From: owner-god-shiva-digest@smoe.org (god-shiva-digest) To: god-shiva-digest@smoe.org Subject: god-shiva-digest V2 #68 Reply-To: god-shiva@smoe.org Sender: owner-god-shiva-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-god-shiva-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk god-shiva-digest Monday, September 13 1999 Volume 02 : Number 068 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Local "Bitter" review [YamahaRidr@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 15:23:42 EDT From: YamahaRidr@aol.com Subject: Local "Bitter" review Sunday music review from the News and Observer (Raleigh-Durham, NC)... the Record: 'Bitter' truths ROCK REVIEWS Meshell Ndegeocello, "Bitter" * * * * Len, "You Can't Stop the Bum Rush" * * * Innocence Mission, "Birds of My Neighborhood" * * * 1/2 Various Artists, "The Excello Story," Volumes 1-4 * * * * By DAVID MENCONI, STAFF WRITER Most any discussion of Van Morrison either begins or ends with "Astral Weeks," the legendary Irish singer's 1968 masterpiece of Celtic soul mysticism. Few people remember that at the time, the album was a dismal commercial failure -- nor should they. But "Astral Weeks" was released when being good was good enough (at least some of the time), and it made Morrison's reputation. Had Meshell Ndegeocello been making records then, she could have looked forward to a nice long run on an artist-friendly label like Warner Bros. (Morrison's label from 1968 to 1983) or A&M, which would have been glad to have her on the roster as a prestige act. But the days of record labels serving as patrons of the arts are long gone. Here's how fatally screwed-up the record business is now: Ndegeocello has just put out what might be the best record of 1999, "Bitter" (Maverick/Warner Bros. Records), and it's easy to imagine the release costing the artist her record deal. A song cycle designed to be listened to as an album, "Bitter" is profoundly out of step with popular tastes in almost every way. It's also really, really good. Unfortunately, the 200,000 or so copies it's likely to sell won't be enough to satisfy a conglomerate that's more interested in Britney Spears-size sales figures. "Bitter" requires a certain amount of concentration, but it is not particularly difficult. In fact, it's nothing short of seductive, drawing you further in with every listen. It's impossible, however, to imagine this on the radio because it crosses too many boundaries. Like Joe Henry's "Fuse," it's closer to Rickie Lee Jones or Steely Dan's sophisticated jazz-pop than contemporary R&B -- ambient and gliding, with Ndegeocello's bass taking a less prominent role than before. Brooding and angry, "Bitter" ruminates over the shards of a disintegrated relationship (song titles include "Faithful," "Sincerity" and "Loyalty"). It concludes that love is worth the trouble, but just barely. Or as Ndegeocello herself puts it on the album-closing "Grace": "Can't say I've ever been faithful, except to God." The arrangements are spare without feeling that way; each is full of little details that stand out. "Sincerity" is built on a mesmerizing guitar lick that evolves into a solo that could've been on Steely Dan's "Aja." The aforementioned Joe Henry shows himself to be a kindred spirit with a backup vocal turn on "Wasted Time," adding just the right touch of clattery dissonance. If "Bitter" has a shot at radio, it's probably "Loyalty," the most overtly R&B-sounding track on the album. "Loyalty" would elevate the playlist of any station willing to give it a try -- it's just right for the slot that Lauryn Hill filled last year. But don't count on that happening. "Bitter" is one record you're going to have to discover for yourself. ------------------------------ End of god-shiva-digest V2 #68 ******************************