for the latest scoop on Meshell (latest tour stops, interviews with info on her upcoming release, and live clips from shows old & new...head over to http://www.freemyheart.com

for upcoming tourdates hit the 'Gigography'...

I'd also definitely go to the 'Polylogue' area and once your in there and check out the latest posts in 'Concert' section for some rare finds from 1999...and surf through the "Meshell: Music & More" sections to see what goodies might be hiding in those threads.

Hit the "Museum" if you are looking for transcripts of interviews old and new

Hit "Rainbow" for reviews on shows and albums from over the years...

There's more video and audio in the "WeFunk" section
[Edited 9/2/06 8:31am]
[Edited 9/4/06 15:51pm]

http://www.youtube.com/wa...OgdVQQ6oOA

http://www.youtube.com/wa..._5DtPtYBBY


.
.
.
[Edited 9/2/06 10:17am]

...where did you hear that prince had any input to meshells Debut record? I didn't think he had any input at all (other than as one of her several musical influences...she's mentioned in interviews that she was a BIG Prince fan back in the day. She'd run and get all the b-sides and posters and stuff). But if Prince did have any actual input at all into her first record this is the first that i have ever heard about it.

I do know that years back she and Prince did collaborate on tracks in a NYC studio for the Emancipation record. The Tracks were later RE-recorded by Prince alone by himself without Meshell back at his Paisly Park studios... though he still gave Meshell some hidden downlow credit for the original co-creation/inspiration of the two tracks (Meshell helped P come up with the basslines and meleodies for the two songs)...

the two songs were 'Emale' and 'The Love We Make'...

"Re-recorded in Minneapolis after New York paved the way.
Thanks, Shiva."

For contractual reasons, credited as Shiva by The Artist.

(If you remember Meshell was still with WB at the time and Prince didn't want them to get ANYTHING from what he was doing...hence him doing a solo RE-recording of the tracks that they had both layed down in NYC and not openly saying that one of WBs artists contributed to the record)

All that said, at THIS point in 2006 they are both 'kinda' on the same label...

Prince signed that deal with 'Universal'
Meshells next record will be released by 'Universal France' (it will initially be available as an Import to US buyers. Some time after that it will be released in the US too, but US release label & date hasn't been publicised yet as far as i know...

so there ya go...

by the way, i highly recommend that fans of her live shows go to the 'Concert' section of freemyheart.com...

at that site is were you'll also learn a ton of inside info that you'll find nowhere else on the web...(where the heck do you think i get all this inside info from anyways )

long live good music...
[Edited 9/2/06 9:44am]

I have been a big fan of Meshell's music since Plantation Lullabies. Her live shows used to be awesome - full of pure artistry, funk, soul, politics, humor - I just loved them. Then along the way she seemed to get disillusioned with the music industry bull and something left her. That light and energy were no longer present in her shows. She became more solemn and detached from her audiences.

I think that her career exemplifies a music industry that is not welcoming of true talent - one that is all about image/style not art/substance. Her career is an unfortunate example of wrong place, wrong time. Had Meshell been an artist of the 70s or 80s should probably would have received much more mainstream attention and recognition than she did. Regardless, her general output has been exquisite. Peace Beyond Passion is a modern masterpiece IMHO.

bellanoche said:

A tough cookie to eat .

bellanoche said:

I saw her perform a 50min set in ATL last night. Was really good...I was really digging her new band, A Different Girl Everynight

DorothyParkerWasCool said:

man i'm jealous...i wanted to catch that free show myself...

I know this is kinda off the topic, but was her last solo release, Comfort Woman any good?

silverchild said:

100MPH said:

I got Dance Of The Infidels and it is incredible! It's Comfort Woman that I missed...

silverchild said:

Okay , but CW was forlast

silverchild said:

hmmm...let me put it this way...

try this experiment...

Get your significant other,
turn out the lights,
some wine if you're into that...
light some candles..
then put on Comfort Woman and turn it up and see where it takes you...

(thats a yes)

Comfort Woman is a straightforward 'dreamy sensual good vibe love record' and it works wonderfully in that regard...its easy to digest (in a good way) and i'm suprised that radio didn't play this one (i really thought this was the record that would put meshell 'over' and on the 'general' public's radar because it is so accessable)...but alas radio didn't because radio sucks (we all know that though don't we?)

so yeah i really love Comfort Woman...its a beautiful record...in fact that happens to be the meshell record i took with me to work last week to re-visit and enjoy...

As with all meshell albums its just a damn good record any way you look at it...
there is one track on it though that i think is worth the price of a full album all by itself...the version of "LiliQuoi Moon" that is on Comfort Woman leaves me prettymuch breathless and shaking my head in disbelief everytime i isten to it...it alone should have won SOMEthing...its just a remarkable piece of work.

other standout tracks for me on this record are

Love Song#1
Love Song #2
Come Smoke My Herb
Love Song #3
Good Intentions
Thankful
Body

there is another song that i absolutely LOVE the tune meloday and lyrics, but think that the production was too overdone on it..."Andromeda & The Milky Way". Its a GREAT song underneath it all though (check out the version thats streaming at KCRW on the live performance she did in 2003...the first thre songs they play on this live performance are "Love Song #1", "Come Smoke My Herb", "Andromeda & The Milky Way"...and to me THESE simple stripped down live versions of the three tunes REALLY capture the essense and beauty of the songs...and these live versions actually stand as the 'real' versions for me because i heard these performances first before the studio record was even released... and they just made an impression on me in their simplicity and subtle but hypnotic melodies...simple and wonderful in my opinion...listen for yourself here...

http://www.kcrw.com/cgi-b..._type=show

...in this live session they also later play "God Fear and Money" "Liliquoi Moon" and "Fellowship" too (I like this version of "Fellowship" better than the version on the record too. i tend to like my music more intimate and un-polished though. But my wife prefers the more polished version that's on the album so go figure)

At any rate, the Comfort Woman studio album is definitely worth picking up...
and when you do, dont forget to try that experiment out
[Edited 9/2/06 17:34pm]

justhemusic said:

I guess I gotta hurry up and cop this one tonight, huh?

silverchild said:

GET IT

Any info on the new album? any idea what the sound will be or when it is planned for release. It's been so long since Comfort Woman, I need another solo record.

twink69 said:

well...I assume you've also picked up her 'Dance Of The Infidel' record too right? I know its kinda more of an ensemble piece, but she was still at the helm guiding it all and it still *feels* like a Meshell record to me. Its mostly powerful and beautiful instrumental jazz oriented with a few vocal tracks in there too (no meshell vocals but the vocalists she chose for these are GRRRREAT... Sabina, Cassandra & Laylah...whew!)

but as for the new album...well, as always Meshell likes to flip the script and change directions...or rather evolve...with each project. She's got a new band that she's named "A Different Girl Every Night" (great name for a band)...and if what i've heard live is what the album will be like, then we're in for a treat...

i have a hard time describing it when folks who know i'm a meshell fan ask me about what her latest stuff sounds like...its hard because, its different, yet still feels familiar...in fact most of her stuff hits me like that...she goes in diffrent directions all the time but at the core there is always something there that is so 'meshell'...this new stuff feels to me like a natural cumulative evolution of her styles so far but with a different edge to it, some of it begins quietly with subtle haunting melodies (ala many tunes on Bitter) then evolve into combustive jams (think 'Jabril' or 'Criterion' from the Cookie record) and some of the new stuff also has a cosmic feel to it (like some songs from 'Comfort Woman' maybe like 'Love Song #3' and 'Love Song #2') there are social themes (ala Plantation Lulabies), and there are spiritual themes (ala Peace Beyond Passion)...she sings on most or all of the new songs that i heard, but there is also a lot of AMAZING instrumental workouts in them too (while the music is very different from Dance of the Infidel the instrumental approach is still there)... so she's using elements of everything she's always been, but with an always evolving perspective and new approach...

theres this one song "Headline" that kicks SO much ass its ridiculous...

Anyway, the songs i heard sound really great to me ...pulsing with energy, always interesting lyrics, subtle and infectious melodies, great musicianship including lots of nice edgy blazing guitar...i love what i have heard live, and i cant wait to hear what the studio versions sounds like. (in my opinion, her live shows are so good she should start just releasing them as records . )

By the way, a little while back over at freemyheart.com somone had posted a link to a place where a live show from a recent gig (May 06) had been uploaded that folks could downnload...did you get that? Maybe it will get uploaded again, but i'm definitely not gonna post here due the latest 'sticky' thread 9don't wanna break any rules). So Check http://www.freemyheart.com over the next few weeks...you may get lucky...

As mentioned earlier in this thread, her new record will be released first on Universal France (as an import to US buyers), and then later released in the US on a label tbd. Targeted date for the Universal France release was sometime early fall (last i heard, maybe a month or two ago, they were in the mastering stage).

thats all the info i got and what i got i got from http://www.freemyheart.com ...if you surf the 'polylogue' and 'wefunk' section there you find all sorts of info and goodies...



.
[Edited 9/3/06 4:14am]
[Edited 9/3/06 4:15am]

Great, can't wait for some new stuff by her. Personally, I like the live band stuff like on Peace Beyond Passion and Bitter more than Comfort Woman for example, any idea in which way the new one will go?

If only she'd come to Germany some time....

calldapplwondery83 said:

Yeah i like the *live feeling* stuff better too. Comfort Woman had some tunes that still had a live feel to them ("Liliquoi Moon" & "Love Song #3" sound alive and perfect to me) but some of the songs did have more production than i think was needed ("Andromeda & The Milky Way" for example and even "Smoke My Herb")...I'm not sure how this new record was recorded though, so we'll see...

like i said before, Meshells live interpretations of tunes usually stand for me as THE versions to measure all others against.

I know she's hitting France in November for some gigs (maybe thats when the new record wil be released over there, November?), who knows maybe Germany will be in the cards for some shows too?
[Edited 9/3/06 4:05am]

DorothyParkerWasCool said:

WTH? In Atlanta last night? What.....I missed that?

Meshell was the only artist, behind Prine of course, who I made a point to see every time she came to Chicago. Until her last show here (before Jama) at the Park West, which was very somber and disappointing. It was a Friday night and everyone was ready to jam. The overall crowd was very unhappy with the show.

I still listen to all of her CDs. Although, I didn't pick up Jama.

What did you all think of

My third fave propably, after Peace and Bitter. Love it.

twink69 said:

Why seems there the impression that CW was her last album ?

100MPH said:

I heard it was her last album for the Maverick record label she's been recording at for almost 13 years, I suppose...
[Edited 9/3/06 10:20am]

Yeah , and then came this one ... or is this project not seen as a Meshell-album

Uhhh...folks...
you really may wanna go over to http://www.freemyheart.com RIGHT NOW and once you enter to the front page click the "Enjoy:)" link...

its right under the "2006-09-03"

it says "WEFUNK: Enjoy:)"...click the enjoy and it will take you straight to thr definitive meshell myspace video/audio section where you can now see & hear clips from some of her most recent gigs featuring her latest band "A Different Girl Every Night".....

...i haven't even had a chance to see them all...i've only had time to click on one (from the Annex gig last week) and it sounded AMAZING so i thought i'd come over here and let ya'll know this stuff was available since folks have been wondering what direction she's going in...

well, from what i just heard, WHATEVER direction she's going in, i'm DEFINITELY tagging along...she just KEEPS kicking ass...

bellanoche said:

great fucking album, but I started to appreciate it not untill long after I purchased it! Probably one of her best!

abierman said:

One of the best modern day hip hop/sould records. instant classic.

bellanoche said:

I have been addicted to this one ever since I brought it because it is a masterpiece. Even though it has mainstream production, it still captures Me'Shell's emotions, pain, and feelings. But the main reason why I love this record is because it is the TRUTH!
[Edited 9/3/06 19:19pm]

silverchild said:

yup, cookie was slept on too...its always interesting to here what peoples favorites are and why...different people are drawn to different tracks for different reasons...

i loved the second part of this record so much...this section here...

Akel Dama (Field of Blood)
Earth
Better By The Pound
Criterion
God, Fear & Money
Jabril
6 Legged Griot Trio (Weariness)

was my favorite...i wore them out...

others also kicked butt too...the bouncing "Hot Night", funky ass "Pocketbook", go-go spiced "Barry Farms", Allen Cato's blazing guitar on "Trust"...

while i liked the version of "Dead Nigga Boulevard" that appeared on the record too, i was actually spoiled by the FIRST arrangement of the song that i had heard live years before this record was even released. The first arrangement of "Dead Nigga Boulevard" was straight up MONSTEROUS...and gritty...and searing...to me it sounded like a completely different song than the versions that appear on the album...so, while the album versions stand strong on their own (i know plenty of folks who havent heard the original live arrangement who LOVE the album versions) for me the live versions spoiled me...

at any rate, like i said...Cookie was indeed slept on...i thought that radio would grab on to something from this record too (the beautiful "Earth" for example)...but nope...radio is crap (but i already said that didn't i)...

anyway just so no-on misses out...i'll repeat this below ...

Uhhh...folks...
you really may wanna go over to http://www.freemyheart.com RIGHT NOW and once you enter to the front page click the "Enjoy:)" link...

its right under the "2006-09-03"

it says "WEFUNK: Enjoy:)"...click the enjoy and it will take you straight to the definitive meshell myspace video/audio section where you can now see & hear clips from some of her most recent gigs featuring her latest band "A Different Girl Every Night".....

...i haven't even had a chance to see them all...i've only had time to click on one (from the Annex gig last week) and it sounded AMAZING so i thought i'd come over here and let ya'll know this stuff was available since folks have been wondering what direction she's going in...

well, from what i just heard, WHATEVER direction she's going in, i'm DEFINITELY tagging along...she just KEEPS kicking ass...
[Edited 9/3/06 20:26pm]