MeShell Ndegeocello
@ The Justice League
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****
MeShell Ndegeocello is a fuckin' genius.
Music enthusiasts seeking an unbiased view of MeShell's Thursday night concert at the Justice League should read the SF Weekly or something. I am a fan. Define genius the skeptics say. A genius digs his or her own music and looks to the audience for that mutual appreciation that he or she feels, not for validation. After a less-than-impressive set by the Brown Fellinis, Me'Shell and her band took the stage in what everyone knew was a small Maverick-sponsored event to hype the new album. Spinner.com's been promoting the album with an all-Me'Shell channel, so I've been listening in for the past few weeks or so.
The new album Bitter, is excellent. It marks a departure from her bass-thumping, revolutionary past. But she embarks on this new path with melodic fervor and never looks back. With it's one-word song titles, Bitter takes on the struggles of self-examination and the pain of relationships gone awry with brutal honesty. It runs the gamut from Loyalty to Grace ( the album's first single ), and is peppered in between, with gems like Beautiful, Faithful, and the haunting title track.
The setting was The Justice League, an intimate and ventilation-less venue where sweaty bodies clamored by the second to get closer to the stage. MeShell introduced the new songs and even treated the crowd to some of the oldies such as Soul on Ice and Ecclesiastes: Free My Heart.
Watching Me'Shell is poetry in motion, for it is apparent that she is at one with her instrument. It's honestly quite difficult to determine where the bass guitar ends and she begins. Her figure is not imposing at all. As a matter of fact, she is small in stature, but the way she handles the bass is beautiful to watch. Her movements on stage are a hybrid of Anita Baker and Joe Cocker without the flailing arms. She keeps her eyes closed throughout most of the show, vibing on her own music and dealing with her own shit. Her band is at it's cohesive best when they simply jam. No 3:25 radio edits here. Songs went on for 10, even 15 minutes.
Mad props go out the guitarist Allen Cato who seems to have a spiritual connection with each string of his guitar and the keyboardist whose talents unite the band into a solid unit. Their ability to incorporate a variety of new sounds and accompany MeShell on her musical journey makes seeing the band live worthwhile.
While Bitter contains at least 2 radio singles, I doubt that it'll be the crossover album of the year. Something tells me that this won't bother MeShell much though. Watching her perform warms the heart.
Ever hear that phrase "You never miss the water 'till the well runs dry"? The pop music well is dry but MeShell reminds us what it's been missing: Honesty.
Bitter is available at area record stores. For more info on Meshell log onto http://www.maverickrc.com/meshell/
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