Customer Reviews

Devil's Halo [Vinyl]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It took me a few listens to wrap my mind around Devil's Halo. Being a big Meshell fan I understand how she changes from one release to the next but there were two things that felt weird about this one. 1) It's short 2) the default track order didn't work for me. The first issue is particularly shocking because the actual instrumentation is great. The selection starts with "Slaughter" which begins hauntingly subtle and turns dark and a bit chaotic with the chorus. Very interesting and not surprising in itself to any Meshell fan that has listened to Bitter or Comfort Woman. What is surprising is that when the listener gets to Hair of the Dog, Devil's Halo or even Bright Sunny Morning, the tracks are beautifully produced but are too short. This wouldn't be a problem if the CD as a whole was longer. If Devil's Halo was a crappy release then we could take solace in the ear bleeding torture being over in short order. But the music presented here is beautifully played...Blood on the Curb is a very catchy, mellow tune that comes to mind. Die Young has a great old school 80's feel with awesome use of s synth bass that really pronounces the song at the half way point. Devil's Halo lyrics are true Meshell (as the song titles suggest) but it's ironic to hear them over such beautifully play music.

Personally I had to change the track order. The default setup just didn't feel right with Die Young and Crying in Your Beer ending the CD. Moving Die Young to track 3, Love You Down to Track 2 and Hair of the Dog to track four seemed to have better flow to me. Once I did that I was able to enjoy Devil's Halo a lot more. Changing track orders may seem like nit picking but I have every Meshell CD released and I've never felt the need to do this with her music before. With that in mind I thought this was worthy of mentioning.

In short...great music from a great musician that's hindered because it's over too soon. It would be 5 star otherwise.

Since its release was greeted with what seems to be silence by all musical press, I hope to think some fans out there will still seek out Ndegeocello - I myself, a long time fan, wouldn't have even heard about it had I not been searching for a vinyl copy of The World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams, the loud, defiant 2006 record that had moments of afro-punk insouciance as well as jazz seduction and techno pummeling (anyone know if it's available on vinyl?).

That album, like Devil's Halo, and like every previous album, is a product of Ndegeocello's strongest characteristic - the ability to immerse an album fully in her conceptual approach and direction. The World... was triumphant, but also a little more worn than when she'd worn her anger so compellingly on 2002's Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape. In the same way, Devil's Halo is like 1999's Bitter ten years later. That revelatory album took a strings and piano approach to probe the essence of heartbreak, and Devil's Halo picks the theme up immediately in "Slaughter," warning lovers, "my love will lead you to slaughter/ if you see it coming, I'd run the other way." The album doesn't explore the truth of that statement so much as it explores the long-term sensation of feeling sad and alone.

In that, the album actually plays like a direct concept: a lonely night at the bar that goes well, but doesn't quite cure what ails her. She seems to find a potential lover in "Tie One On," which is a jazzy flirt of a song, and then wakes up hitting herself wondering "Did you really think you were special?" in "Lola." There's the drunken pit-of-depression revelation of "Hair Of The Dog," which simply repeats "One too many/not enough to forget you" over and over again, and you wallow and are released by Me'shell's sadness too.

Really, though, the album is flipped in half by a cover of Ready For The World's "Love You Down" which, like 1999's cover of Hendrix's "May This Be Love," plumbs the song for seductive honesty. Then, Ndegeocello finds some strength - the instrumental "Devil's Halo," the affirmation of strength "Bright Shiny Morning," and the smiling-at-a-new-day "Blood On The Curb" all show a rejuvinated Ndegeocello. By the time the album closes, with the blunt, wounding "Cry In Your Beer," Ndegeocello repeats the fear that she can't escape - a chorus that repeats "Don't let me die alone." Like all Ndegeocello albums, you're never quite sure you're hearing a masterpiece. You're also thankful for every second of its particular - and in this case imminently relatable - approach.

Looking like the lovechild of Beyoncé and Tiger Woods on the cover to her 8th album, Meshell Ndegeocello takes yet another stylistic turn. In a career that has seen her trapsaize from Funk to Rock to Hip Hop to Jazz, the sound this time is Alternative Rock/Soul, similar to that on her album "Bitter".

The 12 songs clock in at about 36 minutes and so cut straight to the chase, from opener the psychedelic sounding "Slaughter" ("She said she loved me/I ran away/ Don't say you love me/I'll run away"), the groovy rocker "White girl" (with loads of reverb effects and dubby bassline), to the beautiful ambient instrumental title track, everything is well thought out and beautiful.

"Lola" is a woozy rocker with opening lines "She drinks until she passes out on the floor" and some dramatic narrations, while the floaty ballad "Hair of the dog" has a nice piano coda. She turns in a fuzzy remake Ready For The World's hit "Love me down" (with distorted guitars and static for effect), "Bright sunny morning" is sunny sounding and upbeat (the closest thing to straight-ahead Rock), but my favourite is "Mass transit" (this could find a home on any Smiths album), off kilter Rock with her voice a soft croon unaffected by the signature changes going on.

A musical chameleon who refuses to be categorized, this arty album is a masterpiece!

I pre-ordered my copy of Devil's Halo. I waited with great anticipation. Let me put it this way...have you ever not eaten anything ALL day and finally you go check out this 'new' restaurant..because rumor has it that the food is excellent? You order your food, sit down to eat and when the waiter brings your food you want to say WTF??? Not only are the portions meager, but you realized you could have went to your old familiar place to eat and it would have been much MORE satisfying!!! That's DEVIL'S HALO in a nutshell. If you are a huge fan of Meshell (like myself), then pull out her old cds (Peace Beyond Passion or Cookie) and don't waste your time on this one. Sigh. I must say I'm disappointed with her on this cd. Yes her funky bass line still sends shivers down my spine...but 2 minutes? Puh-leeeeeez, don't tease us Meshell....deliver!

Ms. Meshell has woven her talent, heart and soul together in another auditory tapestry that is out of this world and beyond definition (or anyone genre) for that matter. Exploring spirituality, sexuality, honesty and passion Devil's Halo is truly a classic. I could go on for days, but I will keep it simple and suggest that if you are unsure, simply check out the samples.

She pulls influences from reggae, rock, soul and R'n'B (check out "love you down" a remake of the classic song by Ready for the World) and puts them together in only a way that she could. I am so glad that I have been able to partake in her passionate creations and watch her grow as an artist after all these years.

If you desire something beyond the mainstream to stimulate your ears, mind, creativity and body (she and Maxwell are in a league of their own when it comes to sensual music) then treat yourself by purchasing this cd and supporting the quintessential woman, artist, singer and musician known as Meshell Ndegeocello.

MeShell is the most important Neo-Funk artist of the past 17 plus years bar none.

From 1993 to 2003 her first five albums:
1993: Plantation Lullabies (Maverick)
1996: Peace Beyond Passion (Maverick)
1999: Bitter (Maverick)
2002: Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape (Maverick)
2003: Comfort Woman (Maverick)
are Essential Albums...period.

Yes I will admit
2005: The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel (Shanachie)
2007: The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams (EmArcy)
were well below her bar..... but

2009: Devil's Halo (Downtown) in my opinion is her fork in the road.

My first listen at Halo and I was not impressed. My second listen
put this album square in front of my daily rotation. The one song
that shook my world was her remake of Ready For the World's "love you down".

This remake is not only near perfect...but it is flawless, and hits the mark
like all her love songs seem to do. Is it a short album, YES. Is it an
important album, Yes. Will her fans like it, I don't know.

But this I will say; Meshell is a phenom......there has been none like her in this generation, and unfortunate, like all the greats, her music will not be appreciated until we are all long gone.

I pre-ordered this CD however, after to listening to it I would have paid full price and more. I don't care what anyone has to say, Meshell really created an art of work. The sound, the music can be played almost anywhere. After a long day of work the only thing I want to do is relax, breathe and let go....Devil's Halo has allowed me to do that.

I just wish the cuts were longer. Maybe she wants to leave us feeling a little un-fulfilled, like the message in this set of songs. If so, it worked.

In my humble opinion, this is a masterpiece.

I must say, I was very happy with this album! The instrumentation on this album is excellent! Lots of dark, groovy, emotionally driven moods on this album! She has such a sexy voice and melodic sound! Album is moody, clear and sexy! This is maybe my favorite effort by her thus far! Go Me'shell Go!

First let me start by saying I gave it four stars because the songs are just too short for me. It felt like a preview to an upcoming set of work. Other than that, I would have given it a five...but it's definitely Me'Shell and I enjoyed everything else about it. Hopefully next disc she gives us a little more to feast on.