Meshell Ndegeocello - No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin

Meshell Ndegeocello is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, and musical visionary. A Grammy winner and 11-time nominee, Ndegeocello has built a reputation as an uncompromising artist whose deliriously funky and soulful work provides a powerful commentary on race, gender, and LGBTQ+ rights. The Berlin-born Ndegeocello cut her teeth on Washington, D.C.’s explosive go-go circuit in the 1980s; her landmark neo-soul album Plantation Lullabies was released on Madonna’s Maverick Records label in 1993 and included her blockbuster hit single “If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night).” Ndegeocello’s recent jazz-influenced album The Omnichord Real Book (2023) marks a new chapter in her unpredictable, trailblazing career.

With No More Water, Ndegeocello embarks on a prophetic musical odyssey that transcends boundaries and genres, delving headfirst into race, sexuality, religion, and other recurring themes explored in the celebrated writer’s canon. Following 2023’s The Omnichord Real Book, her acclaimed debut for Blue Note Records which won the inaugural GRAMMY Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album, the multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer renders an immersive and palpable document that is assagacious, unabashed, and introspective as Baldwin was in life.

“An irresistible genre blender… always creating a mood around the music that puts rhythm, harmony, and melody in delicious orbits. It casts a spell on you.” – Pitchfork