Meshell Ndegeocello

NEW ALBUM (AUGUST 2024): NO MORE WATER: THE GOSPEL OF JAMES BALDWIN

Bassist and singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello is one of the most essential musicians of the past thirty years. Often described as a spiritual heir to Prince and one of the pioneers of the nu-soul movement (alongside her peer Erykah Badu), her rich and expansive musical universe encompasses the entire spectrum of Great Black Music and beyond, extending into folk and rock. Her recent albums are masterclasses in arrangement and production: this was true of Ventriloquism, critically acclaimed in 2018, and more recently of The Omnichord Real Book, released in 2023 on Blue Note, which won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album, as well as France’s Album of the Year prize from Jazz News / Jazz Magazine.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the eminent American writer and activist James Baldwin in 2024, Meshell Ndegeocello returns to Blue Note with a tribute album, No More Water.

On this visionary record, Meshell takes us on a musical and lyrical odyssey that transcends genres and boundaries, exploring the themes of race, sexuality, and religion that are so powerfully present in Baldwin’s work. At once a celebration, a testimony, and a call to action, this new project offers a truly singular musical experience.

Co-produced by Meshell and guitarist Chris Bruce, No More Water also features longtime collaborators such as Justin Hicks, Kenita Miller, Abe Rounds, Jake Sherman, Jebin Bruni, and Julius Rodriguez, as well as the powerful Jamaican poet and activist Staceyann Chin.