Customer Reviews

Bitter

5 star:		(119)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Me'Shell is such an incredibly bold and extraordinarily talented artist that I am afraid we will not fully appreciate her for years to come. In her fierce determination to follow her own muse she reminds me a great deal of Joni Mitchell. When Joni followed "Court And Spark" with "Hissing of Summer Lawns", all of the critics and many of her fans were outraged. Today, we look back and see that each LP was a masterpiece in its own right and that they were both bold steps in the evolution of a great artist.

"Bitter" is Me'Shell's "Hissing Of Summer Lawns", just as Joni moved from folk-pop to jazz, Me'Shell is moving beyond her trademark R&B/funk and experimenting with jazz, folk and rock. The CD is awesome and it is definitely as strong as her previous efforts. Craig Street's production is top-notch. "Faithful" is a lament on infidelity that starts out slow and cool, and climaxes with a blistering guitar solo. Jimi Hendrix' "May This Be Love" is freshly reinvented. Other standouts are "Sincerity" and the title track. The cherry on top is the hypnotic "Wasted Time" which features harmony vocals by Joe Henry. Hard to describe the song, it's like a cross between a pensive Trent Reznor and an angry Cassandra Wilson; marvelous!

I was disappointed to see a few people bag on this CD because it did not sound just like "Plantation Lullabies" or "Peace Beyond Passion". Me'shell mastered that retro-soul-funk-acid-jazz-or-whatever-it's-call vibe long before the D'Angelos, Maxwells, Lauryn Hills, and Erykah Badus hit the scene. Yet they sell millions and Me'Shell can't get her video played on MTV (or BET even!). That is a very hard pill to swallow, it underscores the futility of trying to put art into the commerce of the music industry. I take comfort in knowing that Me'Shell is making the music that she wants to make. And she is making great music!

"Bitter" is anything but.

I have long been a Me'Shell NdegeOcello fan, realizing my love for her hit its stride when I set my clock to be the first in the record store to purchase her sublime PEACE BEYOND PASSION on its maiden voyage into the world.

BITTER continues the tradition of beauty I have come to expect from the formidable Ms. NdegeOcello. Every song on this wonderful collection is a study in musical genius. "Fool of Me," with its haunting verse that says "When we're face to face/You won't look me in the eye/No time, no friendship, no love," is an incredible song of lost love and the feelings left long after the storm is over. Perhaps my favorite song on the album is "Wasted Time." It is a spare arrangement that begins with the lovely expression "You rarely notice but I hang on your every word." All the songs in between, including a masterful take on Hendrix's "May This Be Love," are spoken by a woman who fits every definition of the term "artist."

It is evident NdegeOcello loves music. I hear it when she speaks of the young lovers who say "Come be with me/Soothe my broken heart/Show me loyalty." It is represented in the voice of the lover that says "He loves with sweetness and sincerity/While she may only pretend." It can be heard when Me'Shell makes the claim "I can't say I've ever been faithful to anything/Except for God."

If you haven't noticed, not only are the musicianship and vocals cause for celebration, but the magnificently crafted lyrics are from a heart ripped in two by the strains and passions of love. However, where there is pain, NdegeOcello offers a method in which lovers can heal themselves.

If you do not own this album, consider it your duty to rectify this egregious error as soon as possible. In light of such talented artists as Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Maxwell, Jill Scott and Lauryn Hill, the contributions of this wonderful artist are often ignored. Change this. It doesn't matter whether you start at the beginning with "Plantation Lullabies" or in the middle with "Peace Beyond Passion" or at the end with "Bitter." It's time to give credit where credit is due.

Meshell has one of the most recognizable and unique "voices" ever. Plantation Lullabies is a masterpiece. So is "Bitter". She has mastered the art of illustrating human emotions with lyrics that are raw and real. Gorgeous are the melodies and arrangements (piano, strings, acoustic guitar, brushing snare, etc) The journey is thought-provoking and any one who has been hurt by love, has hurt in the name of love, or is simply in love will truly feel these songs. My personal favorites: "Sincerity" "Bitter" "Loyalty" -->'Come be w/me. Soothe my broken heart. Show me LOYALTY <--- "Satisfy" "Fool of Me" "Beautiful" "Grace". I only wish she'd added a track, fierce with her funky bass playing, but that may have been like throwing ice in a pot of boiling oil. Too explosive in a sea of calm. Bitter is a gem in its own right, glimmering with heartfelt odes, pleas, testimonies of love and betrayal or unrequited love, for lovers old and new. It shows how diverse music can be and we need to stop putting labels on artists. And the best thing about this is you can put it on and let it play straight through. The true test of a wonderful CD. No doubt. Nuff respect due to this lady. Go girl! No genie in a bottle here. This is all Meshell.

On Bitter, Ndegeocello takes her listeners on a cathartic musical journey into the raw, emotional depths of love's bittersweetness.

Ndegeocello sets her articulate and passionate lyrics to slow, haunting melodies and sullen grooves. The result is a soulfully melancholic but beautiful blend of folk, rock and mellow jazz elements. On a number of selections, Ndegeocello's musical poetry just flows so effortlessly from a hypnotic mix of strings and acoustic guitar. They will carry you away.

Bitter is for listeners who can appreciate a versatile artist whose music defies rigid categorization and for those whose palate can tolerate the sometimes bittersweet taste of love.

I was told before I purchased this album, that it was like its title, "Bitter". A testament in many different aspects of love, most either beginning or ending in a state of melancholy or depression. The lyrics in all of the songs are rich and poetic. Her style is so smooth, you can't help but hold this in your collection as one of the cd's to "mellow out" to. From the first string arrangment in the opener, "adam", all the way to a quiet closing, "Grace", this cd shows so many ways in which this artist has diversified herself and made a new and fresh product which is in short a masterpiece. My favorite song is "Sincerity", in which a man loves a woman deeply and sincerly, but does not recieve the same unconditional love in return. He hopes and waits for the sweetness in her heart, that will never be. This song will evoke many emotions, but most of all, it will simply make you think, and analyze what it is you think love is. More importantly, what it isn't. I recommend this to all open minded music heads worldwide. keep up the good work.

I like a lot of different music, and I do not think I have ever connected with an LP from the first listen like I did with Bitter. With this album, Meshell Ndegeocello has earned my utmost respect. The music is sparse and haunting, but what amazed me is Meshell's ability to articulate, in simple terms, and free of allegories and metaphors, the gamut of emotions that run through, and run over, someone in love. In my opinion, she charts new territory for songwriting. "Sincerity" has to be the best song on unrequited love I have ever heard. Other outstanding tracks are "Fool of Me," "Loyalty," "Grace" and the title track.

This is a TRUE Rhythm and Blues album, the best album of 1999, and one of the best I've heard since a little skinny dude from Uptown dropped Lovesexy. Please buy it.

From beginning to end, this is an incredible artistic statement. Pulling out all stops, Ms. NdegéOcello opens with the too short instrumental "Adam", then moves seamlessly into the heartbreaking "Fool Of Me." Ms. NdegéOcello pulls you into her world with the quiet, aching of her poetry. Letting you know that you're not the only one, the music is simply background, as she puts to words exactly how it feels to have your heart broken.
Next is the sweeping "Faithful," which ends with one of the best guitar solos I have ever heard. Allen Cato seems to put to the strings what feels like letting it all out, getting the pain of the past out of the way, before you begin a new relationship.

The guitar solo was necessary, because Me'Shell follows up with "Satisfy." We fall back into our old ways with the title track, "Bitter." As we all do too often (okay, maybe it's just me), we hold on longer than we should to feelings that are no longer there. Much like "Fool Of Me," Me'Shell has put to words what it feels like to be "Bitter" about something with this somber track.

Seemingly falling into a dream state, the next track is the Jimi Hendrix opus "May This Be Love." A long time Hendrix admirer, Me'Shell even sounds like him in some ways vocally if you listen close enough.

Waking from her dream, "Sincerity" begins. Lapsing back into doubting Love, she holds nothing back in her words. Perhaps finally giving in to this new Love, "Loyalty" begins. Pleading for her new love to mend her broken heart, the music swells, much like the heart does when asking such things.

"Beautiful" is next. The perfect song. "Whisper it in my ear," she says, making you flashback to those times where you've either experienced it, or longed for such a quiet moment with a special someone.

The artistic track of the album is next. Me'Shell's "Wasted Time." A duet with Joe Henry, they bring up doubts about Love again. The track ends perfectly, abruptly, at the moment she suddenly realizes that it's time for it to stop - much like we do when we realize that a relationship is over, or has been over.

Me'Shell ends the record with "Grace," yet another poetic expression of how something feels. This time that feeling is Love.

"Bitter" is a masterpiece, and everyone I've bought the CD for has thanked me for it after listening to it. "Me'Shell who/what?" they'd say before hearing it. Now I'm asked when her next album (which is going to be completely different) is coming out. (Tentatively scheduled for March 12, 2002.)

Perhaps it was the timing of the release that made me love this CD even more than usual, but I literally cried for days, listened to this music, and didn't leave my home for a week after hearing it. Considering the fact that I'd just had my heart broken (again) by a woman I was totally in love with, and almost wanted to end it all, "Bitter" spoke to me in ways that no other album had in ages. "Fool Of Me" is the best breakup song ever recorded, with it's light, airy cymbal accented music, and the somber, disquieting tone set by the string-laden opener "Adam" wafts over this entire project. This will come as quite a shock to fans of MeShell's earlier sound, but give it a chance, sit in a darkened room, light some scented candles, and lie on your bed naked, then just let the music float throughout your body. If you feel yourself about to cry when "Sincerity" is playing, don't fight it, just allow yourself to be purged and cleansed by the power of this brilliant artist's music. Depressing? No way! Revalatory, Beautiful, Wrenching, Emotionally Naked and a giant artistic leap forward is more like it. You simply won't be able to shake this one.

What can I say, sister Meshell Ndegeocello has done it again. From the very begining all the way into the end Bitter will take you on an emotional smoothed out ride, beyond love, romance, heartache, denial, and lust. For those who think they know themselves, Bitter will have you questioning your man/woman hood from top to bottom. It reaches into the reccesses of your mind and ask you the question. . .Why Me? Either way you go Bitter is the culmination of blood, sweat and tears. . .all produced under a heavy hearted Meshell Ndegeocello. Mad Love to her for this soul searching album.

OK..Enough about how much of a departure from her previous work this album is. Enough about how much you miss the hard-hitting, funk and acid laced guitar licks from Peace Beyond Passion and Plantation Lullabies. This is album is just plain good! Lyrically, Me'Shell explores the depth of emotion like few artists have in recent memory. "Fool of Me" is a haunting exercise in minimalism that evokes the title of the album and offers a birds-eye view of a broken heart, expressed with a passion that is nothing short of stunning. The high points are a beautiful remastery of Jimi Hendrix's "Message to Love" and the highly perceptive "Sincerity" in which Me'Shell articulates the disappointment and betrayal all to familiar to those who dare to engage the dangers of romance. I could go on and on with the superlatives here, (besides my friends are tired of me talking about this album!) But it is an absolutely breathtaking collection that is sure to move the emotions. Forget the funk for a second and allow Me'Shell to speak to your heart.

Easily, one of the best albums of 1999. 6 stars!