comebacks

Lauryn Hill Did a Totally Recognizable ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ on Jimmy Fallon

Lauryn Hill was the musical guest on last night’s Jimmy Fallon, and she did “Doo Wop (That Thing).” Sounds promising, right? Right! While Hill, as is her wont these days, did speed up the track, it in no way devolved into the unrecognizable mush that fans have been complaining about at live shows. Instead, we get the recently (and visibly) pregnant Hill going in over her band’s charged-up version, rattling off her vintage flow, crooning her vintage croon, and peppering it all with some highly appreciated decorative hand gestures. By the bridge part, when everyone really gets going — with Lauryn pumping the band, the crowd, and herself up — it becomes arguably more fun than a pristine 1:1 re-creation of the single would have been. (Bonus: Because this is national television, there was really no way for her to be late to the gig.) Does this mean Hill and her band have finally figured out exactly what her newfound vision is? We might not actually find out the answer to that. While Hill does have Rock the Bells dates lined up, who knows how many of her commitments, on account of being pregnant and all, she’ll be able to keep. Either way, this is a nice moment.

Lauryn Hill Did a Totally Recognizable ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ on Jimmy Fallon