‘Meshell Ndegeocello’

Right from her debut album Plantation Lullabies (1993), the bassist Meshell Ndegeocello revealed herself as an artist with a message. Her latest record is no exception: No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin (2024) – her second album at the legendary Blue Note Records – honours Afro-American thinkers and writers such as James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. The result is a richly layered album with a blazing musical interpretation of issues such as sexuality, religion and racism. Ndegeocello manoeuvres effortlessly between spoken word (Baldwin Manifesto I & II), groove (Pride I & II) and a restrained, moving tribute to the protest songs of the sixties (The Price of a Ticket). Come and hear why No More Water immediately earned her a Grammy (Best Alternative Jazz Album).