Meshell Ndegeocello - Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape

Grammy-worthy humanitarian soundtrack

by j. brotherlove

“You sell your soul like you sell a piece of ass.”

Whether you’re ready or not, Meshell Ndegeocello blasts into her latest CD, Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape, with “Dead Nigga Blvd. (Pt. 1)”, a reference to campaigns that merely result in renaming streets after dead black political figures while living conditions remain unchanged. Throughout the rest of the musical and political journey, Meshell is more honest, raw, funky, unapologetic and sexually expressive than ever; her brilliant arrangements focused on blowing up speakers and sensibilities.

Meshell describes her fearless fourth album as “a very open record with a lot of different styles pumping through it. This album is looking at how I came to be and who I am.” And yet, Cookie, is probably the most accessible recording she’s done. That is, if political activists, gritty poetry, conspiracy theories and lesbian sex talk doesn’t scare away potential listeners. These tidal waves of polemics would drown an average artist. However, Meshell handles it all with a free hand, allowing the elements to ebb and flow effortlessly into a musical melange of funk, hip-hop, rock, jazz, soul and spoken word art.

Meshell elicits a generous amount of help disseminating The Truth. Marcus Miller and Funkadelic guitarist Michael Hampton round out the sound as quotes by Dick Gregory, Angela Davis, Gil Scott Heron and more are interwoven throughout much of the CD. Ex-Soul II Soul songstress, Caron Wheeler and sultry Lalah Hathaway lend sonic depth to epic cut, “Earth” and other selected tracks. Absent are long-time collaborators Wendy & Lisa.

And you can dance to it. Potential club hits, “Hot Night” (featuring a slamming delivering by Talib Kweli) and the Rockwilder/Missy Elliott remix of “Pocketbook” (featuring Redman and Tweet), threaten to break necks and bolt butts from chairs with seething bass lines and ridiculous beats.

Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape is more than a modern day, Black Panther soundtrack. It is an encapsulating opus of black soci-political and musical history; a humanitarian soundtrack for your ass.

Grammy.

Now THAT was a cool review. Now you got me wondering about what’s on that CD!

What, no Wendy & Lisa ?!?!? Maybe it’s the end of a love affair? Or just something different - she truly lost me with Bitter …

wonderful review…that quote is one of my favorite lyrics one on the whole album….i think it will be interesting to see the industry’s response to the album considering it is such a truthful criticism all the problems that stifle (kill?)the creative process of musicians and lyricists….

grammIES….

Dang … After reading that reviewing I’ll need to pick up Me’Shell latest CD … I’ve been hooked to “Outside Your Door,” and “You Made A Fool Of Me.”

fabulous review…”a humanitarian soundtrack for your ass” does sum up cookie quite nicely. *grin* i also love that you are already convincing your readership to buy the album…listen to j.brotherlove, y’all, just listen! :^)

i so loved the way you put this all into words. excellent review.