i keep hearing this woman get crazy praise from music lovers and critics but i don't know a thing about her. i'm looking to get a little familiar with her work but i don't necessarily want to start with cds. in the age of the digital download, i can get songs from various cds to make an ultimate sampler set. the problem is i wouldn't know which songs to start with.

that's where you come in.

i'm asking all orgers who are into me'shell's work to post a few songs you think i need to initiate my introduction. just post the song title and the cd it appears on and i'll head on over to itunes and check things out. ideally i'd like to have a collection of tracks spanning her career so i can decide for myself where i want to start if i like what i hear.

thanks a ton guys!

Fool of Me - Bitter
Dead nigga Blvd - Cookie
Love song #1 - Comfort Woman
Leviticus - Faggot - Peace beyond passion


.
[Edited 9/7/06 0:13am]

...

These are just some of my particular favorites from Meshell, over the years:



Step Into The Projects - Plantation Lullabies

Outside Your Door - Plantation Lullabies

Picture Show - Plantation Lullabies

Mary Magdalene - Peace Beyond Passion

The Way - Peace Beyond Passion

'Deuteronomy - Niggaman' - Peace Beyond Passion

'Ecclesiastes - Free My Heart' - Peace Beyond Passion

Rush Over (w/ Marcus Miller) - from the "Love Jones" soundtrack

The Teaching - (B side, on the "Stay" and "Earth" singles)

Nocturnal Sunshine (w/Herbie Hancock) - From the "Stolen Moments: Red, Hot + Cool" compilation

Soul Searchin' (I Wanna Know If It's Mine) - from the "Higher Learning" soundtrack

My Soul Don't Dream (w/ Keb 'Mo) - from the 'Down In The Delta' soundtrack

Satisfy - Bitter

Grace - Bitter

Sincerity - Bitter

Dead Nigga Blvd#1 - Cookie

Earth - Cookie

God.Fear.Money - Cookie

Love Song#1 - Comfort Woman

Come Smoke My Herb - Comfort Woman

Liliquoi Moon - Comfort Woman

Aquarium - Dance Of The Infidel

Al Falaq 113 - Dance Of The Infidel

Luqman - Dance of The Infidel

Chosen (w/ Cassandra Wilson) - Dance of The Infidel



...
[Edited 9/7/06 9:13am]

^^^ Most of the songs you listed are my exact favorites. You can't go wrong picking from that bunch.

Plantation Lullabies
Dred Loc
Two Lonely Hearts (On The Subway)

Peace Beyond Passion
Leviticus: Faggot
Ecclesiastes : Free My Heart

Bitter
Faithful
Fool of Me

Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape
Hot Night
Earth

Comfort Woman
Love Song #1
Come Smoke My Herb

Diggin you (like an old school record) - Plantation Lullabies
Free My Heart - Peace Beyond Passion
Love Song #3 - Comfort Women

just go ahead and get her entire catalog....then sit back....and enjoy.....but that's just my opinion....you can't go wrong

I'd say buy all her albums, and then start listening to the first one.

thanks for the tips guys. i have a light homework load this weekend so i'm gonna check these tracks out!

ahhh...dangit...i missed this post and i'm waayyy tired at the moment...so i'll just say this...

as great as much of her studio songs are (and trust me, she is my favorite and i LOVE her studio albums)...but as good as they are, they really don't give you the whole picture as to why she is so well respected by her peers (fellow musicians in EVERY genre), critics and us music junkies like myself...its her LIVE shows are where she TRULY lives up to her potential in my opinion...she shines live...experimenting, expanding, changing shit up, taking chances....always unpredictable and thus very exciting to a true music fan...

so if you get the chance... see her live

i will post back with some of my favorites from her studio recordings when i've had more sleep...(many of my faves are different from whats been posted by others and i love to see that...i think its pretty cool the way that music hits folks so differntly and people are moved by different elements and different tunes depending on their own experiences and stuff...very interesting to me)...


...anyway i'll post my faves tomorrow...

in the mean time...i'm curious...what type of music do you enjoy most? Favorite artists and favorite songs by them? Do you have a favorite 'type' of song (slow jams, uptempo jams, do you prefer more traditional structured tunes or do you enjoy some quirky 'out of the box' type of stuff too? When you listen to a song for the first time what do you focus on first? (vocals, lyrics, main melody or instrumentation, structure and production?) Do you most enjoy serious themes, love themes, or loose carefree themes?

i know thats a lot of questions and you obviously don't have to answer them ..but its always interesting to me to hear how people 'come at' music ya know? what are they looking for in a song to consider it a 'good song'...so if you have some time induldge me...if not thats cool too

just enjoy the music!
[Edited 9/9/06 0:14am]
[Edited 9/9/06 0:16am]

justhemusic said:

i'll risk being incredibly vague...

i'm into all kinds of music. my biggest interest is in the crafting of music. i can't say if i like rock or blues or soul or whatever more than the other. its not about a genre as opposed to how the particular genre is done by a particular artist.

some of my favorite artists are prince, u2, tori amos, sade, john coltrane, david bowie, marvin gaye, miles davis...just to name a few. in my opinion, more important than what they do, its how they do it. perfectly, masters of their craft.

ok. its late. i'm rambling. the covers are calling me.

sallysassalot said:

well thats perfect then...i think Meshell will be a perfect fit for your approach which happens to be the way i 'come at' music as well...i don't care what 'genre' or what 'type' it is either, as long as it is done with some true creativity and passion around the actual crafting and building of the tune...so like i said i think Meshell will be a perfect fit for ya because thats what she's all about ...she's all over the place as far as what 'style' or'genre' she creates in, but WHATEVER genre she happens to be working in at the time it is CONSISTENTLY crafted in creative intriguing ways

'the covers' are calling me too...so i'll get my meshell collection in a stack in the morning and TRY to narrow down a few favorites from each of her solo albums, as well as B-sides and soundtracks...

.
[Edited 9/9/06 0:39am]

Here's my Meshell recommendations:

Beautiful :: from Bitter
Loyalty :: from Bitter
Faithful :: from Bitter
Wasted Time :: from Bitter (honestly, get the whole BITTER record)
Never Miss The Water (Duet with Chaka Khan) :: Ephiphany: Best of Chaka CD
Heaven :: from Meshell Ndegeocello presents Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel
GOD.FEAR.MONEY :: from Cookie
Hot Night (feat. Talib Kweli) :: from Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape
Quentin Mack (Live) :: from Cookie sessions
Earth (Bet Watt Lazy Dog Mix) :: from Earth maxisingle
Andromeda & The Milky Way :: from Comfort Woman
Liliquoi Moon :: from Comfort Woman
Love Song #2 :: from Comfort Woman
Outside Your Door :: from Plantation Lullabies
Shoot'n Up & Gett'n High :: from Plantation Lullabies
Step Into The Projects :: from Plantation Lullabies
Soul On Ice :: from Plantation Lullabies
Levitticus: Faggot :: from Peace Beyond Passion
Mary Magdalene :: from Peace Beyond Passion
Bittersweet :: from Peace Beyond Passion
Ecclesiastes: Free My Heart :: from Peace Beyond Passion
Two Doors Down (Dolly Parton cover) :: from Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton CD


Also, if you can, try to get LIVE interpretations of many of these songs.
[Edited 9/9/06 7:54am]

ok, i'll preface my picks for 'favorite Meshell tunes' with the same statement that has already been made by others...

ALL of her albums are absolutely worth having for any true music fans. They are ALL solid through & through and yet each has its own vibe and set of absolute classics...

Also i'll repeat that her full talent cant be fully appreciated until you hear she and her band experiment live (the latest incarnation of Meshell & her band is called "A Different Girl Every Night")...

One last thing, if you want to find ANY info about Meshll (and i mean ANY) then just go to...

http://www.freemyheart.com

...when you get there you'll be able to find latest tour stops, interviews with info on her upcoming release, and live clips from shows old & new.

At that FMH site, 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...(in fact if i were you the first thread id look for in the CONCERT section would be the one titled "Meshell Live from 1999" and see what you find in there)

and while you are in the 'POLYLOGUE' area, surf through the "MESHELL: MUSIC & MORE" section to see what goodies might be hiding in those threads too.

Hit the "MUSEUM" at FMH if you are looking for transcripts of interviews old and new to see what she's all about, what type of music and musicians inspired her etc...

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

There's PLENTY of video and audio in the "WEFUNK" section.

The 'DISCOGRAPHY' is the most comprehensive one i've seen anywhere...along with here own solo releases it lists pretty much EVERYTHING she's had her hand in (soundtracks, compilations, B-sides, vocal or instrumental guest spots, scores, co-writing & production credits...you name it its there, and often with links to amazon if you want to purhase them)

There is also a sister-site to FreeMyHeart...its a myspace music site...

http://profile.myspace.co...D=95747580

...TONS of stuff there too, including video clips old and new (including clips from gigs she's done as recently as last week)


ok enough of my long-assed preface...lets get to what you asked for in the first place ...list of favorite Meshell tracks.

I was going to pick two songs from each record...but i just couldn't bring myself to do that, i found i was leaving out songs that i felt MUST be included...so i upped it to 4 per record...i'll group by album starting with her oldest solo, then after that i'll through in groups from soundtacks and compilations too...here goes...



PLANTATION LULLABIES (1993)

"Plantation Lullabies" / "I'm Diggin You (Lika An Old Soul Record)"
(i'm counting these two as one track since they kinda flow into each other

"Two Lonely Hearts (On The Subway)"

"Soul On Ice"

"If Thats Your Boyfriend"
(i had to include this just because this bassline was so cool, and because this was the 1st tune i heard by meshell...actually i saw the video with her tearin it up on bass and it made me go out and buy her record the next day)



PEACE BEYOND PASSION (1996)
(woah...trust me, it was REALLY tough narrowing this down to only 4 tracks...its THAT good...in fact i kept switching up my picks...but if i gotta pick ONLY 4 to take to an island...)

"Ecclesiastes: Free My Heart"
(one of my ALL TIME favorites...studio and especially live this one is wonderfull)

"Make Me Wanna Holler"
(heartbreakingly beautiful to put it simply)

"God Shiva"
(featuring Wendy & Lisa)

"Leviticus: Faggot" or "Bittersweet" or "A Tear And A Smile"
(yes...i cheated...that kinda makes 6 songs...sue me



BITTER (1999)

"Fool Of Me"

"Faithful"

"Loyalty"

"Grace"



COOKIE: The Anthropological Mixtape (2002)
(another tough one to narrow down to 4...but i'll try...)

"Earth"

"Jabril"

"Criterion"

"God. Fear. Money."

"Interlude: 6 Legged Griot Trio"
(yes i know this makes 5, but TECHNICALLY this is listed as an 'interlude'

"Better By The Pound"
(yes i know this makes 6, but TECHNICALLY this is a COVER tune so i felt it would be alright to add it

(arrrgh...its KILLIN me that i left off the funky assed "Pocketbook" & "Barry Farms" and "Hot Night" and...)


"COMFORT WOMAN" (2003)

"Liliquoi Moon"

"Love Song #2"

"love Song #3"

"Come Smoke My Herb" or "Good Intentions"
(yeah yeah ...i know)

(its killin me that i left off "Andromeda & the Milky Way"...if we're talking about the LIVE version of it then i wouldve HAD to include it. Also bummed that i had to leave off the simple and sexy "Body"


"SPIRIT MUSIC JAMIA: DANCE OF THE INFIDEL" (2005)

"Aquarium"

"Papillon"

"Dance Of The Infidel"

"The Chosen" or "Luqman" or "Heaven"
[i](sorry [i]

Gonna have to come back later with soundtrack & compilation & b-side picks...

.
[Edited 9/10/06 6:37am]
[Edited 9/10/06 9:53am]

ok...to continue my list favorite Meshell tracks...below are a bunch from soundtracks, compilations, B-sides etc...

"Dred Loc (Skins I'm In Remix)"
(from Dred Loc Maxi Single release

"Rush Over"
(from Love Jones sdtk)

"Nocturnal Sunshine"
(studio version with Herbie Hancock from Stolen Moments: Red Hot & Cool sdtk compilation)

"Nocturnal Sunshine"
(KILLER Live version with Wah Wah Watson & Joshua Redman etc from Stolen Moments: Red Hot & Cool VHS/Video)

"Soul Searchin' (I Wanna Know Whats Mine)"
(from Higher Learning sdtk)

"Time Has Come Today"
(cover tune) (from White Man's Burden sdtk)

"The Teaching"
(from a b-side & Money Talks sdtk)

"Pain"
(with Chaka Khan) (from Living Single comp. Its actually an outake from an unreleased Chaka Khan album that Meshell co-produced and played on.)

"My Soul Dont Dream"
(from Down In The Delta sdtk)

"Isolation"
(from Hurricane sdtk)

"Never Miss The Water"
(with Chaka Khan) (from Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan sdtk. Its actually an outake from an unreleased Chaka Khan album that Meshell co-produced and played on.)

"Gentleman"
(cover tune with Yerba Buena) (from Red Hot + Riot: Music & Spirit of Fela Kuti comp)

"Feels Like Home"
(with Basement Jaxx) (from Kish Kash)

"The National Anthem"
(cover tune with Chris Dave) (from Exit Music: Songs With Radio Heads comp)


.
[Edited 9/10/06 17:39pm]

Faithful
Fellowship
Bittersweet
Wasted Time
The Teaching
Stay
Criterion
My Soul Don't Dream - with Keb Mo
Bitter
Dead Nigga Blvd. part I
Outside Your Door
The Womb
Two Lonely Hearts
The Way
Thankful

Cool idea. I've just recently decided to explore her stuff as well. (I've only heard one song so far and it sounded HOT)

heartbeatocean said:

I'm curious, which song was it that you heard?

justhemusic said:

oh just that pocketbook song on YouTube

This is my thread!!!!

My suggestions, a few tracks from each album:

Plantation Lullabies

• If that's Your boyfriend (He wasn't last night)
  
• Shootin up and Gettin High

Peace Beyond Passion
I will not recommend a few songs. I RECOMMEND THIS WHOLE ALBUM!

But if I must..... Go with the tracks with Biblical titles:

• Deuteronomy: Niggerman
  
• Ecclesiastes: Free My Heart
  
• Leviticus: Faggot

Quite brilliant in light of her struggle. Musically this album is amazing. But you need to go deeper and listen to the lyrics. I believe the lyrics are in the booklet, however if they're not I would advise you google them and read them as you listen to the album. The lyrics on this album are amazing. Transforming. Transcending. I am so moved by this album.

The album starts out with "Womb", look at this song from the standpoint of birth.

"The Way" (I would add this to my recommendation)...Jesus Cured the Blind man so that he could see the evils of the world. Perchance blindness is but dark thought overcome by the light.....they say, you're the way, the light, the light so blinding. Am I not to question? Your followers condemn me, your words are used to enslave me.....My sweet Jesus, I heard that you could save me.

"Deuteronomy: Niggerman".....”All I ever wanted was a nigger who would be true, all I wanted was a niggerMAN.....One night on a love high we metamorphasized to gigantic black butterflies and for the first time I saw the God inside, realizing that my nigger redefined was a black man divine. He could take me higher and higher and higher

(in the voice of God) from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. To the woman he said I will greatly multiply your pain in your conception, in pain you shall bring forth your children. And you shall be dependent upon your husband and he shall rule over you.....

Let's go back to the time when the mind and soul were divine faith unquestioned.... “

A nigger....redefined as a black man divine. In actuality, a black man divine, redefined.... for if it weren't for redefinition in the first place he never would have been perceived as something he wasn't..... This woman’s music!!!!


Ecclesiastes: Free My Heart" Free my heart so my soul may fly. Free my mind from my worldly wants and desires. I look towards heaven with my arms open wide, take my hand....come and take my hand.


"Leviticus: faggot".... Better learn to run run learn to run cuz daddy's home. Daddy's little boy's just a little too sweet..

Go to church boy Faggot you're just a prisoner of your own perverted world
No picket fence acting like a bitch that's all he sees ain't that what faggot means, No love dreams

Only the favors sweet Michael performed for money to eat 'Cause the man kicked the faggot out the house at 16. Amen mother let it be

Before long he was crowned QUEEN for all the world to see bloody body face down

The wages of sin are surely death that's what mama used to say
So there was no sympathy....

Who will care for me? Who will love me? Just searching and searching, searching and searching trying to figure out....life.....



Bitter

• Fool of Me
  
• Loyalty
  
• May This be Love
  

Cookie

• Dead Nigga Blvd
  
• God, Fear and $
  
• Jabril

Comfort Woman

• Love Song #1 !!!!!
  
• Love Song #2 !!!!!
  
• Love Song #3 !!!!!

Dance of the Infidels

• Mu-Min
  
• Aquarium
  

Honestly Sass, this woman deserves more than selective deconstruction. Each of her albums is uncompromising and full of vision. After you have given the recommended selections a spin, please PLEASE consider purchasing her albums and experiencing them the way they are meant to be experienced.

I can't wait for you to connect with this woman's music. She is one of my musical saviors and I hope you discover at least a shadow of the joy I have in regards to her art.

No one likes "Barry Farms" off Cookie? Damn that song is

minneapolisgenius said:

that song is nasty

minneapolisgenius said:

you kiddin me? I love that song...especially live where it tends to get more gritty and go-go-fied (Barry Farms is included above in my list of favorites too, because i couldn't seem to narrow my selections down to just a few songs per album )

and seriously... i agree with the post a few up: Meshell's entire catalogue is a must own if you consider yourself a fan of genuinely creative and inspired music...

it actually keeps getting better the more you listen to it (if thats even possible) ...
[Edited 9/13/06 17:24pm]

justhemusic said:

It's possible

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

justhemusic said:

I picked up Plantation Lullabies yesterday.

Been feelin' the slow groove of Sweet love off that album today. Have you heard it yet?
[Edited 9/15/06 0:42am]

ok...

so i haven't had time to sit in from of my itunes and go through all these tracks...yet. i will this weekend. i'll let you all know how it turns out! thanks, everyone, for so much advice on her music.