lil Wayne and Bilal, was released on Badu's official website in January 2010. RC Williams, Badu's musical director, said that a music video for the track was shot in Dallas. A censored "clean" version of the video was released on February 12, 2010, on Badu's official website. It has been made available as a free, legal download by Giant Step, the marketing and promotion company for the album. The album's first official single, "Window Seat", was released by Badu through a downloadable link on her Twitter page. The song peaked at number 16 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The video for "Window Seat" was directed by Coodie Rock and premiered on Erykah's official site on March 27, 2010, at 3:33 AM EDT. In the video, Badu is seen walking the streets of Dallas near Dealey Plaza, slowly stripping to the nude, before being shot by an unseen assassin. It spent three weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number 87. ==Release and promotion==

in 2012 The album was released March 30, 2010 on Universal Motown in the United States, and two weeks later in Japan on April 14, 2010. New Amerykah Part Twos cover art, titled "Out My Mind Just in Time", shares the name of the album's closing track and was designed by visual artist Emek, who had also designed the artwork for New Amerykah Part One. In an interview with Billboard, she explained the album's title, stating: In promotion of the album, Erykah Badu hosted a series of listening sessions for press and VIPs at Chung King Studios in New York City on December 9 and December 10, 2009. During March 2010, Badu promoted the album through television performances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Wendy Williams Show, Chelsea Lately, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Good Day New York. Badu performed at a surprise midnight show on March 31, 2010, at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. The album's international supporting tour, "Out My Mind, Just in Time Tour", began its North American-leg on May 28, 2010, starting at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. and ended June 24, 2010 at the Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. Its European-leg began July 9, 2010 at Sweden's Hultsfred Festival and ended July 24 at Brixton Academy in London, England. Badu was supported on the tour by N.E.R.D., Bilal, Janelle Monáe and The Roots-drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. She also performed at the Lollapalooza festival and Lilith Fair during the 2010 summer, along with special guest appearances at Maxwell's concerts at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on June 11 and at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 26, 2010. ==Commercial performance==

The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week. It also entered at number two on Billboards R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album fell to number 20 and sold 19,000 copies in its third week. As of 2011 it has sold around 300,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. In the United Kingdom, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) debuted at number 56 on the UK Albums Chart and at number nine on the R&B Albums Chart. New Amerykah Part Two achieved moderate chart success in international markets, peaking within the top-50 in several countries, including Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark. ==Critical reception==

New Amerykah Part Two received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 83, based on 25 reviews. Pitchforks Mike Powell called the album "a coherent expression of a big, scattered personality" and praised Badu's expressive performance, writing that "her ability to toe the line between sounding effortless and sounding tossed-off is remarkable". Kellman said it was "more personal than planetary, less challenging sonically and lyrically". while Rolling Stone magazine's Jody Rosen found its "hazy texture" and songwriting sketchy. Robert Christgau gave it an "honorable mention" in his consumer guide for MSN Music, citing "Turn Me Away (Get Munny)" and "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" as highlights and writing "love may be a groove, but that doesn't make a groove a love song". At the end of 2010, New Amerykah Part Two was named one of the year's best albums in a number of critics' lists, including Pitchfork, who ranked it 18th, and later named it one of "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far" in August 2014. In the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, it was voted 23rd best. ==Track listing==

Credits for New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) adapted from liner notes. ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==See also==