Pop & Hiss finds it unlikely that we’ll hear a better R&B slow jam this year than “Body Party,” the sleek space-soul ballad in which Ciara tells her real-life boyfriend Future that her body is his party -- and “nobody’s invited but you.”

Produced with drowsy sensuality by Mike Will Made It (who also helmed Miley Cyrus’ ”We Can’t Stop”), “Body Party” currently sits at No. 3 on Billboard’s R&B chart, which is precisely two slots below where the song deserves to be.

But Ciara, she’s no spoilsport, so Friday night she and Future both turned up to do “Body Party” on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” (The two may also have been looking to goose sales of Ciara’s self-titled album, which came out Tuesday.)

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The performance, simply put, was amazing. Here’s why:

1. Though much of “Body Party’s” appeal derives from the icy-hot quality of Mike Will Made It’s synths, here drummer Questlove and guitarist “Captain” Kirk Douglas (of Fallon’s house band, the Roots) give the song a shot of soul-rock electricity that perfectly suits Ciara’s live-sounding vocal. The effect is a relocation of “Body Party” from the well-appointed boudoir depicted in the song’s video to some gritty, unnamed roadhouse off the interstate.

2. Ciara’s coiffure. As Mariah Carey might say: #Beautiful.

3. After delivering his verse while sauntering across the stage in a tuxedo shirt and tie (no jacket required for this dude), Future settles into a red-leather armchair to watch his lady do her thing. He even lights up a cigar and pours himself a drink.


4. Check out the guy in the crowd behind Ciara’s right shoulder, the fellow wearing the glasses: He is getting into things.

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5. At the end of the clip, Fallon comes over and issues his standard-issue thanks to the two artists, and for a second Future looks like he’s not sure if he and Ciara are supposed to act like a couple or just a couple of co-workers. But then Ciara decides for them and grabs his hand. Super cute.

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Twitter: @mikaelwood

