Bittersweet Meshell.

AuthorLewis, Andrea
PositionBrief Article

Lauryn Hill grabbed more Grammys. Erykah Badu caught more media attention. But to my ears, the most noteworthy black female artist of the 1990s was Meshell Ndegeocello.

This year, Grammy nominators completely overlooked Bitter, Ndegeocello's third and most recent album, which is surprising considering that both Vibe and Newsweek hailed it as "album of the year" for 1999, while Billboard called it "a modern masterpiece."

The landscape of this critically hailed disc is more spartan and reflective than Ndegeocello's previous albums, Plantation Lullabies (1993) and Peace Beyond Passion (1996). In spite of its title, however, the tone of Bitter is neither angry nor vengeful. The instrumentation is largely acoustic, and the music resonates with Ndegeocello's growing interest in Buddhism.

Ndegeocello has collaborated with other musicians, such as John Mellencamp ("Wild Night"), and on Bitter she jams with the couple formerly known as Wendy & Lisa (Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, a.k.a. Girl Bros), who used to work with the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Ndegeocello's trademark rhythmic, poetic, hip hop delivery has taken a back seat to her growing skills as a vocalist. She sings heartfelt performances of tunes like "Faithful," "Loyalty," and a haunting cover of Jimi Hendrix's "May This Be Love." She doesn't go the route of traditional R&B singing; there are no ornate gospel-tinged melismas a la Whitney Houston. Ndegeocello's is a simple, soothing, and honest voice that offers comfort and wisdom without a hint of shrillness or tension.

Unlike Ndegeocello's last two albums, there is virtually no political commentary on Bitter, and there isn't a real dance tune in the bunch. But there is social analysis and, not surprisingly, an unconventional perspective on relationships. "He loves with sweetness and sincerity / While she can only pretend," says the song "Sincerity." This time it isn't some poor Supreme, Vandella, or other wounded female saying, "Baby don't leave me." It's the man in the relationship who "gives his entire self, shares his secrets ... all in vain."

While Ndegeocello says the album is about the ups and downs of love, the bulk of the songs have a message Of sadness and betrayal. And yet, somehow, when the disc is done spinning, the predominant emotions that linger are sincerity and strength.

From the moment I saw the video for Ndegeocello's breakout hit single, "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)" from Plantation...

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