Ndegeocello, Meshell / Weather
Album: Weather   Collection:General
Artist:Ndegeocello, Meshell   Added:Oct 2011
Label:Naive  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2012-01-22 Pull Date: 2012-03-25
Week Ending: Mar 25 Mar 11 Feb 26 Feb 19
Airplays: 1 1 2 1

Recent Airplay
1. Dec 07, 2024: Music Casserole
Chelsea Hotel
4. Aug 10, 2013: Music Casserole
Oysters
2. Feb 26, 2022: Music Casserole
Dirty World
5. Jun 24, 2012: Have some PRIDE
Dirty World
3. Oct 26, 2013: Music Casserole
Dead End
6. Mar 21, 2012: Modern Donkey - Melody Variation Part 2
Oysters

Album Review
Ramzi Salti
Reviewed 2011-12-15
Meshell Ndegeocello Weather 2011
-- All Tracks are FCC CLEAN --
Meshell Ndegeocello’s is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (most notable for her bass playing) whose musical influences include soul, reggae, hip-hop and jazz. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career, and has had ten career Grammy Award nominations. She has been credited for having sparked the neo-soul movement. Born in Berlin, Germany in 1968 and raised in Washington, D.C., Meshell played the Washington go-go circuit as a teenager, before moving to New York to pursue a full-time career. She came to the attention of Madonna and was the first artist to sign to her Maverick record label. With a career spanning 20 years, Meshell Ndegeocello’s musical capacity has grown to such lengths that she is capable of releasing an album that is just as well-rounded as it is sincere. The bassist/vocalist’s ninth studio album, Weather, reflects this with carefully arranged instrumentals and reflective lyrics.
1. “Weather” is a sultry and subtly playful love song that sets the pace and tone for the entire record.
2. “Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear” is a sorrowful love song with a personal and honest feel. It begins with a toned down, but characteristic string section and shows Meshell’s new-found sophistication.
3. “Feeling for the Wall” unpredictably brings together a blend of contemplative lyrics and a waltz-time melody, and then adds a pop-rock type string section.
4. “Chance” is a smart, bouncy tune with a chorus that one might hear on FM pop.
***5. “Oysters” is a miniature gem with just voice, piano and reverberation. It has a very Lennonesque sound and defies the more somber mood of the album as a whole.
6. “Rapid Fire” is a defiant, soulful and bouncy tune stomp which features Meshell’s stellar bass work.
***7. “Chelsea Hotel” is a Leonard Cohen cover. It is a hush ballad centered around a mournful piano with Meshell's evocative voice a perfect match for Cohen's haunting lyrics.
***8. “Dirty World” is a defiant, soulful stomp that includes an amazing opening bass riff and turns into a somewhat fiercer, bitterer sound. It has some political undertones.
9. “A Bitter Mule” is surprisingly hooky for avant-garde material and seems to have some sexual undertones.
10.“Crazy and Wild” is a moody and raw duet with guest singer Benji Hughes, featuring some bewitching harmonies with a wonderful interplay of male and female voices.
11.“Petite Mort” has deep, husky vocals and warm piano chords.
12.”Dead End” mixes acoustic guitar with electro-keyboard bits and has a dramatic feel.
13.”Don’t Take My Kindness for Weakness” seems like a fitting summation of this CD and is an unpredictable blend of beautifully melancholy meanderings.

My picks: 5, 7, & 8 Ramzi Salti

Track Listing
1. Weather   8. Dirty World
2. Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear   9. A Bitter Mule
3. Feeling For The Wall   10. Crazy And Wild
4. Chance   11. Petite Mort
5. Oysters   12. Dead End
6. Rapid Fire   13. Don't Take My Kindness For Weakness
7. Chelsea Hotel   .