Meshell Ndegeocello – Comfort Woman

For those who know Ndegeocello only as the funky singer/bassist who rocked out with John Mellencamp on a mid-’90s cover of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” Comfort Woman comes as a bit of a surprise. With its spacey, slick and ambient textures—dare I say ‘smooth’ without invoking images of Kenny G wanking away on his soprano sax—the album sounds like a cross between down’n’dirty soul-singer D’Angelo and Sting’s Brand New Day, but with a slightly experimental bent. Cleverly crafted, Comfort Woman’s blend of reggae, R&B, rock and jazz-funk is best-suited to late-at-night listens—very late.