Hear the first single "Pocketbook" (Missy Elliott/Rockwilder remix and original; features Redman and Tweet) here:

http://artists.mp3s.com/a...cello.html

Both versions are being serviced to urban radio.

The new album "Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape" is due June 4, 2002. Appearance on Jay Leno slated for the same day.

Tour:
Tue 05/14/02 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's 365 Club
Wed 05/15/02 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's 365 Club
Thu 05/16/02 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
Sat 05/18/02 St. Louis, MO Mississippi Nights
Sun 05/19/02 Chicago, IL Park West
Mon 05/20/02 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre
Tue 05/21/02 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre
Thu 05/30/02 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
Sat 06/01/02 New York, NY Joe's Pub
Sun 06/02/02 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Tue 06/04/02 West Hollywood, CA Roxy Theatre
Wed 06/05/02 West Hollywood, CA Roxy Theatre
Sat 06/08/02 Columbia, MD Capitol Jazz Fest
Thu 06/13/02 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of Living Arts
Mon 06/17/02 Tokyo, JPN Blue Note
Tue 06/18/02 Tokyo, JPN Blue Note
Wed 06/19/02 Tokyo, JPN Blue Note
Thu 06/20/02 Tokyo, JPN Blue Note
Fri 06/21/02 Tokyo, JPN Blue Note
Sat 06/22/02 Tokyo, JPN Blue Note
Thu 07/04/02 New Orleans, LA Louisiana Superdome
Sat 07/27/02 Baltimore, MD Artscape

Official site (shows cover): http://www.maverick.com/meshell

- Matt

SexLovely said:

Did you ever hear John Mellencamp's "Wild Night?" She is the female vocalist on that track.

Her biggest hit was "If That's Your Boyfriend He Wasn't Last Night."

Her music is funky as all hell and she is one of the best bassists in the biz.

- Matt
[This message was edited Thu Apr 25 18:12:00 PDT 2002 by MatthewCho]

SexLovely said:

Go pick up your copy of Madonna's 'Bedtime Stories' album and listen to track 3 "I'd Rather Be Your Lover".Me'shell plays the bass and does the rap:)

Thank god you posted her tour dates! In concert is the best way to take her music in. I was lucky enough to catch her show at a club when I was on tour with a group in Denmark and she has my utmost respect.....WHAT A SHOW! Funk that only gets rivaled by the purple one. Very very funky. Very very talented.

DavidEye said:

Better yet, pick up one of MESHELL'S albums. An album with more meat on its bones and great bass playing than any Madonna album she could ever appear on.

ShutUpAlreadyDamn said:

Can you explain in more detail? I am not sure yet if I want to catch her new tour.

Is she backed by a full band? How's the crowd?

Thanks,
Matt

She has a large female fanbase given her sexuality but there are all kinds of people at her shows much like Prince. When I saw her on tour supporting her last album she was backed by band consisting of the following:

An Unbelievable drummer playing rhythms you wouldn't believe...I couldn't tell if it was a guy or a girl but I could tell you that I've never heard a drummer play like this one! And after seeing many prince shows you know this is a huge statement. I just hope the same drummer is still with her.

She had a basist even though she mainly plays bass and when they played together it was great! (Me'shell spent a lot of time on keyboards at center stage so she really needed the extra bass player for that reason)

A Guitarist and maybe one more person but I can't really remember.

I highly recomend her show to anyone who likes good funky live music!

MatthewCho said: Appearance on Jay Leno...

She's also appearing on Last Call w/Carson Daly on 5/28.

MatthewCho also said: Tour...

There are errors in your listing. For a correct, complete, and up to the minute listing, go to FreeMyHeart.com and click on "tour de funk, 2002."

MatthewCho followed that up by adding: Official site (shows cover): Meshell.com...

Site created for the artist (which had the cover listed for 2 weeks before the label's website): FreeMyHeart.com.

FreeMyHeart.com also currently lists 145 articles where you can learn a little more about the artist. There are also 215 reviews (live performance reviews,album reviews).

Basically, if you prefer a pretty marketing tool updated every 3 years for the sole purpose of making money for the record company, check out the label’s site at Meshell.com.

However, if you prefer a site that is constantly being updated, where you can actually learn something about the artist and her message, then FreeMyHeart.com is the site for you.

A comparison for Prince fans: Meshell.com is a 3 page press release created by Warner Bros. FreeMyHeart.com on the other hand, can be compared to Uptown for it's in depth content.

ShutUpAlreadyDamn said: An Unbelievable drummer playing rhythms you wouldn't believe...I couldn't tell if it was a guy or a girl but I could tell you that I've never heard a drummer play like this one! And after seeing many prince shows you know this is a huge statement. I just hope the same drummer is still with her.

Gene Lake, and he's still with her.

ShutUpAlreadyDamn said: She had a bassist even though she mainly plays bass and when they played together it was great! (Me'shell spent a lot of time on keyboards at center stage so she really needed the extra bass player for that reason)

David Dyson, also still with her.

ShutUpAlreadyDamn then said: A Guitarist and maybe one more person but I can't really remember.

Allen Cato is her guitarist, and the other person you couldn't think of is none other than Federico Peña, the keyboardist that's been with her since the beginning. Federico has also been on all of Maxwell's albums. Needless to say, he's the man.

ShutUpAlreadyDamn closed his post by adding: I highly recomend her show to anyone who likes good funky live music!

I agree. Me'Shell & her band don't wait for aftershows to give the audience what they really desire. You could say that Prince has based his current tour (which I'm going to on Monday) based on the format that Me'Shell has always used. No relying on greatest hits. No dancers. No pyrotechnics. No B.S. Just great music.

For an up to the minute correct and complete listing of all of her tour dates, check out http://www.freemyheart.com/

You're right about freemyheart.com. Hands down, it is the best Meshell site on the net. As a matter of fact, it's easily one of the best artist sites out there, period. It's jam-packed with information, reviews, interviews, updates, etc.

I think I'll go ahead and purchase my Meshell tickets for this tour. You guys convinced me! I mainly wanted to check that she was backed by a band vs. giving more acoustic performances.

The dates I gave were from pollstar.com, which generally does a decent job in providing accurate information. However, freemyheart.com is probably the most accurate since it is fan-based.

The reviews I've read so far for "Cookie" are absolutely amazing. I've been avoiding all soundclips of the album, except for "Pocketbook" (original and remix) and "Earth" (original and remix) to make the album-purchasing process more worthwhile. I do this with all my favorite artists. For those that have listened to the entire album, please describe!

I LOVE POCKETBOOK! I'm partial to the original version, which is Meshell back to her ultra-funky roots. However, the remix certainly should get some mainstream attention, which she deserves. She's the original "neo soul" female artist. Hopefully this time around she'll be recognized with the same energy as recent works by Indie.Arie, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, etc.

My favorite Meshell album is "Peace Beyond Passion." This contains her two best tracks in my opinion: "Leviticus: Faggot" and "God Shiva." I give Meshell mega-points for releasing "Leviticus: Faggot" as the first single and video from the album. This was easily one of the most controversial singles is history, strongly mixing religious and sexual messages. Too bad only about 15 radio stations were brave enough to play it. Also, MTV would only play the video without a message played by Meshell regarding its intent. I would really like to purchase the video...I'm been scanning Ebay for nearly one year looking for a promo copy.

Finally, when are Prince and Meshell, the king and queen of funk and soul, going to collaborate? I know from MTV's Meshell promo spots (for Black History Month) that she considers him a musical genious. I can't imagine that he doesn't have high regards for Meshell as well.

- Matt
[This message was edited Sun Apr 28 3:53:51 PDT 2002 by MatthewCho]

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[This message was edited Tue Apr 29 22:54:06 PDT 2003 by daysofwild]

MatthewCho said: I would really like to purchase the video...I'm been scanning Ebay for nearly one year looking for a promo copy.

good luck

MatthewCho said: Finally, when are Prince and Meshell, the king and queen of funk and soul, going to collaborate? I know from MTV's Meshell promo spots (for Black History Month) that she considers him a musical genious. I can't imagine that he doesn't have high regards for Meshell as well.

when prince either 1.) gets his head out of his ass, or 2.) when me'shell's contract with maverick (a subsidiary of wbr) is completed.

since prince won't likely get his head out of his ass, it'll probably be #2.

check out the recent vibe article in "the museum" portion of the site for more information on this.

lastly, in my opinion, it's not really necessary for prince to collaborate on her material. her band is top notch, and the musicians she uses on her albums are also top notch. her albums could not possibly be improved upon (short of removing the unnecessary remix of pocketbook from cookie.) on the other hand, short of the brilliant music on tRC, prince's recent material could use someone like me'shell... again, just my opinion.

daysofwild said:Meshell and Prince recorded some stuff together in 1996. Supposedly one of the jams, they worked on, became the song 'Emale'. Emancipation liner notes indicate: "finished in Minneapolis after New York paved the way".

the discography at http://www.freemyheart.com/ speaks to this. (and has since the site was known as http://www.maui.net/~prn/...index.html in 1996.)

it gives a better explanation than the liner notes from emancipation. i'd give an even better one, but i'm really not authorized to do so.

1) For those that didn't previously know this, Wendy & Lisa were guest guitartists and kerboardists on Meshell's third album Bitter.

2) For those that like The Rainbow Children, you must check out Meshell. Funk, soul, R&B, thought provoking imagery, it's all there with Meshell.

3) What have her set lists been like on her previous tour outings? What can I look forward to seeing in person?

4) suomynona, I can only assume that you've heard Cookie in its entirety. How do you rank it among her previous works? What are your favorite tracks?

5) suomynona, I'm sure you are right about her connection with WB. That's too bad, for him more than her. His whole gripe with WB still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, particularly regarding their ownership of much of his work. Read the fine print before signing the dotted line.

Regards,
Matt

MatthewCho said: 3) What have her set lists been like on her previous tour outings? What can I look forward to seeing in person?

when it comes to me'shell, quoting one setlist in the hope that it will help you know what she'll be playing when you see her is kind of pointless. cookie was finished over a year ago. some of the material from it, nearly two years ago. much like prince used to consistently do, me'shell now plays different shows every night. she's constantly challenging herself, her band, and most importantly, her audience by playing new material that no one's heard before. all i can say, is that i guarantee that it will be one of the best concerts (if not the best) that you've ever been to. you'll understand that while i still like prince a lot, and am going to his concert tomorrow night, me'shell is now my favorite artist. she is now everything prince used to be, and is becoming everything i once hoped for in him. someone who is constantly growing, constantly challenging herself, and her audience. while prince has returned to that with the music in tRC, his message in his music has done nothing but alienate him from those that respect him (short of the fanatics who would say a record of prince taking a dump is a masterpiece.) regardless of his lyrical content, he's still a brilliant musician, and we're still more lucky to hear everything he does because of this.

MatthewCho said: 4) suomynona, I can only assume that you've heard Cookie in its entirety. How do you rank it among her previous works? What are your favorite tracks?

everyone that enjoys her music likes it for different reasons. everyone likes each album more than the other. it's much like being a fan of prince. so my comparing it to one or the other... i'll leave that to you. let's just say it's deserving of all of it's reviews.

MatthewCho said: 5) suomynona, I'm sure you are right about her connection with WB. That's too bad, for him more than her. His whole gripe with WB still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, particularly regarding their ownership of much of his work. Read the fine print before signing the dotted line.

amen. i don't think you'll ever see her pulling that. prince pulled the wool over his fans eyes and had them hating wbr. (for right reasons, and wrong.) however, when he became free, his music did not. short of "the war" and "tRC," most of his output since his release from wbr has been borderline shit - compared to the prince of old. that's what happens when you surround yourself with people that never say "no." that's what happens when you allow yourself to be turned into a mental midget by listening to larry graham (who's also a brilliant artist, but has only negatively impacted prince's career since they met in person). that's what happens when you replace michael bland with ex-gameboyz dancer kirky j. the music has suffered.

and for the fanatics of prince who think prince can do no wrong, then we'll just wait a few years. hopefully prince will still be playing material from "tRC." but i can virtually guarantee you that he will rarely, if ever, play any material from the kirky j (1996-2000) period of his career during concerts. prince is no fool. he knows that period was garbage.

thankfully though, he listened for once to the fans who told him on this message board, and another one. lose the dancers. lose the pyrotechnics. lose the rappers. lose the trying to fit in. (although i think he's working a bit too hard on that front - turning his fans against him with his racial commentary at concerts - charging his fans $125 and more to go to his shows - etc, etc, etc.) most of all, the only thing that's important to us that have been following him all of these years is the music. that's the only thing that really matters. for those of us that this is true, we could care less about the fact that he's stopped swearing. he may not write brilliant lyrics like he used to, he may never do so again. but at least the great music has returned.

personally, i'm looking forward to "xenophobia." i'm looking forward to him being quiet, and just playing. i mean, am i the only one that would be 1st in line to buy a instrumental version of "tRC"? i didn't think so...

Supernova said:

Better still.....I'll do some downloading.

Meshell is so tough. Bitter is the bomb. Cant wait till she gets to the east coast.

suomynona said:

Ahh, he was releasing sub-par material BEFORE his exit from Warner Bros.



I wouldn't buy it. The lyrics don't bother me at all. If it didn't bother me when he sang about incest, f***** the taste out of Marsha's mouth, and some of that nonsense on the Black Album, there is no reason anything on TRC should bother me.

thank you for saying all that i could not....i would have posted your entire quote..but..didn't feel it was necessary ..

you said a mouthfull baby

she is one bad mutha...her shows are fuckin awesome..

didn't realize she was playin bass on i'd rather be your lover....that explains some shit!

heh..

the idle mind is the playground for the devil

SexLovely said:

Whaaat You'll Love Her! Wendy and Lisa Played
on Her last CD "Bitter" Masterwork!