MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO — The World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Say what you will about bassist, songwriter, singer, bandleader, and arranger Meshell Ndegeocello, any box you attempt to put her into is not possibly big enough to hold her creativity and restless, unwieldy aesthetic vision. On "The Sloganeer: Paradise," a tune in which she equates the bland, complicit nature of blindly living modern life with committing suicide, she sings: "To know me is to know I love with/My imagination." It's a summation of her entire career thus far, and this album furthers that notion exponentially. The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams is Ndegeocello's debut for Decca; it is wilder than Cookie: An Anthropological Mixtape, or her last recording, The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel. The latter set was a project that indulged her love of postmodern jazz and engaged in improvisation. She directed an ensemble that included Oliver Lake, Don Byron, Jack DeJohnette, Kenny Garrett, Ron Blake, Brandon Ross, Lalah Hathaway, Cassandra Wilson, and others. It walked a line between tight song-oriented material and longer jam-based tunes, and she didn't really sing on it. That's remedied here, and her sultry, smoky voice is heard on virtually every cut. Musically, this albums walks through walls. There are funky soul tunes whose backdrops are full of psychedelic music that would make the latter-day Jimi Hendrix smile in delight (think the material from Cry of Love). There are jazz-oriented tunes that slip toward pop, folk, and whole-tone folk songs. The lyrical content engages spiritual concerns and carnal love more often than not in the same song. And while she once more employs a wildly diverse collection of collaborators that include everyone from Ross and Lake to Pat Metheny, Oumou Sangare, Robert Glasper, Mike Severson, Daniel Jones, Doyle Bramhall, David Gilmore (not the one from Pink Floyd), James Newton, and Graham Haynes, she also cut two songs ("Evolution" and the bonus cut "Soul Spaceship"), playing all the instruments herself. So what does it sound like? The future arriving fully formed on the doorstep. It opens provocatively enough with noted American Muslim teacher and Islamic scholar Shiek Hamza Yusuf reciting the predictions of Mohammed to a backwash of Ross' guitar and ambient sounds. (Yusuf was the man who appeared with George W. Bush after 9/11 and denounced the attacks and all religious violence, and is working for a return to Islamic sciences as well as assisting Western governments in understanding Islamic culture and Muslims.) It moves into a rock & roll dreamscape called "Sloganeering: Paradise" awash in keyboards, a drummer playing drum and bass breaks that would make Prince jealous. "Evolution" is a spaced-out psychedelic dirge with few lyrics and a sound field worthy of Hendrix (and indeed her guitar playing is influenced in that direction). The sci-fi jazz of "Virgo," with Lake, Newton, and trombonist George McMullen, hovers and floats in vanguard space before turning into a dreamy pop song with acoustic guitars, synth washes, and samples but is held together with a gorgeous melody and vocal performance (and contains a funky little solo by Lake on alto saxophone). "Shirk" is a gorgeous spiritual duet between Sangare and Ndegeocello with Hervé Sambe and Metheny on acoustic guitars. Metheny also appears on "Article," the following cut with a guest appearance by Thandiswa Mazwai singing with Ndegéocello, but this time out she pops that bass of hers in response. It's a dizzying cut with shifting rhythms and textures, and call-and-response vocals that feel more like counterpoint as different sonic and textural motifs move across the front of the tune. All this and the record is just over halfway. The deep spirituality at work here has been present in Ndegeocello's work arguably since the beginning, but it has become more pronounced in recent years. That said, the beautiful and poetic expressions of desire as it encounters both flesh and the divine are soulful, without pretension or artifice. "Michelle Johnson" is a freewheeling exploration of electronic outer realms, tough guitar, and bass-heavy funk, with killer drum kit work by Deantoni Parks and hand percussion by Gilmar Gomes. The sonic treatments by Scott Mann and Chad Royce are all structure to fill the space around the artist's basslines and expressive belly-deep voice -- and you can be the judge as to which Michelle Johnson she's speaking of here. "Solomon" is among the most beautiful songs this woman has ever written. It is presented in a painterly way, illustrated and framed inside a warm bubbly electronic backdrop that gives way to languid melody, a spine-moving bassline that grooves low and slow on this futuristic soul lullaby. The official album closes with the completely out-to-lunch "Relief: A Stripper Classic," which is the true missing link between urban soul, heavy metal, and slow, downtempo funk -- all of it with a pronounced hook and refrain. "Soul Spaceship" is the place where Sly Stone, Amp Fiddler, and Millie Jackson meet in a big bass sci-fi wonderland presided over by Rick James and Teena Marie! The basslines and synth lines are huge, drum machines abound and skitter, and all the while Ndegéocello and Sy Smith make a beautifully grooving mess with the vocals. Ultimately, The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams, with its irony, sincerity, seeming contradiction, and elliptical paradox, is the most expansive, complex record yet released by this always provocative artist. It will take more than a single listen to warm up to, but once you actually take it in, it will be one of her recordings you go back to over and again because while it gives up its secrets slowly, it gives the listener something new each time too. Wild, visionary, and marvelously tough, this is a groover that will turn you inside out.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Haditha 1:31
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Guitar – Brandon Ross
Mixed By – Fran Cathcart
Programmed By [Additional] – Neil McLellan
Voice – Hamza Yusuf
2    The Sloganeer: Paradise 5:05
Drums – Deantoni Parks
Engineer – Stephen Joseph
Guitar – Mike Severson
Mixed By – Neil McLellan
Producer [Additional] – Chad Royce, Scott Mann
3    Evolution 3:45
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Mixed By – Bob Power
Vocals [Additional] – Daniel Jones
4    Virgo 2:52
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Flute – James Newton
Guitar [Additional] – Scott Mann
Keyboards [Additional] – Scott Mann
Mixed By – Chad Royce, Scott Mann
Percussion [Additional] – Chad Royce
Saxophone – Oliver Lake
Trombone – George McMullen
5    Lovely Lovely 3:28
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Flute – James Newton
Guitar – Hervé Sambe, Rhamis Kent
Percussion – Gilmar Gomes
6    Elliptical 5:35
Cornet – Graham Haynes
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Guitar – Brandon Ross
Mixed By – Erik Dyba
Percussion – Davi Vieira
Programmed By – Amatus-Sami
Vocals – Sy Smith
7    Shirk 2:53
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Guitar – Hervé Sambe, Pat Metheny
Mixed By – Eric Elterman
Vocals – Oumou Sangare
8    Article 3 3:33
Drums – Deantoni Parks
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Guitar – Pat Metheny
Mixed By – Fran Cathcart
Percussion – Davi Vieira
Vocals – Thandiswa Mazwai
9    Michelle Johnson 5:03
Drums – Deantoni Parks
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Guitar – David Gilmore, Doyle Bramhall, Hervé Sambe
Keyboards – Daniel Jones
Keyboards [Additional] – Chad Royce, Scott Mann
Mixed By – Bob Power
Mixed By [Additional] – Chad Royce, Scott Mann
Percussion – Gilmar Gomes
Vocals – Sy Smith
10    Headline 1:53
Drums – Deantoni Parks
Engineer – Erik Dyba
Keyboards – Jason Lindner
Mixed By [Additional] – Fran Cathcart
Producer [Additional] – Fran Cathcart
11    Solomon 4:04
Drum Programming [Additional] – Chad Royce
Drums – Rhamis Kent
Engineer – Eric Elterman, Erik Dyba
Mixed By – Chad Royce, Scott Mann
Voice – Jack Bean
12    Relief: A Stripper Classic 4:28
Bass – Mark Kelley
Drum Programming [Additional] – Chad Royce
Engineer – Stephen Joseph
Guitar – Mike Severson
Keyboards [Additional] – Chad Royce, Scott Mann
Mixed By – Chad Royce, Scott Mann
Piano – Robert Glasper
Synthesizer – Daniel Jones
Vocals – Sy Smith
– BONUS TRACKS –
13    Soul Spaceship    4:35
Credits :
    Bass – Meshell Ndegeocello
    Drums – Meshell Ndegeocello
    Guitar – Meshell Ndegeocello
    Keyboards – Meshell Ndegeocello
    Producer – Chad Royce, Erik Dyba, Meshell Ndegeocello, Scott Mann
    Vocals – Meshell Ndegeocello

NGUYÊN LÊ — Purple : Celebrating Jimi Hendrix (2002) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Nguyên Lê pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix by performing ten of the late rock innovator's songs on this 2002 CD. Lê plays in the tradition of Hendrix without directly copying him, being creative and stretching himself. The occasional vocals by drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, Aïda Khann, and Corin Curschellas (which are sometimes spoken as much as sung) are unfortunately not as interesting and are mostly distracting. Bassist Michel Alibo is excellent during his solos and Lê shows originality in his improvisations, but the music overall is more heartfelt than essential, particularly since Hendrix's own records are easily available. Scott Yanow

"CD of the Month, November 2002: 'Nguyên Lê sets standards with 'Celebrating Hendrix'" - (STEREOPLAY) ACT
Tracklist :
1    1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) 6:05
Electric Bass – Michel Alibo
Piano [Acoustic] – Bojan Zulfikarpasic
Vocals – Terri Lyne Carrington
2    Manic Depression 5:27
Electric Bass – Michel Alibo
Vocals – Aïda Khann
3    Are You Experienced 6:13
Electric Bass – Meshell Ndegeocello
Percussion [Loop] – Tino Di Geraldo
Vocals – Corin Curschellas
4    Purple Haze 5:19
Electric Bass – Michel Alibo
Vocals – Terri Lyne Carrington
5    Burning Of The Midnight Lamp 7:13
Electric Bass – Michel Alibo
Vocals – Terri Lyne Carrington
6    If 6 Was 9 4:06
Electric Bass – Michel Alibo
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Bojan Zulfikarpasic
Vocals – Aïda Khann
7    Voodoo Child (Slight Return) 6:42
Electric Bass – Meshell Ndegeocello
Percussion [Gumbri], Percussion [North African] – Karim Ziad
Vocals – Aïda Khann
Vocals, Handclaps – B'net Houariyat
8    South Saturn Delta 4:44
Electric Bass – Michel Alibo
Vocals – Terri Lyne Carrington
9    Up From The Skies 3:48
Electric Bass – Michel Alibo
Vocals – Terri Lyne Carrington
10    Third Stone From The Sun 5:44
Electric Bass – Michel Alibo
Vocals – Corin Curschellas
Credits :
Nguyên Lê - Guitars, Guitar-Synth
Michel Alibo - Electric Bass
Terri Lyne Carrington - Drums & Vocals
Aïda Khann & Corin Curschellas - Vocals
Meshell Ndegeocello - Electric Bass
Karim Ziad - Gumbri & North African Percussions
Bojan Zulfikarpasic - Acoustic Piano & Fender Rhodes Piano

MIKE STERN - Who Let the Cats Out? (2006) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

More than two decades into his solo career, Mike Stern, on his 13th album as a leader, continues to prove why he's earned so many "Best Jazz Guitarist" honors through the years. Stern's skills are undeniable, and new ideas never fail to materialize when he's at work. But what makes Stern stand out from the pack of virtuosic guitar technicians is that he always insists on letting his, and his support team's, abilities serve the music, not vice versa. On Who Let the Cats Out?, Stern and his well-chosen crew spill out lick upon impressive lick, but they never get so carried away with themselves that they lose sight of the tune's purpose and structure. Grandiosity is never a factor here, although there are dozens of occasions to applaud these musicians' chops. Richard Bona, the Cameroonian bassist, has worked with Stern before, but here he is given an expanded role, appearing on four tracks and contributing his falsetto-style, scat-like vocals to three of them: On "All You Need," one of the prettiest tracks on the record, Bona provides an uplifting sensuality. He also shines on "We're with You," a ballad featuring Stern on acoustic guitar. Devoid of pyrotechnics, this song of support to those hurting utilizes synth-derived orchestration and a mournful, quiet tone to bring home its emotionalism. Drummer Dave Weckl -- who alternates throughout with the excellent Kim Thompson -- is another major pacesetter here: On "Texas," the often-overdriven Weckl restrains himself, his no-frills drums and Me'Shell NdegéOcello's creative bass chasing Stern's skronky slide while Gregoire Maret's harmonica provides the necessary borderland flavor. The title track, a quasi-swing/bop showpiece, finds Stern -- peeling out some of his most blazing, how'd-he-do-that? riffs -- and trumpet great Roy Hargrove trying to outdo each other and calling it a draw. Stern's soloing throughout the record is, in fact, ceaselessly imaginative: Whether within a total funk exercise like "Roll with It," which borrows Victor Wooten from the Flecktones for bass duties and spotlights sexy sax from Bob Malach, or the moody ballad "KT," on which Stern's guitar escalates in intensity alongside Jim Beard's soulful organ, Stern finds his place within the song's architecture, then rises several levels above what's required of him to present something unexpected and rewardingly original. Only on "Blue Runway," the eight-and-a-half-minute closer, with Anthony Jackson taking over the bass, do the players allow themselves to approach tediousness. Overextending themselves as they shift into hyperdrive, they turn the piece into a jam for its own sake. An anomaly, it doesn't by any means detract from the album's overall quality, though it does allow it to end on a disappointingly self-absorbed note. by Jeff Tamarkin
Tracklist:
1    Tumble Home    8:14
2    KT    7:57
3    Good Questions    4:17
4    Language    7:03
5    We're With You    5:48
6    Leni Goes Shopping    4:38
7    Roll With It    5:02
8    Texas    7:04
9    Who Let The Cats Out?    7:44
10    All You Need    6:57
11    Blue Runaway    8:37
Credits:
Bass – Anthony Jackson, Chris Minh Doky, Meshell Ndegeocello, Victor Wooten
Drums – Dave Weckl, Kim Thompson
Guitar – Mike Stern
Harmonica – Gregoire Maret
Keyboards, Producer – Jim Beard
Saxophone – Bob Franceschini, Bob Malach
Trumpet – Roy Hargrove
Vocals, Bass – Richard Bona