MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO - COMFORT WOMAN

With her first album churning out heavy hip hop urban street beats, you kinda thought Meshell would be a hip hop artist. But she followed it up with an artsy pop record, then an adult contemporary disc and an R&B urban soul effort. So where does one go from there? In Meshell's case, 'Comfort Woman' is a rhythmically slow paced reggae sound one would expect to hear while smoking out with friends on a rainy afternoon. It's a soothing record with lyrics that lift the heart and speak of superhuman love and devotion. She seduces with poetry in her half sung, half spoken timber. There's longing, sensuality, need, fragility and pain all deftly placed on the surface for anyone to see. The heart of this album is on it's sleeve.

Various tracks have appeared in other places. One was featured on her website under a different title while another originally appeared on a film soundtrack. The 'Comfort Woman' version is rerecorded with different vocals and instrumentation, but it still shines like a brilliant star on this record as one of the stand out tracks. I'm talking about 'Liliquoi Moon'. I've always loved Meshell's approach to relationships and the way she describes deep complex emotional themes so simply. She has an expressive ability to bring the most abstract thought into written word. And she makes perfect sense while doing it.

This is a record you'll wanna listen to while you're alone or with people you can chill with. It's extremely laid back. Imagine a dark room, with candles and incense burning... Wine and good conversation. These are the elements and conditions under which one can easily enjoy this dope cd. It's also great for driving. Really helps me deal with road rage. Hehehe. Check it out! My final word: MELLOW.

MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO - COMFORT WOMAN
01. Love Song #1
02. Come Smoke My Herb
03. Andromeda & The Milky Way
04. Love Song #2
05. Body
06. Liliquoi Moon
07. Love Song #3
08. Fellowship
09. Good Intentions
10. Thankful