The Bass Geek

The World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams marks Meshell Ndegeocello’s return to the more rock- and funk-based music she’s known for after the almost-side project of her jazz album, “Dance Of The Infidels.” That album was probably the most faithful Ndegeocello has been to any one genre in her recording career, sticking as it did primarily to modern jazz sounds. Before that release (credited mainly to the Spirit Music Jamai), Ndegeocello pushed boundaries and challenged assumptions both about her music and her artistic limits. She returns to form on her latest release, taking her music to new and uncharted territory.

Hints of her new direction were offered in a couple different locations: The previously released Article 3 EP and her version of “National Anthem” from Exit Music, a Radiohead tribute album. The songs in this case feature some of the dub leanings of her previous album, Comfort Woman. While those leanings are indulged, they are stripped of their previous lushness, opting instead for sharp, angular tracks and harder-edged instrumentation. Ndegeocello takes over quite a few of the instruments on this recording, inviting luminaries like Pat Metheny and Robert Glasper onboard for selected tracks. The result is an abstract collage of music that hints at the edges of the songs, rather than fully describe them. It certainly feels different from the denser work of her previous albums (except for the spare nature of her third album, Bitter). There’s no loss of strength or passion in the work - it just seems like she’s requiring a little more from the listener to follow her.

The album needs to be taken as a whole - while songs like “The Sloganeer: Paradise” and “Shirk” stand on their own, they still meld into the larger work in a much more meaningful way. In a world of singles-or-death, that’s a different concept. If you want to get into this album, give yourself a little time. This package should be unwrapped slowly.