Thank you Meshell!

[lucas vigor]

I just got the new Meshell Ndegeocello album, and it is extremely cool!

Sort of like 70's era Miles Davis, but more like early Weather Report. There are some awesome bass solos from Matt Garrison, who can play Flamenco real well, it seems!

The best thing about the album is the lack of rapping and foul language from Meshell.

I have to say that she is simply one of the most awesome bassists and musicians out there. Everything she does is perfect, but her usage of the N-word (an epithet I find disturbing, disgusting and offensive) makes it impossible to play her CD's for my children, and even some friends. It's a turn off.

Which is a shame, because her playing is spiritual, and interesting. She is one of the most intense artists out there, and her bass playing is sheer genius, INMHO.

This album is mostly instrumental, and features understated bas playing from Meshell...understated but good, in a Pino kind of way...also like Rafael Saadique a bit....

I would have liked a few more up tempo songs...like "step into the projects"

But all in all, I was really pleased to hear this music..

 

[el_Kabong]

Yeah I agree, she's great. Peace beyond Passion is one of my favourite albums as long as I don't listen to the lyrics. I really like the engineering on that album too, rich and punchy without being compressed to death.

 

[brianrost]

Saw her live a few weeks back and it was way darker and funkier than the CD (which I didn't hear until the next day since I bought it at the show)...also no vocals. MeShell was the only bassist and sounded great. Her drummer was a total monster.

I was surprised how short she was

I don't have any problems with her lyrics but then again I'm white so maybe I'm missing something. She is pretty explicit about race, sex and spiritual issues so I suppose someone is gonna be offended.

 

[JimK]

I read the review in July's Bass Player' & got excited....what I heard, though, did not remind me of early Weather Report, '70s Miles, etc.
Not enough "energy" or risk-taking(& FWIW, even slow groove-oriented material can have "energy").

For now, I gotta pass.

 

[lucas vigor]

Yeah, she is a tiny little thing! Tiny but powerful!

I am caucasian too, but what happens is I play it for people, and they just can't get past the rapping with bad language, and the militant lebanese lyrics....it's a jarring combination.

I guess my WP reference was that one of the songs very much reminds me of "unknown soldier" from the "I sing the body electric" album they did...very dark, moody..but somehow it's great music to play in the early morning..

One of her songs "Aquarium" is very Bjork-like, and each time I listen, there are more things I did not hear the first time. I find the album to be fairly avante-garde and experimental..(not as much as Jon hassell, of course) but still, this is far from a typical pop album from a pop artist..So, I would have to disagree a bit with Jim K...

One complaint I might make is that although Garrison is a virtuoso, so is Meshell, and I would have liked more playing from her....

I understand that she is used to using a second bassist (david Dyson) in her previous live shows, so she obviously has no ego...but she is one awesome bass player on her own, and gets the most killer tone from her J-bass with flats...

I hope she makes a spirit jamia part 2, with more stuff like this...frankly, I am playing it over and over!!!