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Wow, so here's another amazing album by the incredible Meshell Ndegeocello. Her first album was Hip Hop/Urban... Then she shifts into some hazy folk influenced rock effort. After that, she hits us with an Adult Contemporary record. And now... She takes us back to the street with a Civil Rights record of sorts.
It's an album that celebrates being brown skinned and also highlights some of the self inflicted attitudes keeping people of color down. At least that's how I see it. Right from the start on 'Dead Nigga Blvd. (Pt. 1)' she's highlighting some of the negative thinking holding so many people back. "Somebody said, our greatest destiny is to become white - but white is not pure and hate is not pride - just cause civil rights is law doesn't mean that we all abide - tell me are you free?" She goes on to say most are holding onto an Africa of the past while forgetting it was Africans who helped to enslave their ancestors. She's fighting the negative thoughts of an entire generation of people.
She follows it up with 'Hot Night'. This song is a party tune, but it's interlaced with a speech from Angela Davis... I'm not sure how to interpret what I'm hearing. In so many ways, the choices of soundbites from this woman are both offensive and trivializing women in society. And yet I know these comments are taken out of context in order to present a certain idea. Once again, it seems the order of the day is how black people are keeping black people down. But let's be honest, this is one jamming track and I love it!
'Interlude: Blah Blah Blah, Dyba Dyba Dyba' is a short little jam featuring Meshell talking to someone on the phone. It's a great interlude and it leads into one of the sexiest seduction songs ever written, 'Priorities 1-6'. "All I got is love and time to spend". The stuttering percussion, deep groove tones and the chanted vocals make it one of the best tracks on the disc. Next up is 'Pocketbook'. I think this song was the big single from the album, but I might be wrong. If it isn't it should've been. It's got a delicious groove that starts and drives you right dang near to ultimate pleasure. There's no bars being held here. Meshell is letting her sexuality stand out like a wild stamp for the world to see. If you don't get what's happening on this track, you won't be able to pretend you don't know when 'Barry Farms' kicks in.
This track holds a special place in my heart because I heard it live before it was recorded and released on this record. She played it at a concert in North Carolina to test it out and I loved it. She pretty much spells out everything on this track. Plus you hear some of the synth stylings that would play such a huge roll on her next album, "Comfort Woman".
And then we get to 'Trust'. Wow, another amazingly complex seduction song. This one is soft core porn virtually bordering on the explicit extreme... And it's absolutely incredible. These are songs that make me envy lesbians. Lol. Although this one seems to be more in tune with the straight side of things. She's a complex and interesting woman and there's no way to categorize her. She really defies attempts to file her away.
As the next song proves. 'Akel Dama (Field Of Blood)' includes lyrics I use as a closing quote on all my online profiles. This track is as much a philosophical statement as it is a statement of faith and purpose. It includes a rather heart touching account told by a man in prison. He shares his thoughts about family and incarceration. Very powerful. It's followed by 'Earth'. This song seems to incorporate some jazz and other musical elements Meshell is known to use from time to time. It's another song describing dedication and devotion. She writes these kinds of songs so well. I'm starting to think no one could ever do it better.
Another tune with a deep groove and a funky beat kicks in called 'Better By The Pound'. I really love this number too. 'Criterion' kicks in sounding like something you'd here in a Las Vegas lounge. It's incredible but also deep. 'GOD.FEAR.MONEY' jumps in with a more aggressive beat and it almost sounds like something I've heard long ago. I wanna say, there's a Prince quality to it, but it's more like something that would've inspired Prince back in the day. Something you'd hear in his music from the artists who came before. And so it is here. Like the progression of music culminating in this track.
'Jabril' is next and it's got more of the same organ sounds, bass funk playing and everything you've come to expect from this eclectic disc. I love the song, but it's not the best on the disc. 'Dead Nigga Blvd. (Pt. 2)' is an instrumental reprise with some spoken word over the top. It's as funky and cool as the first track. Afterward, you get an interlude to close out the disc. 'Interlude: 6 Legged Griot Trio (Weariness)' vocalizes the frustration felt by those who are trying to get ahead and feel like they're being held back.
The last piece of music on this disc is 'Pocketbook (Rockwilder And Missy Elliott Remix) Featuring Redman And Tweet'. It's a good mix, but I'm not sure it surpasses the original. It does feature some new lyrical content and performance by Meshell which is very cool.
Once again, Meshell opens up a door and takes the listener in a new direction and once again, those who take the trip are wrapped in music that makes you think, feel and move. She reaches you on so many levels... It's hard to explain her to people. Everytime I mention her name and someone tells me they don't know her, I feel like their lives are missing an integral equation for happiness in life. She reaches into you in such a powerful way. There's no other word for it. She touches her listeners. She expresses sentiment in such a passion-filled manner. I could go on and on about the power I feel in her music.
My final words are: ANOTHER TRIUMPHANT CLASSIC FROM AN UNDER-RATED ARTIST.
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO - COOKIE: THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL MIXTAPE BY MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO
01. Dead Nigga Blvd. (Pt. 1)
02. Hot Night
03. Interlude: Blah Blah Blah, Dyba Dyba Dyba
04. Priorities 1-6
05. Pocketbook
06. Barry Farms
07. Trust
08. Akel Dama (Field Of Blood)
09. Earth
10. Better By The Pound
11. Criterion
12. GOD.FEAR.MONEY
13. Jabril
14. Dead Nigga Blvd. (Pt. 2)
15. Interlude: 6 Legged Griot Trio (Weariness)
16. Pocketbook (Rockwilder And Missy Elliott Remix) Featuring Redman And Tweet
This actually was my first Sade CD. Well, in those days it was a cassette. 'Smooth Operator' was the song that inspired me to buy the tape and one that I really loved. Even though I still love the song, it stopped being my favorite once I gained exposure to more of her material. There are so many great songs by this band.
'Smooth Operator' starts the album off and it's a smash hit of course. Anyone who was around during the 80s remembers this song. I don't know how high it went on the charts, but I know it's one of their most well known numbers.
It's followed by the song that might very well be my absolute favorite Sade song of all time. Knowing what I like instrumentally, you wouldn't consider this song as one I'm partial to. But it's the lyrics and the sentiment that make this song so important to me. 'Your Love Is King' is the most romantic song ever written.
"Your love is king, crown you in my heart." Absolute brilliance.
'Hang On To Your Love' is the next number and it maintains the island/reggae sound texture they're known for. It's also got another amazing message. When Sade writes about love, it's a strong powerful commitment. A deep abiding love. One I think about a lot. 'Frankie's First Affair' fits into another type of Sade song. It's the storytelling side of the band and reminds me of an older kind of song. From the 50s. It has elements of those songs by girl groups like the Shangri-Las. There are a couple other songs on this CD that fill in the same category. 'Cherry Pie' and 'Sally' are the two I'm thinking of. I'm not sure I love these songs as much as the others, but they're still enjoyable.
'When Am I Going To Make A Living' is a song about making life better for yourself. It's quite subdued. It's followed up by 'Cherry Pie' and 'Sally'. Of the two, I prefer 'Cherry Pie'. 'I Will Be Your Friend' is the next track. It's a very sweet sentiment and another song I really love.
'Why Can't We Live Together' is the final track and I remember hearing this one about the same time I heard a song by the Pet Shop Boys with a similar title. I sometimes confuse the two. But I do love it.
Although this isn't my favorite Sade album, it has my favorite songs on it. This is a band that you can't really define from album to album. Each subsequent release enriches the body of work as a whole. Unlike an artist like Meshell Ndegeocello who's sound changes with each release, Sade seems to add chapters to an ongoing book. They continue the story. My final words: IF ROMANCE WAS MUSIC, THIS ALBUM WOULD HAVE IT ALL.
SADE - DIAMOND LIFE
01. Smooth Operator
02. Your Love Is King
03. Hang On To Your Love
04. Frankie's First Affair
05. When Am I Going To Make A Living
06. Cherry Pie
07. Sally
08. I Will Be Your Friend
09. Why Can't We Live Together
Every time I hear a new Meshell disc I'm amazed by what she accomplishes. This one was kinda shocking. Even though I'm used to her switching up styles every disc, I wasn't prepared for something committing so heavily to one genre. This disc is all jazz. It's very loose and free flowing. It's like Meshell gathered a whole group of her musical friends together one after noon and said, "Let's jam!" Right from the start you know this is something unusual. 'Mu-Min' is a mid-tempo groove that doesn't really go anywhere or say anything. It just kinda pops up like the Cheshire Cat and say, "What's up? Where ya going? What ya doing? Who you gonna see and how much time are you gonna spend?" But all without any resolution. Hehehe. The next track, 'Al-Falaq 113' isn't much better by way of giving you a direction or even a clue as to what's happening. It's really free form jazz jamming with a very basic melody they travel across now and again just to keep you guessing.
The next number is shocking for a number of reasons. A) because it's more in the vein of traditional pop music and features vocals. However, that's where the similarities end. 'Aquarium' is a song about being trapped by emotion for another person. You're their prisoner kept simply for their entertainment. B) because Meshell doesn't sing the vocal track. A woman named Sabina contributes vocals to the number. She has an intriguing voice. I want to hear more. C) It doesn't conform to the previous two songs, making it sound completely unique and different. At least until the horns kick in and then you get that Free Flow feeling again.
'Papillon' sound like something on a Madhouse album. I really enjoy the relaxing rhythm and melody of this number. It goes through a number of changes before it ends, but they're all relaxing and enjoyable. 'Dance Of The Infidel' relies heavily on a lopsided motif to earn it's title. The odd sound used in the motif only appears briefly during the entire duration. It's not a bad sound, it just seems out of place with the deeper groove of the track. Still, it's one of my favorite numbers. 'The Chosen' sounds like a late night jam at a Vegas Lounge or backwoods Speakeasy with one of those smokey voiced singers from the 1930s. 'Luqman' starts off with an incredible bass line that evolves into something with perpetual energy. It bustles along with all the momentum and power of a steam engine. There's notes played in juxtaposition like musical hopscotch. It certainly doesn't seem to have order beyond the bass line.
'Heaven' sounds like something you'd hear before church in the south. There's a gospel style to it along with a jazzy vibe you can't begin to mess with. Words simply can't so this magical number justice. It's simply too darn good.
My final word: EXCELLENT! Although it's not my favorite Meshell disc, it's easily one of my favorite jazz records. Like I mentioned in a previous review, you start to expect certain things from certain artists and even though I find it fascinating that Meshell would branch this far away from her regular sound, I'm still longing to hear her sultry vocals. She takes me places no other artist does and when she sings, I simply float along with this amazing woman. She certainly opens a new door for fans with this disc. Gotta give her credit for that.
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO - PRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF MUSIC JAMIA: DANCE OF THE INFIDEL
01. Mu-Min
02. Al-Falaq 113
03. Aquarium
04. Papillon
05. Dance Of The Infidel
06. The Chosen
07. Luqman
08. Heaven
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
