Meshell Ndegeocello - Pour Une Ame Souveraine Dedication To Nina Simone Soul Folk 2LP
2LP

Meshell Ndegeocello - Pour Une Ame Souveraine A Dedication To Nina Simone


A Tribute From 10 Time Grammy Nominee
Feat: Sinead O'Connor, Lizz Wright, Toshi Reagon, Tracy Wannomae, Cody ChesnuTT


Label: Naïve – NV827061, NV827061-1
Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP
CD, Album

Country: Europe
Released: 09 Oct 2012
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style: Soul, Soul-Jazz, Vocal


Tracklist


A1 Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Written-By – Benjamin Bennie Claude, Gloria Caldwell, Marcus Sol 4:08
A2 Suzanne
Written-By – Leonard Cohen 4:27
A3 Real Real
Featuring – Toshi Reagon
Written-By – Nina Simone 3:08
A4 House Of The Rising Sun
Featuring – Toshi Reagon
Written-By – Josh White, Holmes Libby Reynolds 3:36



B1 Turn Me On
Written-By – John D Loudermilk 3:08
B2 Feeling Good
Written-By – Anthony George Newley, Leslie Bricusse 4:10
B3 Don't Take All Night
Featuring – Sinead O'Connor
Written-By – Benjamin Bennie Claude, Marcus Sol 3:28
B4 Nobody's Fault But Mine
Featuring – Lizz Wright
Written-By – Nina Simone 2:37



C1 Be My Husband
Featuring – Valerie June
Written-By – Andrew Benjamin Stroud 3:31
C2 Black Is The Color Of My True Loves Hair
Written-By – Emile Latimer 3:53
C3 See Line Woman
Featuring, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Tracy Wannomae
Written-By – George Bass, Nina Simone 5:51



D1 Either Way I Lose
Written-By – Van Allen Mc Coy 3:29
D2 To Be Young, Gifted And Black
Featuring – Cody ChesnuTT
Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Arranged By [Soprano Saxophone, Flute] – Tracy Wannomae
Written-By – Nina Simone 3:16
D3 Four Women
Written-By – Nina Simone 5:02



Cd
1 Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Written-By – Benjamin Bennie, Gloria Caldwell, Marcus Sol* 4:08
2 Suzanne
Written-By – Leonard Cohen 4:27
3 Real Real
Featuring – Toshi Reagon
Written-By – Nina Simone 3:08
4 House Of The Rising Sun
Featuring – Toshi Reagon
Written-By – Josh White, Holmes Libby Reynolds 3:36
5 Turn Me On
Written-By – John D Loudermilk 3:08
6 Feeling Good
Written-By – Anthony George Newley, Leslie Bricusse 4:10
7 Don't Take All Night
Featuring – Sinead O'Connor
Written-By – Benjamin Bennie, Marcus Sol 3:28
8 Nobody's Fault But Mine
Featuring – Lizz Wright
Written-By – Nina Simone 2:37
9 Be My Husband
Featuring – Valerie June
Written-By – Andrew Benjamin Stroud 3:31
10 Black Is The Color Of My True Loves Hair
Written-By – Emile Latimer 3:53
11 See Line Woman
Featuring, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Tracy Wannomae
Written-By – George Bass, Nina Simone 5:51
12 Either Way I Lose
Written-By – Van Allen Mc Coy 3:29
13 To Be Young, Gifted And Black
Featuring – Cody ChesnuTT
Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Arranged By [Soprano Saxophone, Flute] – Tracy Wannomae
Written-By – Nina Simone 3:16
14 Four Women
Written-By – Nina Simone 5:02

Credits
Art Direction – Meshell Ndegeocello
Artwork By – Phil Design
Bass – Meshell Ndegeocello
Drums – Deantoni Parks
Engineer [Vocals] – Eric Elterman
Engineer, Mixed By, Mastered By – Pete Min
Guitar – Chris Bruce
Keyboards, Piano – Jebin Bruni
Liner Notes – Hilton Als
Photography By – Charlie Gross
Sleeve – Alison Riley


Notes
© 2012 Meshell Ndegeocello, under exclusive license to naive.
www.meshell.com
NV827061. Made in France.
on CD only : NV827061-1. Promotional copy - Not for sale.

Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode: 3298498270617



After the release of 'Weather', Meshell Ndegeocello releases her 10th album, 'Pour une ame souveraine' (For a sovereign soul). After a career of more than 20 years, Meshell Ndegeocello, the American singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist and vocalist and her musicians Chris Bruce (guitar), Jebin Bruni (keys), and Deantoni Parks (drums) recorded a tribute to Nina Simone and play some of the tracks made famous by the icon of black music. Meshell also invited a few guests to take part of this dedication to Nina Simone, such as Sinead O'Conner, Lizz Wright, Valerie June, Toshi Reagon and Cody ChesnuTT.

After exploring Funk, Alternative Rock, and Hip Hop on previous albums, Meshell Ndegeocello grabs a bunch of friends (Sinead O'Connor and Liz Wright among them) to pay tribute to kindred spirit, the high priestess of soul Nina Simone on album number 10. She more often reinterprets, rather than remakes these classics, which is fine by me as much like Simone, she treads her own path.

The album is a laid-back Soul/Blues/Folk affair with Meshell giving a soft vocal delivery on the songs which she leads on. "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is guitar-driven Soul with a haunting mellotron snaking in the background like gently waving drapes. "House Of The Rising Sun" features Toshi Reagon and is a spirited affair. "Feelin' Good" is given a quivery contemplative treatment.

"Nobody's Fault But Mine" is a lovely acoustic ballad with Liz Wright on vocals. Highlight has got the be the quivery Blues treatment of "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair" with Valerie June. Enchanting! "See Line Woman" is given an almost Afrobeat reinvention and features Tracy Wannomae. "Either Way I Lose" is trippy Blues, "To Be Young, Gifted And Black" features Cody Chesnutt giving a stirring soulful performance to the stripped soundscape. Closing is the ominous and groovy "Four Women" which sounds like what I imagine a mashup of Radiohead and Sade would. Another masterpiece!

Gorgeous compilation of Nina Simone's songbook. My first time hearing these arrangements was during Meshell Ndegeocello's performance in Durham, NC. I was mesmerized by the ways in which she and her band moved the music not just forward, but let it flow outside of the edges of any specific category or genre, liberating us as she did the song from predefined structures.


All of these tunes are resonating with me and I love how 'Four Women' ends here....i won't spoil it but just to say, its a great and surprising choice. 'Turn Me On' is pure MeShell, i just want to turn all the lights off and listen to this record over and over again. Ok, I will. 'To Be Young, Gifted and Black' SOARS. 'Be My Husband' is a great groove. The end of 'House of the Rising Sun' goes to a whole other place, great improvisational jam there.


MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO A Dedication To Nina Simone teaser1





Meshell Ndegeocello - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, The Works of Nina Simone





Meshell Ndegeocello - To Be Young, Gifted and Black ft. Cody ChesnuTT





Meshell Ndegeocello - Be My Husband feat. Valerie June