It's been a decade since Joanna Newsom's last album, 2015's Divers, but if you're dying for some more of her mystical harp folk, here's one of her lesser-known credits: she sang backing vocals on the Lonely Island's faux-reggae pastiche "Ras Trent," and the comedy group have now reflected on her "fucking fantastic" contribution.
The "Ras Trent" video aired on Saturday Night Live in October 2008 (that's right in between 2006's Ys and 2010's Have One on Me). In the video, then-cast members Casey Wilson and Kristin Wiig played the singers, but Andy Samberg clarified on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, "The actual recording is Maya Rudolph and my wife Joanna Newsom. We were obviously all living together in the Valley and Maya would come hang out a bunch, because her and Paul [Thomas Anderson, Rudolph's husband] were close by, and Joanna was there."
According to the Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer, "It was one of the most fun recording sessions, I would say. Because we had done fake ones, and they came in and had to stay on the rhythm and feel the vibes and do it for real."
Samberg added, "They obviously made it sound a lot better than what we had and wrote their own harmonies, and sounded fantastic. If you isolate those tracks, they actually sounded fucking fantastic."
Part of the reason this very silly parody of white wannabes sounds so "fucking fantastic" is thanks to the beat — while Schaffer pointed out was created by legendary reggae production duo Sly and Robbie, and came from a CD of reggae beats provided by their label, Universal Music.
Check out "Ras Trent" below, and keep an ear out for Newsom's contribution.