Meshell Ndegeocello Premieres Cover of Whodini’s “Friends” on Vibe
New Album Comet, Come To Me Out June 3rd via Naïve;
Available as Pre-Order Now on Meshell.com
Meshell to Perform “Secret Show” For 100 People
May 30 in Los Angeles,
Hosted by “All Things Considered”
East Coast Tour Kicks Off June 3 in NYC!
Plus, Special “Guest Appearance” Playing Bass w/Jef Barbara in NYC May 16 @ Pianos (7pm)
“Riddled with luscious rhythms, steeped in her trademark bounce and clairvoyant bass technique, Ndegeocello hasn’t skipped a beat on the new full-length.” – VIBE
“Comet, Come to Me is one of the best she’s delivered since she jumped ship from Madonna’s Maverick label.” – Pop Matters
Originally released thirty years ago by the hip hop trio Whodini, the classic track “Friends” has been given new life on Meshell Ndegeocello’s new album, Comet, Come To Me. Please listen and share the track, courtesy of Vibe (HERE).
Known for recording and performing intriguing covers, Meshell notes that hip-hop tracks are particularly interesting to her as a musician. “I grew up listening to hip-hop, and I get mad at my peers and older people who are not really open to modern music, especially rap music. I wanted to show how intricate the music is, if you really listen deeply. On this track, for example, if you take away the vocals, it’s got really intricate things going on. There’s keyboard element, which on my version is the guitar. And then they added a half beat to each bar, which is why it has a kind of shift in it. “There’s something in music called “chopped and screwed” where you “screw” the track, which I wanted to emulate. If you hear the original version on the record, you’ll understand.”
She also found the track to be of particular interest in the age of Facebook friends. “I find the co-opting of the word “friends” lately to be very interesting. Language is morphing, and ‘friends’ is such a malleable word, I don’t even know what it means anymore.”
Groove driven, infectiously melodic and lyrically meditative, Comet, Come To Me, finds her returning to the same well of creativity that launched her career. Her 11th release, it is possibly a culmination of all previous work: lush, vocal, seeking, wise, collaborative, and driven by the signature bounce and precise pocket of Ndegeocello on bass.
The album features special guests Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) and Doyle Bramhall, along with long-time collaborators Christopher Bruce (guitar) and Jebin Bruni (keys), and Earl Harvin on drums. Assured of her place as an authentic musical thinker and an uncompromising artist, Comet continues to discover, examine, and explore all that music has to offer her and how she can return the gift.
In addition to her own recording, Meshell has been expanding her repertoire as a producer, producing three albums in the past year: British/Trinidadian poet and musician Anthony Joseph’s new album, Time; Jason Moran’s Fats Waller Tribute, All Rise: A Joyful Elegy For Fats Waller (due Sept 2014); and a new album by Grammy-nominated Ruthie Foster, also set for release this fall.
Upcoming Tour Dates
June 3: New York NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
June 4: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
June 5: Alexandria VA @ The Birchmere
June 6: Philadelphia PA @ World Cafe Live
June 7: Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
July 14: Tokyo Japan @ Billboard Live Tokyo (two shows)
July 15: Osaka Japan @ Bilboard Live Osaka (two shows)
July 18: Munich @ Bayerischer Hof
July 19: St. Gallen Festival, Switzerland
July 20: St. Moritz Jazz Festival, Switzerland
