Weather

Me'Shell NdegeOcello | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 8, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naive
• ASIN: B005QF0GIK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,116 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Weather

2. Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

3. Feeling for the Wall

4. Chance

5. Oysters

6. Rapid Fire

7. Chelsea Hotel

8. Dirty World

9. A Bitter Mule

10. Crazy and Wild

11. Petite Mort

12. Dead End

13. Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness

Editorial Reviews

Review

Meshell Ndegeocello's versatility as an artist has made her one of music's least predictable stars: She's been a sultry soul singer, a pop-rock hitmaker, a house diva and a space-jazz explorer, not to mention a bassist for The Rolling Stones and Madonna. As a performer and a songwriter, Ndegeocello is a true seeker, always in pursuit of a surprise.

On her new, Joe Henry-produced album Weather . . . Ndegeocello indulges her soulful alt-pop side, expanding on the quieter and more sensual moments of 2009's Devil's Halo. Pairing seductive, Sade-esque vocals with catchy downtempo arrangements, she crafts some seriously affecting torch songs here. Though many of the tracks on Weather convey a sweet soul jangle, they're most affecting when Ndegeocello slows the tempo to the speed of a tender first kiss.

Alternating between expressions of insecurity and brash self-assuredness, Ndegeocello is at her sinewy best here. The heartbreak evoked by 'Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear' is stunning, but the real accomplishment lies in the way the music captures the unique sensation of driving past an old lover's house and not being able to shake that feeling of longing, no matter how much time has passed.

Appropriately titled, Weather captures the complex and unpredictable emotions that accompany intimacy, desire and alienation. They're feelings as familiar and as old as time itself, but as this gorgeous, moving album makes clear, they still have the power to surprise and even terrorize. --NPR First Listen, Mario Cotto, October 30, 2011

Weather is her most consistently strong album in some time, a product of vision and discipline --The New York Times

Every musical stroke is a concise yet instinctive caress; there's no grandstanding, but plenty of sensual vulnerability... Ndegeocello sings of longing and commitment while the bonsai-scaled instrumentation offers countermelodies to the gods. --Spin Magazine

Product Description

Weather finds the eclectic songwriter expanding on her iconic style, a lush album of intimate songwriting. Produced by Grammy-winner Joe Henry (Aimee Mann, Solomon Burke, Ani DiFranco), Weather is the latest addition to Meshell's diverse catalog. A strikingly organic record, the album finds Meshell experimenting with the sparse, orchestral melodies paired with thoughtful lyrics, all performed by a band of fearsome musicians. The album opens with the title track 'Weather,' a spacey, soulful groove that sets the stage for the rest of the record. Tracks like 'Oysters' and her cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Chelsea Hotel' find Meshell constructing hushed ballads, centered around mournful piano. These tracks are juxtaposed with Meshell's defiant, soulful stomps on songs like 'Rapid Fire' and 'Dirty World.' The album also features all-star collaborations with the likes of Chris Connelly (ex-Revolting Cocks, Ministry), Benji Hughes, and Joe Henry.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely November 8, 2011

By SBLove99

Format:Audio CD

This CD reminds me of her Bitter record, although this is more stripped down without the orchestration. The new production suits Meshell's somber mood on love and politics. I like it. She continues to move forward progressively as a soul artist. I suspect she may recieve another grammy nod for this one.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars something out of the ordinary... November 7, 2011

By fisherKing

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

okay, am only 8 songs thru, first listen. but...had to say something.

this is a GORGEOUS album; it's 'pop' music in the best sense of the word; great songs, great sound.
the cover image captures it well: lush, defined, dreamy; full of depth, contrast...all of those things. and the singing is near-magical.

i don't rave like this often, but the album, and the artist, deserve the praise.

BUY IT.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Evolution in Progress December 16, 2011

By Eric G

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

being from D.C., where the artist grew up , i can relate to the music she was raised in as I, us both being musicians an all. What i continually hear whenever I listen to Meshell's music is a growth in the space inside the music. Not to say it is as simple as less is more, even tho in this case, it is. But to grow up and honed in the go-go atmosphere where it is heavy percussion , pure emotional mahem, funk all over the place from the bass..and so on to a transition to a total other place in quiet and sereneness, where ever note counts for something and the emptiness is heard. It speaks volumes for her rebellion against humans being programmed how and what to think, it shows her inner struggle to be more than just another XXXX...and she continues to grow even though it may seems like shes doing less and less musically. I have'nt listened to all of it yet, but man it fells good to listen and appreciate walking down MLK avenue over by St E's and being taken to another place that represents those very same footsteps in a different light. 6 stars for me.