- Devil's Halo
-
Devil's Halo 
Studio album by Me'Shell Ndegéocello Released October 6, 2009 Recorded 2008–2009
eightbitaudio (8BA)
(Los Angeles, California)Genre Rock, neo soul, pop, ambient, dub, art rock Length 36:45 Label Mercer Street, Downtown Producer Chris Bruce, Keith Ciancia, Me'Shell Ndegéocello Me'Shell Ndegéocello chronology The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams
(2007)Devil's Halo
(2009)Devil's Halo is the eighth studio album by American recording artist Me'Shell Ndegéocello, released October 6, 2009, on Downtown Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2008 to 2009 at engineer S. Husky Höskulds's eightbitaudio (8BA) studio in Los Angeles, California. Produced by Ndegéocello, guitarist Chris Bruce, and keyboardist Keith Ciancia, Devil's Halo features an ominous theme of love and an eclectic fusion sound, incorporating musical elements of rock, pop, dub, and funk. Although it charted modestly, the album was well-received by music critics upon its release.
Contents
Background
Produced by Ndegéocello, guitarist Chris Bruce, and keyboardist Keith Ciancia, the album was recorded during 2008 to 2009 at engineer S. Husky Höskulds's eightbitaudio (8BA) studio in Los Angeles, California.[1] Recorded with live instrumentation, it did not undergo digital post-production, which contributed to its raw and organic sound.[2]
Music
Devil's Halo features a fusion sound dominated by pop and soul-influenced rock songs, as well as prominent elements of funk and dub music.[3][4][5] The Boston Globe's Sarah Rodman notes a "catholicity of sounds" on the album.[6] Jacqueline Smith of The New Zealand Herald noted its musical fusion, but ultimately viewed the album as rooted in soul music, writing that "though it channels everyone from Sade to Santana, it's an album of mostly soul - of the soul-baring kind".[7] The album's primary lyrical theme concerns the treachery of love and its bitter effects.[4]
Reception
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
[3]The A.V. Club (A-)[8] Billboard (favorable)[9] The Independent 
[10]MusicOMH [11]The New Zealand Herald [7]Q [12]PopMatters (9/10)[13] The Times [14]The Washington Post (favorable)[15] Devil's Halo received positive reviews from most music critics.[12] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on seven reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[12] Allmusic editor Thom Jurek praised Ndegéocello's musical vision and songwriting, stating "she hasn't been so nakedly vulnerable and brazenly honest on record as she is here".[3] Gary Graff of Billboard complimented the album's musical style and wrote that it "neatly straddles a line between challenging and accessible, with some of the tightest and catchiest compositions she's yet brought forth".[9] Andrew Burgess of MusicOMH gave it four out of five stars and called it "achingly sensual and brutally violent".[11] Detroit Free Press writer Martin Bandyke gave the album three out of four stars and called it "progressive but accessible".[16] Metro Spirit's Frazia Lee praised Ndegéocello's musicianship and lyrical substance, commenting that she "illustrates a quiet calm that allows you to engage in poetic mediation".[17] Ed Potton of The Times commented that Ndegéocello's voice "resides somewhere between Sade and PJ Harvey".[14] Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post wrote that "Ndegéocello has rarely sounded stronger, and the disc's stripped-down approach accentuates her musical brawn".[15]
However, Andy Gill of The Independent found the album's eclectic style inconsistent, stating "The songs seem to bleed into one another, with too much pointlessly flashy playing leading to polite jazz-rock hell. One's left yearning for a hummable melody that might imprint one of these songs upon one's memory".[10] Mojo gave it two out of five stars and stated "Lyrically her songs are as politically charged as ever, musically they're laboured experiments in style".[18] Q gave the album four out of five stars and commented that "For all the fraughness there are unpredictable but always apposite moments of beauty".[12] The Huffington Post's Mike Ragogna called Devil's Halo "highly original" and commended Ndegéocello's songwriting for its "low key/high concept subject matter".[19] Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com commended "the mellow depth of Ndegéocello's voice" and her ominous lyrics, stating "Like a world-weary muse, Ndegeocello taps into something rich and melancholy at the sludgy bottom of our hearts".[20] Tyler Lewis of PopMatters dubbed the album "the tightest, most emotionally potent work she’s produced since Bitter", but added that Devil's Halo has "a greater sense of perspective of life’s realities".[13] Noel Murray of The A.V. Club described it as "bracingly unpredictable and persistently enjoyable; it’s an art-soul record for those who like to be challenged while they’re tapping their toes. Or vice versa".[8]
Track listing
No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Slaughter" Me'Shell Ndegéocello 2:38 2. "Tie One On" Ndegéocello 2:31 3. "Lola" Chris Bruce, Ndegéocello 3:11 4. "Hair of the Dog" Keefus Ciancia, Keith Ciancia, Lisa Germano, Ndegéocello 1:41 5. "Mass Transit" Bruce, Ndegéocello, Deantoni Parks 3:45 6. "White Girl" Bruce, Ndegéocello 2:42 7. "Love You Down" Melvin Riley 5:22 8. "Devil's Halo" Yuval Lion, Ndegéocello 2:22 9. "Bright Shiny Morning" Bruce, Eric Elterman, Ndegéocello 3:02 10. "Blood on the Curb" Oren Bloedow, Ndegéocello 2:39 11. "Die Young" Ciancia, K. Ciancia, Elterman, Ndegéocello 4:20 12. "Crying in Your Beer" Bloedow, Bruce, Ndegéocello 2:35 Personnel
Musicians
- Oren Bloedow – vocals
- Chris Bruce – banjo, bass, guitar
- Keith Ciancia – keyboards
- Lisa Germano – violin, cello
- Me'Shell Ndegéocello – bass, keyboards, vocals
- Deantoni Parks – drums
Production
- Oren Bloedow – vocal arrangements
- Chris Bruce – producer
- Keith Ciancia – programming, producer
- Eric Elterman – engineer
- Me'Shell Ndegéocello – arranger, programming, producer
- Bob Power – mastering
Charts
Chart (2009) Peak
position[21]US Billboard 200 185 US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 64 US Billboard Independent Albums 31 References
- ^ Product Page: Devil's Halo. Muze. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben. Ugly Truths, Proclaimed Seductively. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ a b c Jurek, Thom. Review: Devil's Halo. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ a b Mason, Rick. Review: Devil's Halo. City Pages. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ Columnist. Review: Devil's Halo. iTunes Store. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ Rodman, Sarah. Review: Devil's Halo. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ a b Smith, Jacqueline (March 20, 2010). "Meshell Ndegeocello - Devil's Halo". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/music-reviews/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501982&objectid=10633053. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ a b Murray, Noel. Review: Devil's Halo. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ a b Graff, Gary. Review: Devil's Halo. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-04-23.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy. Review: Devil's Halo. The Independent. Retrieved on 2010-04-23.
- ^ a b Burgess, Andrew. Review: Devil's Halo. MusicOMH. Retrieved on 2010-05-04.
- ^ a b c d Devil's Halo Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ a b Lewis, Tyler. Review: Devil's Halo. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ a b Potton, Ed. Review: Devil's Halo. The Times. Retrieved on 2010-04-23.
- ^ a b Jenkins, Mark. Review: Devil's Halo. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ Bandyke, Martin. Review: Devil's Halo. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ Lee, Frazia. Review: Devil's Halo. Metro Spirit. Retrieved on 2009-12-13.
- ^ Columnist. "Review: Devil's Halo". Mojo: 94. June 2010.
- ^ Ragogna, Mike. Review: Devil's Halo. The Huffington Post. Retrieved on 2010-04-23.
- ^ Havrilesky, Heather. Review: Devil's Halo. Salon.com. Retrieved on 2010-05-04.
- ^ Billboard Albums: Devil's Halo. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-04-23.
External links
Categories:- 2009 albums
- Me'shell Ndegeocello albums
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